February 26 — On This Day
268 entries
Events
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747 BC
Epoch (origin) of Ptolemy's Nabonassar Era.
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364
Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman emperor.
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1233
Mongol-Jin War: The Mongols capture Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty, after besieging it for months.
Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty · Mongol Empire · Mongol siege of Kaifeng · Jin dynasty (1115-1234)
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1266
Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.
Battle of Benevento · Charles I of Naples · Sicily · Manfred, King of Sicily · Pope Clement IV
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1616
Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.
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1794
The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down.
- 1815
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1876
Japan and Korea sign a treaty granting Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights, opening three ports to Japanese trade, and ending Korea's status as a tributary state of Qing dynasty China.
Empire of Japan · Korean Empire · Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876 · Extraterritoriality · Tributary state
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1909
Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.
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1914
HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
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1919
President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.
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1929
President Calvin Coolidge signs an executive order establishing the 96,000 acre Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Calvin Coolidge · Executive order · Grand Teton National Park · Wyoming
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1935
Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
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1935
Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of radar in the United Kingdom.
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1936
In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government.
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1952
Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada.
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1960
A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board.
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1966
Apollo program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
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1971
U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
Secretary-General of the United Nations · U Thant · United Nations · Earth Day
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1979
The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak.
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1980
Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations.
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1987
Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
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1992
Nagorno-Karabakh War: Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces open fire on Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead.
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1993
World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over a thousand.
World Trade Center bombing · One World Trade Center · World Trade Center (1973-2001)
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1995
The UK's oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts.
Barings Bank · Nick Leeson · Singapore International Monetary Exchange · Futures contract
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1996
Keddies, the Southend-on-Sea department store closes it doors after 104 years of trading.
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2008
The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, North Korea; this is the first event of its kind to take place in North Korea.
New York Philharmonic · 2008 New York Philharmonic visit to North Korea
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2012
A train derails in Burlington, Ontario, Canada killing at least three people and injuring 45.
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2013
A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people.
Famous Births
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1361
Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (d. 1419)
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1416
Christopher of Bavaria (d. 1448)
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1564
Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (d. 1593)
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1584
Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1666)
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1587
Stefano Landi, Italian composer and educator (d. 1639)
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1629
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, Scottish peer (d. 1685)
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1671
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English philosopher and politician (d. 1713)
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1672
Antoine Augustin Calmet, French monk and theologian (d. 1757)
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1677
Nicola Fago, Italian composer and teacher (d. 1745)
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1715
Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (d. 1771)
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1718
Johan Ernst Gunnerus, Norwegian bishop, botanist and zoologist (d. 1773)
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1720
Gian Francesco Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1803)
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1746
Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (d. 1806)
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1770
Anton Reicha, Bohemian composer and flautist (d. 1836)
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1777
Matija Nenadović, Serbian priest, historian, and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 1854)
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1786
François Arago, French mathematician and politician, 25th Prime Minister of France (d. 1853)
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1799
Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron, French physicist and engineer (d. 1864)
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1802
Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1885)
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1808
Honoré Daumier, French painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 1879)
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1808
Nathan Kelley, American architect, designed the Ohio Statehouse (d. 1871)
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1829
Levi Strauss, German-American fashion designer, founded Levi Strauss & Co. (d. 1902)
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1842
Camille Flammarion, French astronomer and author (d. 1925)
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1846
Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (d. 1917)
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1852
John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon, co-created Corn flakes (d. 1943)
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1857
Émile Coué, French psychologist and pharmacist (d. 1926)
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1861
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (d. 1948)
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1861
Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russian soldier and politician (d. 1939)
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1866
Herbert Henry Dow, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Dow Chemical Company (d. 1930)
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1877
Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (d. 1968)
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1879
Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer (d. 1941)
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1880
Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer (d. 1972)
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1881
Janus Djurhuus, Faroese poet (d. 1948)
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1882
Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (d. 1968)
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1885
Aleksandras Stulginskis, Lithuanian farmer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (d. 1969)
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1887
Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player and coach (d. 1950)
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1887
William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (d. 1966)
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1887
Stefan Grabiński, Polish author and educator (d. 1936)
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1893
Wallace Fard Muhammad, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Islam (disappeared 1934)
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1893
Dorothy Whipple, English novelist (d. 1966)
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1896
Andrei Zhdanov, Ukrainian-Russian civil servant and politician (d. 1948)
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1899
Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician, 54th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1994)
Max Petitpierre · List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation
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1900
