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Today August 26th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1071 – Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert.
1278 – Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolph I of Germany defeat Premysl Ottokar II of Bohemia in the Battle of Marchfield near Dürnkrut in (then) Moravia.
1303 – Ala ud din Khilji captures Chittorgarh.
1346 – Hundred Years War: the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights is established at the Battle of Crécy.
1466 – A conspiracy against Piero di Cosimo de Medici in Florence, led by Luca Pitti, is discovered.
1498 – Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pietà.
1748 – The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1768 – The HM Bark Endeavour expedition under Captain James Cook sets sail from England.
1778 – The first recorded ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia.
1789 – Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen approved by National Assembly at Palace of Versailles.
1818 – The first Illinois Constitution is signed in Kaskaskia, Illinois, the first state capital of Illinois.
1839 – The ship Amistad is captured off Long Island.
1858 – First news dispatch by telegraph.
1862 – American Civil War: the Second Battle of Bull Run begins.
1883 – Krakatoa volcano eruption.
1914 – World War I: Germany defeats Russia in the Battle of Tannenberg, a decisive engagement which results in the almost complete destruction of the Russian 2nd Army.
1914 – World War I: the British Expeditionary Force briefly checks the German advance at Le Cateau.
1914 – World War I: the German colony of Togoland is invaded by French and British forces, who take it after 5 days.
1920 – The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.
1922 – The Turkish Army launches the last attack on Greeks in the Turkish War of Independence.
1924 – (August 13 Old Style) The Catastrophe of Smyrna, known as the Asia Minor Catastrophe to Greeks, occurs. The Ottoman army expels Greeks and other non-Turks from Asia Minor.
1939 – The first Major League Baseball game is telecast, a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, in Brooklyn, New York.
1940 – Chad is the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France s first black colonial governor.
1942 – Holocaust in Chortkiv, western Ukraine: At 2.30 am the German Schutzpolizei starts driving Jews out of their houses, divides them into groups of 120, packs them in freight cars and deports 2000 to Belzec death camp. 500 of the sick and children murdered on the spot.
1944 – World War II: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
1957 – The USSR announces the successful test of an ICBM – a super long distance intercontinental multistage ballistic rocket … a few days ago, according to the Soviet news agency, ITAR-TASS.
1968 – The Democratic National Convention opens in Chicago, Illinois.
1977 – The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec
1978 – Papal conclave, 1978 (August): Pope John Paul I is elected to the Papacy.
1978 – Sigmund Jähn becomes first German cosmonaut on board of the Soyuz 31 spacecraft.
1980 – John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey s Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada.
1983 – Flooding destroys most of the old town of Bilbao, Spain.
1987 – President Ronald Reagan proclaims September 11, 1987 as 9-1-1 Emergency Number Day.
1988 – Mehran Karimi Nasseri arrives at Charles de Gaulle International Airport.
1996 – Bill Clinton signs welfare reform into law, representing major shift in US welfare policy
1997 – Beni-Ali massacre in Algeria; 60-100 people killed.
1999 – Michael Johnson breaks the 400 metres world record with a time of 43.18 seconds.
1999 – Second Chechen War begins.
2000 – Clint Mathis breaks the MLS record of most goals scored in a match by scoring 5 goals against FC Dallas.
2002 – Earth Summit 2002 begins in Johannesburg, South Africa.
2003 – The Columbia Accident Investigation Board releases its final reports on Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
2008 – Russia unilaterally recognizes the independence of the former Georgian breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Births
1469 – Ferdinand II of Naples (d. 1496)
1540 – King Magnus of Livonia (d. 1583)
1676 – Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1745)
1694 – Elisha Williams, American rector of Yale College (d. 1755)
1728 – Johann Heinrich Lambert, German scientist (d. 1777)
1736 – Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l Isle, French chemist (d. 1790)
1740 – Joseph Montgolfier, French inventor (d. 1810)
1743 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist (d. 1794)
1775 – William Joseph Behr, German writer (d. 1851)
1789 – Abbas Mirza, Prince of Persia (d. 1833)
