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Today October 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
306 – Martyrdom of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki
740 – An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and many deaths.
1640 – The Treaty of Ripon is signed, restoring peace between Scotland and Charles I of England.
1689 – General Piccolomini of Austria burned down Skopje to prevent the spread of cholera. He died of cholera himself soon after.
1774 – The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1776 – Benjamin Franklin departed from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution.
1795 – The French Directory, a five-man revolutionary government, is created.
1825 – The Erie Canal opens – passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie.
1859 – The Royal Charter is wrecked on the coast of Anglesey, north Wales with 459 dead.
1860 – Meeting of Teano. Giuseppe Garibaldi, conqueror of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, gives it to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.
1861 – The Pony Express officially ceased operations.
1863 – The Football Association is formed.
1881 – The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona.
1905 – Norway becomes independent from Sweden.
1912 – First Balkan War: The capital city of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, is unified with Greece on the feast day of its patron Saint Demetrius. On the same day, Serbian troops captured Skopje.
1917 – World War I: Battle of Caporetto; Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat at the forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany.
1917 – World War I:Brazil declared in state of war with Central Powers.
1918 – Erich Ludendorff, quartermaster-general of the Imperial German Army, is dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany for refusing to cooperate in peace negotiations.
1936 – The first electric generator at Hoover Dam went into full operation.
1940 – The P-51 Mustang makes its maiden flight.
1942 – World War II: In the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the Guadalcanal Campaign, one U.S. aircraft carrier, Hornet, was sunk and another aircraft carrier, Enterprise, is heavily damaged.
1943 – World War II: First flight of the Dornier Do 335 Pfeil.
1944 – World War II: The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends.
1947 – The Maharaja of Kashmir agrees to allow his kingdom to join India.
1948 – Killer smog settles into Donora, Pennsylvania.
1951 – Boxer Joe Louis comes out of retirement to fight Rocky Marciano. However, Marciano would win the fight in eight rounds.
1954 – Trieste return to Italy.
1955 – After the last Allied troops have left the country and following the provisions of the Austrian Independence Treaty, Austria declares permanent neutrality.
1955 – Ngô Ðình Di?m declares himself Premier of South Vietnam.
1958 – Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris, France.
1959 – The world sees the far side of the Moon for the first time.
1964 – Eric Edgar Cooke becomes last person in Western Australia to be executed.
1965 – The Beatles are appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs).
1977 – The last natural case of smallpox was discovered in Merca district, Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.
1978 – Independent Counsel Act is signed into law.
1979 – Park Chung-hee, President of South Korea is assassinated by KCIA head Kim Jae-kyu. Choi Kyu-ha becomes the acting President; Kim is executed the following May.
1984 – Baby Fae receives a heart transplant from a baboon.
1992 – The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum.
1992 – The London Ambulance Service was thrown into chaos after the implementation of a new CAD, or Computer Aided Despatch, system which failed.
1994 – Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty
1995 – Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Mossad agents assassinate Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shikaki in his hotel in Malta.
1999 – Britain s House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain s upper chamber of Parliament.
2000 – Laurent Gbagbo takes over as president of Côte d Ivoire following a popular uprising against President Robert Guéï. Bret Hart retires.
2001 – The United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law.
2002 – Moscow Theatre Siege: Approximately 50 Chechen terrorists and 150 hostages die when Russian Spetsnaz storm a theater building in Moscow, which had been occupied by the terrorists during a musical performance three days before.
2003 – The Cedar Fire, the second-largest fire in California history, kills 15 people, consumes 250,000 acres (1,000 km²), and destroys 2,200 homes around San Diego.