Halina Konopacka, Polish discus thrower and poet (d. 1989) [1]
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1900
Fritz Wiessner, German-American mountaineer (d. 1988)
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1902
Jean Bruller, French author and illustrator, co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit (d. 1991)
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1903
Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
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1903
Orde Wingate, English general (d. 1944)
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1906
Madeleine Carroll, English actress (d. 1987)
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1908
Tex Avery, American animator, producer, and voice actor (d. 1980)
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1908
Leela Majumdar, Indian author and academic (d. 2007)
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1908
Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (d. 1949)
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1909
Fanny Cradock, English chef, author, and critic (d. 1994)
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1909
Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
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1910
Vic Woodley, English footballer (d. 1978)
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1911
Tarō Okamoto, Japanese painter and sculptor (d. 1996)
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1912
Dane Clark, American actor and director (d. 1998)
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1913
George Barker, English author and poet (d. 1991)
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1914
Robert Alda, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1986)
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1916
Jackie Gleason, American actor and singer (d. 1987)
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1918
Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus from 1965 to 1980 (d. 1980)
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1918
Otis R. Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (d. 2013)
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1918
Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (d. 1985)
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1919
Mason Adams, American actor (d. 2005)
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1920
Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (d. 2005)
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1920
Tony Randall, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2004)
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1920
Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 2006)
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1921
Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
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1922
Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (d. 2007)
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1922
Margaret Leighton, English actress (d. 1976)
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1924
Noboru Takeshita, Japanese soldier and politician, 74th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2000)
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1924
Marc Bucci, American composer, lyricist, and dramatist (d. 2002)
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1925
Everton Weekes, Barbadian cricketer and referee
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1926
Doris Belack, American actress (d. 2011)
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1926
Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (d. 2015)
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1927
Tom Kennedy, American game show host and actor
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1928
Fats Domino, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2017)
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1928
Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 2014)
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1931
Ally MacLeod, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2004)
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1931
Robert Novak, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
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1932
Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2003)
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1933
James Goldsmith, French-British businessman and politician (d. 1997)
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1934
Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, Algerian director, producer, and screenwriter
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1936
José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (d. 2014)
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1937
Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (d. 2011)
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1939
Josephine Tewson, English actress
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1940
Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (d. 2013)
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1942
Jozef Adamec, Slovak footballer and manager
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1943
Paul Cotton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
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1943
Bill Duke, American actor and director
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1943
Dante Ferretti, Italian art director and costume designer
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1943
Bob "The Bear" Hite, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1981)
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1944
Christopher Hope, South African author and poet
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1944
Ronald Lauder, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Austria
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1945
Peter Brock, Australian race car driver (d. 2006)
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1945
Marta Kristen, Norwegian-American actress
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1945
Mitch Ryder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
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1946
Colin Bell, English footballer
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1946
Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
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1947
Sandie Shaw, English singer and psychotherapist
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1948
Sharyn McCrumb, American author
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1949
Simon Crean, Australian trade union leader and politician, 14th Australian Minister for the Arts
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1949
Elizabeth George, American author and educator
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1949
Emma Kirkby, English soprano
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1950
Jonathan Cain, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
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1950
Helen Clark, New Zealand academic and politician, 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
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1951
Steve Bell, English cartoonist
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1951
Wayne Goss, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Premier of Queensland (d. 2014)
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1953
Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter and actor
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1954
Prince Ernst August of Hanover
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1954
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish politician, 12th President of Turkey
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1955
Andreas Maislinger, Austrian historian and academic, founded the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
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1956
Michel Houellebecq, French author, poet, screenwriter, and director
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1957
David Beasley, American lawyer and politician, 113th Governor of South Carolina
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1957
Joe Mullen, American ice hockey player and coach
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1957
Keena Rothhammer, American swimmer
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1958
Paul Ackford, English rugby player
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1958
Greg Germann, American actor and director
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1958
Susan Helms, American general, engineer, and astronaut
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1958
Tim Kaine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Virginia
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1959
Rolando Blackman, American basketball player and coach
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1959
Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish political scientist, academic, and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Turkey
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1960
Jaz Coleman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
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1962
Ahn Cheol-soo, South Korean physician, academic, and politician
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1965
James Mitchell, American wrestler and manager
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1966
Garry Conille, Haitian physician and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Haiti
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1966
Marc Fortier, French-Canadian ice hockey player
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1966
Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer.