1792 – Manuel Oribe, Uruguayan political figure (d. 1857)
1819 – Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (d. 1861)
1826 – Princess Alexandra of Bavaria (d. 1875)
1845 – Mary Ann Nichols, English victim of Jack the Ripper (d. 1888)
1850 – Charles Robert Richet, French physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
1854 – Arnold Fothergill, England cricketer (d. 1932)
1862 – Herbert Booth, American son of William and Catherine Booth (d. 1926)
1864 – Anna Ulyanova, older sister of Vladimir Lenin (d. 1935)
1873 – Lee DeForest, American inventor (d. 1961)
1874 – Zona Gale, American novelist (d. 1938)
1875 – John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, Scottish novelist, Governor General of Canada (d. 1940)
1880 – Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet and art critic (d. 1918)
1882 – James Franck, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1964)
1885 – Jules Romains, French author (d. 1972)
1890 – Tommy Andrews, Australian cricketer (d. 1970)
1894 – Sparky Adams, Baseball player (d. 1989)
1896 – Ivan Mihailov, Bulgarian revolutionary (d. 1990)
1897 – Yoon Boseon, President of South Korea (d. 1990)
1898 – Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (d. 1979)
1899 – Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter (d. 1991)
1900 – Hellmuth Walter, German engineer and inventor (d. 1980)
1901 – Maxwell Taylor, American general (d. 1987)
1901 – Chen Yi, Chinese communist military commander and politician (d. 1972)
1904 – Christopher Isherwood, English-born writer (d. 1986)
1906 – Albert Sabin, American polio researcher (d. 1993)
1908 – W. B. Henning, Prussian-born Iranist (d. 1967)
1908 – Aubrey Schenck, film producer (d. 1999)
1908 – Bill Hunt, Australian cricketer (d. 1983)
1909 – Jim Davis, American actor (d. 1981)
1909 – Gene Moore, baseball player (d. 1978)
1909 – Eric Davies, South African cricketer (d. 1976)
1910 – Mother Teresa, Nobel Peace Prize winning Christian missionary (d. 1997)
1914 – Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (d. 1984)
1920 – Brant Parker, American cartoonist (d. 2007)
1921 – Benjamin Bradlee, American journalist
1922 – Irving R. Levine, American journalist
1923 – Wolfgang Sawallisch, German conductor and pianist
1924 – Alex Kellner, baseball player (d. 1996)
1925 – Jack Hirshleifer, American economist (d. 2005)
1925 – Alain Peyrefitte, French politician and writer (d. 1999)
1925 – Sangharakshita, Buddhist Philosopher, Founder of the Western Buddhist Order
1927 – B. V. Doshi, Indian architect
1928 – Peter Appleyard, Canadian jazz vibraphonist
1928 – Naïm Kattan, Canadian novelist and essayist
1930 – Joe Solomon, West Indian cricketer
1934 – Tom Heinsohn, American basketball player and commentator
1935 – Geraldine Ferraro, U.S. Vice Presidential candidate
1936 – Yvette Vickers, American actress
1938 – Jet Black, English Drummer, one of the founder members of The Stranglers
1940 – Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (d. 2008)
1941 – Barbet Schroeder, Swiss film director
1941 – Akiko Wakabayashi, Japanese actress
1941 – Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (The Searchers) (d. 2005)
1942 – Vic Dana, American singer
1942 – Dennis Turner, British politician
1944 – Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
1944 – Stephen Greif, English actor
1944 – Maureen Tucker, American musician (The Velvet Underground)
1945 – Tom Ridge, first United States Secretary of Homeland Security
1946 – Valerie Simpson, American singer
1946 – Mark Snow, American composer
1946 – Zhou Ji, Education Minister of the People s Republic of China
1946 – Chantal Renaud, Quebec singer and actress
1947 – Emiliano Díez, Cuban actor
1950 – Benjamin Hendrickson, American actor (d. 2006)
1952 – Bryon Baltimore, Canadian ice hockey player
1952 – Michael Jeter, American actor (d. 2003)
1952 – Will Shortz, American crossword editor
1953 – Pat Sharkey, Irish footballer
1954 – Efren Reyes, Filipino pool player
1956 – Mark Mangino, American football coach
1957 – Dr. Alban, Nigerian-Swedish singer
1957 – Rick Hansen, Canadian paraplegic athlete
1958 – Jan Nevens, Belgian cyclist
1960 – Branford Marsalis, American saxophonist and bandleader
1960 – Nancy Martinez, Canadian-born singer
1960 – Wanda De Jesus, American actress
1961 – Daniel Lévi, French singer-songwriter, composer and pianist
1961 – Jeff Parrett, American baseball player
1962 – Bob Mionske, American cyclist and attorney
1963 – David Byas, England cricketer
1965 – Chris Burke, American actor
1965 – Bobby Duncum, Jr., wrestler (d. 2000)
1965 – Jon Hensley, American actor
1966 – Jacques Brinkman, Dutch field hockey player
1966 – Shirley Manson, Scottish singer
1966 – Avner Ben-Gal, Israeli artist and painter
1967 – Kelly Madison, porn star
1968 – Byron Lawson, Canadian actor
1970 – Olimpiada Ivanova, Russian athlete