Births
1427 – Archduke Sigismund of Austria (d. 1496)
1473 – Friedrich of Saxony (d. 1510)
1491 – Zhengde, Emperor of China (d. 1521)
1609 – William Sprague, English co-founder of Charlestown, Massachusetts (d. 1675)
1673 – Dimitrie Cantemir, Moldavian prince, linguist, and scholar (d. 1723)
1684 – Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (d. 1757)
1685 – Domenico Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1757)
1694 – Johan Helmich Roman, Swedish composer (d. 1758)
1757 – Karl Leonhard Reinhold, Austrian philosopher (d. 1823)
1759 – Georges Jacques Danton, French Revolutionary leader (d. 1794)
1768 – Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko, Polish general and politician (d. 1844)
1794 – Konstantin Thon, Russian architect (d. 1881)
1795 – Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer (d. 1872)
1797 – Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano (d. 1865)
1800 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (d. 1891)
1802 – King Miguel of Portugal (d. 1866)
1803 – Joseph Hansom, English architect and inventor (d. 1882)
1842 – Vasili Vasilyevich Vereshchagin, Russian painter (d. 1904)
1849 – Ferdinand Georg Frobenius, German mathematician (d. 1917)
1854 – C. W. Post, American entrepreneur (d. 1914)
1865 – Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman (d. 1912)
1869 – Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa, President of Brazil (d. 1957)
1871 – Guillermo Kahlo, father of Frida Kahlo (d. 1941)
1873 – Thorvald Stauning, Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1942)
1874 – Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, socialite and philanthropist (d. 1948)
1874 – Martin Lowry, British chemist (d. 1936)
1880 – Andrei Bely, Russian writer (d. 1934)
1883 – Napoleon Hill, American Writer and Philosopher (Think and Grow Rich)(d. 1970)
1883 – Paul Pilgrim, American athlete (d. 1958)
1888 – Nestor Ivanovich Makhno, Ukrainian anarchist Insurrectionary leader (d. 1934)
1899 – Judy Johnson Hall of Fame baseball player in the Negro Leagues (d. 1989)
1902 – Jack Sharkey, American boxer (d. 1994)
1905 – George Flahiff, Canadian Cardinal (d. 1989)
1906 – Primo Carnera, Italian boxer (d. 1967)
1911 – Sid Gilman, American football player (d. 2003)
1911 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer (d. 1972)
1911 – Sorley MacLean, Scottish poet (d. 1996)
1912 – Don Siegel, American director (d. 1991)
1913 – Charlie Barnet, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1991)
1914 – Jackie Coogan, American actor (d. 1984)
1915 – Joe Fry, British racing driver (d. 1950)
1916 – François Mitterrand, President of France (d. 1996)
1919 – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, Shah of Iran (d. 1980)
1921 – George Forrest, Northern Irish MP (d. 1968)
1925 – Jan Wolkers, Dutch author (d. 2007)
1928 – Francisco Solano López, Argentine comics artists
1929 – Neal Matthews, Jr., American singer (The Jordanaires) (d. 2000)
1934 – Hans-Joachim Rödelius, German composer and musician (Cluster, Harmonia)
1936 – Shelley Morrison, American actress
1941 – Charlie Landsborough, Singer/Songwriter
1942 – Bob Hoskins, British actor
1945 – Pat Conroy, American writer
1945 – Demetris Th. Gotsis, Greek poet and author
1946 – Pat Sajak, American game show host
1946 – Holly Woodlawn, Puerto Rican actress
1946 – Keith Hopwood, British musician (Herman s Hermits)
1947 – Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady of the United States and United States Senator
1947 – Jaclyn Smith, American actress
1947 – Trevor Joyce, Irish poet
1947 – Ian Ashley, British racing driver
1948 – Toby Harrah, American Major League Baseball player
1949 – Steve Rogers, Major League Baseball pitcher
1949 – Antonio Carpio, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
1949 – Kevin Sullivan, American professional wrestler
1951 – Bootsy Collins, American musician (P Funk)
1951 – Julian Schnabel, American filmmaker
1952 – Andrew Motion, English poet and Poet Laureate
1953 – Rosa Monckton, notable charity fundraiser
1953 – Keith Strickland, American musician (The B-52 s)
1954 – Vassilis Hatzipanagis, Greek footballer
1956 – Stephen Gumley, Australian businessman
1956 – Rita Wilson, American actress
1957 – Bob Golic, American football player
1959 – Evo Morales, President of Bolivia
1959 – François Chau, Cambodian actor
1959 – Paul Farmer, American Anthropologist
1959 – Brian Bovell, British actor
1960 – June Brigman, American comic book artist
1961 – Dylan McDermott, American actor
1961 – Gerald Malloy, American politician
1962 – Cary Elwes, British actor
1963 – Natalie Merchant, American singer
1963 – Ted Demme, American film and television director (d. 2002)
1964 – Thomas Cavanagh, Canadian actor
1965 – Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing, Hong Kong singer
1965 – Kelly Rowan, Canadian actress and producer.