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1967
Mark Carroll, Australian rugby league player
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1967
Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese footballer
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1969
Hitoshi Sakimoto, Japanese composer and producer
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1970
Mark Harper, English accountant and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
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1971
Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
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1971
Max Martin, Swedish-American record producer and songwriter
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1971
Hélène Segara, French singer-songwriter and actress
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1973
Marshall Faulk, American football player
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1973
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer and manager
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1973
Jenny Thompson, American swimmer
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1974
Sébastien Loeb, French race car driver
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1974
Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Filipina television actress, host and equestrienne
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1976
Nalini Anantharaman, French mathematician
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1976
Chad Urmston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
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1977
Marty Reasoner, American ice hockey player and coach
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1977
Tim Thomas, American basketball player
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1977
Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union player
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1978
Abdoulaye Faye, Senegalese footballer
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1979
Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
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1979
Steve Evans, Welsh footballer
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1979
Pedro Mendes, Portuguese footballer
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1980
Steve Blake, American basketball player
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1981
Kertus Davis, American race car driver
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1981
Oh Seung-bum, South Korean footballer
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1982
Li Na, Chinese tennis player
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1982
Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer
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1982
Nate Ruess, American singer-songwriter
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1983
Jerome Harrison, American football player
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1983
Pepe, Brazilian-Portuguese footballer
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1984
Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer-songwriter
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1984
Beren Saat, Turkish actress
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1985
Fernando Llorente, Spanish footballer
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1985
Diego Ribas da Cunha, Brazilian footballer
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1986
Hannah Kearney, American skier
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1989
Gabriel Obertan, French footballer
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1990
Kateřina Cachová, Czech heptathlete
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1990
Takanoiwa Yoshimori, Mongolian sumo wrestler
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1992
Michael Chee Kam, New Zealand rugby league player
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1997
Reghan Tumilty, Scottish footballer
Famous Deaths
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420
Porphyry of Gaza, Greek bishop and saint (b. 347)
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943
Muirchertach mac Néill, king of Ailech (Ireland)
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1154
Roger II of Sicily (b. 1093)
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1266
Manfred, King of Sicily (b. 1232)
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1275
Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (b. 1240)
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1360
Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, English commander (b. 1328)
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1462
John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, English politician (b. 1408)
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1548
Lorenzino de' Medici, Italian writer and assassin (b. 1514)
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1577
Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)
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1603
Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, spouse of Maximilian II (b. 1528)
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1608
John Still, English bishop (b. 1543)
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1611
Antonio Possevino, Italian priest and diplomat (b. 1533)
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1625
Anna Vasa of Sweden, Polish and Swedish princess (b. 1568)
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1630
William Brade, English violinist and composer (b. 1560)
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1638
Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician and linguist (b. 1581)
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1723
Thomas d'Urfey, English poet and playwright (b. 1653)
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1726
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1662)
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1770
Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1692)
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1790
Joshua Rowley, English admiral (b. 1730)
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1802
Esek Hopkins, American admiral (b. 1718)
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1813
Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (b. 1746)
Robert R. Livingston (chancellor) · United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs
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1815
Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (b. 1737)
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1821
Joseph de Maistre, French lawyer and diplomat (b. 1753)
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1864
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, Canadian jurist and politician, 3rd Premier of Canada East (b. 1807)
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine · List of Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada
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1883
Alexandros Koumoundouros, Greek lawyer and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1817)
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1887
Anandi Gopal Joshi, Indian physician (b. 1865)
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1889
Karl Davydov, Russian cellist and composer (b. 1838)
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1903
Richard Jordan Gatling, American engineer, invented the Gatling gun (b. 1818)
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1913
Felix Draeseke, German composer and academic (b. 1835)
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1921
Carl Menger, Polish-Austrian economist and academic (b. 1840)
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1930
Mary Whiton Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (b. 1863)
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1931
Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1847)
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1936
February 26 Incident: Takahashi Korekiyo, Japanese accountant and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1854) Saitō Makoto, Japanese admiral and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1858) Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (b. 1874)
February 26 Incident · Takahashi Korekiyo · Prime Minister of Japan · Saitō Makoto · Prime Minister of Japan
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1943
Theodor Eicke, German general (b. 1892)
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1947
Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss judge and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (b. 1868)
Heinrich Häberlin · List of Presidents of the National Council of Switzerland
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1950
Harry Lauder, Scottish comedian and singer (b. 1870)
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1952
Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (b. 1878)
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1961
Karl Albiker, German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (b. 1878)
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1961
Mohammed V of Morocco (b. 1909)
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1966
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (b. 1883)
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1969
Levi Eshkol, Israeli soldier and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1895)
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1969
Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (b. 1883)
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1981
Robert Aickman, English author and activist (b. 1914)
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1981
Howard Hanson, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1896)
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1985
Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-American economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
Tjalling Koopmans · Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
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1989
Roy Eldridge, American trumpet player (b. 1911)
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1993
Constance Ford, American model and actress (b. 1923)
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1995
Jack Clayton, English director and producer (b. 1921)
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1997
David Doyle, American actor (b. 1929)
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1998
Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
Theodore Schultz · Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
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2000
George L. Street III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
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2002
Lawrence Tierney, American actor (b. 1919)
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2004
Shankarrao Chavan, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Finance (b. 1920)
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2004
Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (b. 1905)
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2004
Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1956)
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2005
Jef Raskin, American computer scientist, created Macintosh (b. 1943)
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2009
Johnny Kerr, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1932)
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2009
Wendy Richard, English actress (b. 1943)
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2009
Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1947)
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2010
Jun Seba, also known as "Nujabes", Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (b. 1974)
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2011
Arnošt Lustig, Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
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2012
Richard Carpenter, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
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2013
Marie-Claire Alain, French organist and educator (b. 1926)
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2013
Stéphane Hessel, German-French diplomat and author (b. 1917)
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2013
Simon Li, Hong Kong judge and politician (b. 1922)
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2014
Sorel Etrog, Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (b. 1933)
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2014
Phyllis Krasilovsky, American author and academic (b. 1927)
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2015
Sheppard Frere, English historian and archaeologist (b. 1916)
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2015
Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (b. 1917)
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2015
Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
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2015
Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (b. 1960)
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2016
Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
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2016
Don Getty, Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (b. 1933)
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2017
Joseph Wapner, American lieutenant and judge (b. 1919)