1970 – Brett Schultz, South African cricketer
1971 – Thalía, Mexican singer
1974 – Eric D. Snider, American humor columnist / movie reviewer
1975 – Morgan Ensberg, American baseball player
1976 – Amaia Montero, Spanish singer (La Oreja de Van Gogh)
1976 – Zemfira, Russian singer
1977 – Saeko Chiba, Japanese seiyu
1977 – Morris Peterson, American basketball player
1977 – Liam Botham, Hampshire cricketer and rugby league player
1978 – Raja Kashif, Pakistani singer
1979 – Jamal Lewis, American football player
1979 – Cristian Mora, Ecuadorian footballer
1979 – Rubén Pazos, Spanish footballer
1980 – Macaulay Culkin, American actor
1980 – Brendan Harris, American baseball player
1980 – Chris Pine, American actor
1981 – Jesse Martin, Australian yachtsman
1981 – Petey Williams, Canadian professional wrestler
1981 – Demetria McKinney, American actress
1981 – Tino Best, West Indian cricketer
1982 – David Long, New Zealand musician
1982 – Noah Welch, American ice hockey player
1983 – Félix Porteiro, Spanish racing driver
1986 – Cassie, American singer
1988 – Danielle Savre, American actress
1988 – Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
1988 – Evan Ross, American actor
1990 – Lil Chris, British singer
1991 – Tommy Bastow, English actor
1992 – Yang Yilin, Chinese gymnast
1993 – Keke Palmer, American actress
Deaths
1278 – King Otakar II of Bohemia
1346 – Killed in the Battle of Crécy:
Charles II of Alençon (b. 1297)
Louis I of Flanders (b. 1304)
John I, Count of Luxemburg (b. 1296)
Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1320)
1349 – Thomas Bradwardine, Archbishop of Canterbury
1551 – Margareta Leijonhufvud, queen of Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1516)
1572 – Petrus Ramus, French philosopher (b. 1515)
1595 – Antonio, Prior of Crato, claimant to the throne of Portugal (b. 1531)
1666 – Frans Hals, Dutch painter (b. c. 1580)
1714 – Edward Fowler, English Bishop of Gloucester (b. 1632)
1723 – Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch scientist (b. 1632)
1785 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, British soldier and politician (b. 1716)
1850 – Louis-Philippe of France (b. 1773)
1865 – Johann Franz Encke, German astronomer (b. 1791)
1908 – Tony Pastor, American vaudeville performer (b. 1837)
1910 – William James, American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1842)
1915 – John Bunny American comedian (b. 1863)
1930 – Lon Chaney, Sr., American actor (b. 1883)
1944 – Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat (b. 1909)
1945 – Franz Werfel, Austrian writer (b. 1890)
1946 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1887)
1956 – Alfred Wagenknecht, German-born American activist (b. 1881)
1958 – Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (b. 1872)
1968 – Kay Francis, American actress (b. 1899)
1974 – Charles Lindbergh, American aviator (b. 1902)
1976 – Lotte Lehmann, German soprano (b. 1888)
1978 – Charles Boyer, French actor (b. 1899)
1978 – José Manuel Moreno, Argentine footballer (b. 1916)
1979 – Mika Waltari, Finnish author (b. 1908)
1980 – Rosa Albach-Retty, German actress (b. 1874)
1980 – Tex Avery, American cartoonist (b. 1908)
1981 – Roger Nash Baldwin, founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (b. 1884)
1981 – Lee Elhardt Hays, American folksinger (b. 1914)
1986 – Ted Knight, American actor (b. 1923)
1987 – Georg Wittig, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
1987 – John Goddard, West Indian cricketer (b. 1919)
1988 – Carlos Paião, Portuguese singer (b. 1957)
1989 – Irving Stone, American author (b. 1903)
1990 – Minoru Honda, Japanese astronomer (b. 1913)
1992 – Arthur Leigh Allen, American suspected murderer (b. 1933)
1992 – Bob de Moor, Belgian comics artist (b. 1925)
1998 – Frederick Reines, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
2000 – Akbar Adibi, Iranian scientist (b. 1939)
2001 – Louis Muhlstock, Canadian painter (b. 1904)
2003 – Jim Wacker, American football coach (b. 1937)
2004 – Laura Branigan, American singer (b. 1957)
2005 – Denis D Amour, Canadian guitarist (Voivod) (b. 1960)
2005 – Robert Denning, American interior designer (b. 1927)
2005 – Ed White, Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1949)
2006 – Rainer Barzel, German politician (b. 1924)
2006 – Clyde Walcott, Barbadian West Indies cricketer (b. 1926)
2007 – Gaston Thorn, Luxembourger politician (b. 1928)
2007 – Ramon Zamora, Filipino martial arts actor (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances
Namibia – Heroes Day
Philippines – National Heroes Day.
Adrian of Nicomedia
Saint Alexander of Bergamo
Saint David Lewis
Saint Ninian
Simplicius, Constantius and Victorinus
Saint Zephyrinus
Transverberation of Saint Teresa of Ávila
United States – Women s Equality Day
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