1966 – Jane Hajduk, American actress
1966 – Steve Valentine, British actor
1966 – Jeanne Zelasko, American sportcaster
1966 – Masaharu Iwata, Japanese composer
1967 – Keith Urban, New Zealand singer
1968 – Lisa Ryder, American actress
1970 – Dian Bachar, American actor
1971 – Anthony Rapp, American singer and actor
1973 – Seth MacFarlane, American animator
1973 – Taka Michinoku , Japanese professional wrestler
1974 – LISA, Japanese musician
1974 – Raveena Tandon, Indian actress
1976 – Miikka Kiprusoff, Finnish hockey player
1977 – Jon Heder, American actor
1977 – Bakar Ibor, Comorian footballer
1978 – Jimmy Aggrey, English footballer
1978 – Mark Barry, English musician (BBMak)
1978 – CM Punk, American professional wrestler
1978 – Eva Kaili, Greek TV presenter and politician
1979 – Movsar Barayev, Chechen militant (d. 2002)
1980 – Cristian Chivu, Romanian footballer
1981 – Guy Sebastian, Australian singer
1981 – Sam Brown, American comedian
1982 – Adam Carroll, British racing driver
1983 – Dmitri Sychev, Russian football player
1983 – Francisco Liriano, Major League Baseball pitcher
1983 – Luke Watson, South African rugby player
1984 – Sasha Cohen, American figure skater
1984 – Jefferson Farfán, Peruvian footballer
1984 – Adriano Correia Claro, Brazilian footballer
1984 – Amanda Overmyer, American Singer, American Idol (season 7)
1985 – Andrea Bargnani, Italian basketball player
1985 – Monta Ellis, American basketball player
1985 – Asin Thottumkal, Indian actress
Deaths
899 – Alfred the Great, king of Wessex (b. 849)
1235 – King Andrew II of Hungary (b. 1175)
1440 – Gilles de Rais, French serial killer (b. 1404)
1633 – Horio Tadaharu, Japanese warlord (b. 1596)
1671 – Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet, English politician (b. 1593)
1675 – William Sprague, English co-founder of Charlestown, Massachusetts (b. 1609)
1679 – Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, British soldier, statesman, and dramatist (b. 1621)
1686 – John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, English politician (b. 1623)
1717 – Catherine Sedley, English mistress of James II of England (b. 1657)
1751 – Philip Doddridge, English religious leader (b. 1702)
1764 – William Hogarth, British painter (b. 1697)
1773 – Amédée-François Frézier, French military engineer and explorer (b. 1682)
1803 – Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, English politician (b. 1721)
1806 – John Graves Simcoe, first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (b. 1752)
1817 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian scientist (b. 1727)
1864 – Bloody Bill Anderson, American Civil War rebel guerrilla leader (b. 1839)
1866 – John Kinder Labatt, Irish-Canadian brewer (Labatt Brewing Company) (b. 1803)
1890 – Carlo Collodi, Italian writer (b. 1826)
1896 – Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French statesman (b. 1827)
1902 – Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American feminist and suffragette (b. 1815)
1909 – Hirobumi Ito, Japanese Prime Minister (b. 1841)
1930 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman (b. 1872)
1931 – Charles Comiskey, baseball team owner (b. 1859)
1937 – Józef Dowbór-Musnicki, Polish general (b. 1867)
1941 – Arkady Gaidar, Russian children s writer (b. 1904)
1943 – Marc Aurel Stein, Hungarian-born archaeologist (b. 1862)
1944 – Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria (b. 1857)
1944 – William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1881)
1945 – Paul Pelliot, French explorer (b. 1878)
1945 – Alexei Krylov, Russian engineer and mathematician (b. 1863)
1947 – Canon Edwin Sidney Savage, English rector (b. 1862)
1952 – Hattie McDaniel, American singer and actress (b. 1895)
1956 – Walter Gieseking, French pianist (b. 1895)
1957 – Gerty Cori, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1896)
1957 – Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer (b. 1883)
1962 – Louise Beavers, American actress (b. 1902)
1965 – Sylvia Likens, American torture victim (b. 1949)
1966 – Alma Cogan, English singer (b. 1932)
1971 – Vincent Coleman, American actor (b. 1901)
1972 – Igor Sikorsky, Kiev, Russian Empire (currently Ukraine) born inventor (b. 1889)
1978 – Alexander Gerschenkron, Russian-born economic historian (b. 1904)
1979 – Park Chung-hee, President of South Korea (b. 1917)
1984 – Gus Mancuso, baseball player (b. 1905)
1986 – Jackson Scholz, American runner (b. 1897)
1989 – Charles J. Pedersen, American Nobel laureate (b. 1904)
1993 – Oro, Mexican professional wrestler (b. 1971)
1994 – Wilbert Harrison, American singer (b. 1929)
1995 – Gorni Kramer, Italian bandleader and songwriter (b. 1913)
1995 – Wilhelm Freddie, Danish painter (b. 1909)
1997 – Joe Cinque, Australian civil engineer murdered by Anu Singh (b. 1978)
1999 – Hoyt Axton, American actor and country music singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
2002 – Jacques Massu, French general (b. 1908)
2002 – Movsar Barayev, Chechen terrorist (b. 1979)
2004 – Bobby Avila, Mexican-American Major League Baseball player (b. 1924)
2005 – Keith Parkinson, American fantasy artist (b. 1958)
2005 – George Swindin, English football player manager (b. 1914)
2006 – Tillman Franks, American songwriter (b. 1920)
2006 – Pontus Hultén, Swedish art collector and museum director (b. 1924)
2007 – Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer (b. 1947)
2007 – Friedman Paul Erhardt (Chef Tell), German-American TV chef (b. 1943)
2007 – Dr. Arthur Kornberg, American Nobel Prize laureate in 1959 for the discovery of DNA polymerase (b. 1918)
2007 – Khun Sa, Burmese warlord (b. 1934)
2008 – Tony Hillerman, American writer (b. 1925)
2008 – Delmar Watson, American child actor (b. 1926)
Holidays and observances
Roman festivals – first day of Ludi Victoriae Sullanae (until 1 November)
October 26th is the feast day of the following Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Saints:
St. Albinus
St. Alfred the Great
St. Cedd
St. Cuthbert of Canterbury
St. Demetrius (aka St. Dimitrios) of Thessaloniki
St. Fulk (Roman Catholic only)
St. Quadragesimus
Austria – National Day: Anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality (1955)
Nauru – Angam Day
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