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May 26
May 26 is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 219 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
Up to 1900
- 17 – Germanicus returns to Rome as a conquering hero following several battle victories over Germanic tribes.
- 946 – King Edmund I of England is murderered by a thief he personally attacks during mass.
- 1135 – Alfonso VII of Spain is crowned.
- 1293 – An earthquake in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, kills 30,000 people.
- 1538 – Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city.
- 1573 – The Battle of Haarlemmermeer takes place, as a naval battle in the Dutch War of Independence.
- 1644 – Portuguese Restoration War: Battle of Montijo – Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory.
- 1647 – Alse Young is hanged in Hartford, Connecticut. This is the first "witchcraft" execution in the British American colonies.
- 1659 – The "Great Fire" destroys more than half of the city of Stade.
- 1770 – The Orlov Revolt, an attempt to revolt against the Ottoman Empire, ends in disaster for the Greeks.
- 1805 – Napoleon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy.
- 1822 – The Grue Church fire in Norway kills 116 people.
- 1828 – Feral child Kaspar Hauser is discovered walking around Nuremberg. To this day, his early days remain a mystery.
- 1830 – The Indian Removal Act is passed by the United States Congress, and is signed by President Andrew Jackson two days later.
- 1864 – Montana is organised as a US territory.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Edmund Kirby Smith becomes the last Confederate general to surrender.
- 1868 – End of the impeachment trial of US President Andrew Johnson.
- 1869 – Boston University is chartered by Massachusetts.
- 1879 – Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak, establishing an Afghan state.
- 1896 – Nicholas II of Russia becomes Tsar.
- 1896 – Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
- 1897 – The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker is published.
1901 – 2000
- 1906 – The Vauxhall Bridge in London is opened.
- 1908 – The first commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made at Masjed Soleyman in what is then known as Persia.
- 1917 – Several tornadoes occur in Illinois, including the city of Mattoon, killing 101.
- 1918 – Georgia (country) declares independence.
- 1923 – The first 24–hour motor car race at Le Mans, France, takes place.
- 1938 – In the United States, the House of Un–American Activities Committee begins its first session.
- 1940 – World War II: Battle of Dunkirk – Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Gazala takes place.
- 1966 – Guyana gains independence (separates) from the United Kingdom.
- 1969 – Apollo 10 returns to Earth.
- 1971 – The Pakistan Army massacres over 70 Hindus in Sylhet, present–day Bangladesh.
- 1972 – Willandra National Park in Australia is created.
- 1972 – The United States and Soviet Union sign the Anti–Ballistic Missile Treaty.
- 1977 – George Willig climbs the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
- 1981 – Prime Minister of Italy Arnaldo Forlani and his cabinet resign.
- 1981 – An EA–6B Prowler crashes on the flight carrier USS Nimitz (CVN–68), killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45.
- 1983 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Japan.
- 1986 – The European Community adopts the European flag.
- 1991 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes President of Georgia.
- 1991 – Lauda Air Flight 004, a Boeing 767 plane, crashes in Bangkok, killing 223 people.
- 1992 – The blockade of Dubrovnik is broken.
- 1998 – The United States Supreme Court rules that Ellis Island is mainly in New Jersey, not New York.
From 2001
Births
Up to 1900
- 1264 – Prince Koreyasu, Japanese shogun (d. 1326)
- 1478 – Pope Clement VII (d. 1554)
- 1566 – Mehmed III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1603)
- 1602 – Philippe de Champaigne, French painter (d. 1674)
- 1623 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (d. 1687)
- 1650 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, British general (d. 1722)
- 1667 – Abraham de Moivre, French mathematician (d. 1754)
- 1689 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (d. 1762)
- 1700 – Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, German religious and social reformer (d. 1760)
- 1764 – Edward Livingston, United States Secretary of State (d. 1836)
- 1810 – Christen Kobke, Danish painter (d. 1848)
- 1822 – Edmond de Goncourt, French author and critic (d. 1896)
- 1826 – Richard Christopher Carrington, English astronomer (d. 1875)
- 1863 – Bob Fitzsimmons, English–New Zealand boxer (d. 1917)
- 1867 – Mary of Teck, Queen Consort to King George V of the United Kingdom (d. 1953)
- 1873 – Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian artist (d. 1958)
- 1873 – Hans Ludendorff, German astronomer and astrophysicist (d. 1941)
- 1878 – Thomas H. Moodie, Governor of North Dakota (d. 1948)
- 1880 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (d. 1967)
- 1881 – Adolfo de la Huerta, President of Mexico (d. 1955)
- 1882 – Frank C. Emerson, Governor of Wyoming (d. 1931)
- 1883 – Mamie Smith, American singer (d. 1946)
- 1883 – Peter Kürten, German serial killer (d. 1931)
- 1886 – Al Jolson, American singer (d. 1950)
- 1887 – Ba U, 2nd President of Burma (d. 1963)
- 1893 – Eugene Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer (d. 1962)
- 1895 – Dorothea Lange, American photographer (d. 1965)
- 1895 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (d. 1971)
- 1898 – Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (d. 1965)
- 1899 – Antoine Barrette, 18th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
1901 – 1950
- 1904 – George Formby, British musician (d. 1961)
- 1904 – Vlado Perlemuter, Lithuanian–born French pianist and teacher (d. 2002)
- 1906 – Márcio Melo, Brazilian military officer and politician (d. 1991)
- 1907 – John Wayne, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1908 – Robert Morley, English actor (d. 1992)
- 1908 – Nguyen Ngoc Tho, Vietnamese politician (d. 1976)
- 1909 – Matt Busby, Scottish football player and manager (d. 1994)
- 1909 – Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Mexican politician (d. 1992)
- 1910 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Hungarian–Israeli martial artist (d. 1998)
- 1910 – Laurance Rockefeller, American billionaire (d. 2004)
- 1911 – Henry Ephron, American playwright, screenwriter and producer (d. 1992)
- 1912 – János Kádár, Hungarian politician (d. 1989)
- 1912 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian–American actor (d. 1980)
- 1913 – Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
- 1916 – Moondog, American musician, composer and poet (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Eva Szorenyi, Hungarian actress and activist (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Ruben Gonzalez, Cuban musician (d. 2003)
- 1920 – Peggy Lee, American singer and actress (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Inge Borkh, German soprano (d. 2018)
- 1921 – Walter Laqueur, German–American historian and publicist (d. 2018)
- 1923 – James Arness, American actor (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Roy Dotrice, British actor (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Horst Tappert, German actor (d. 2008)
- 1925 – Alec McCowen, English actor (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Miles Davis, American trumpeter, composer and bandleader (d. 1991)
- 1928 – Jack Kevorkian, American assisted suicide advocate (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Catherine Sauvage, French singer and actress (d. 1998)
- 1933 – Edward Whittemore, American author (d. 1995)
- 1936 – Beth Whittall, Canadian swimmer (d. 2015)
- 1936 – David Stevens, Baron Stevens of Ludgate, English politician
- 1937 – Paul Patton, former Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky
- 1938 – Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian writer, writer and playwright
- 1939 – Merab Kostava, Georgian activist (d. 1989)
- 1939 – Herb Trimpe, American comic book artist and writer (d. 2015)
- 1940 – Levon Helm, American musician and actor (d. 2012)
- 1941 – Aldrich Ames, CIA counter–intelligence officer
- 1941 – Jim Dobbin, Scottish politician (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Sam Posey, American racing driver, TV commentator and writer
- 1945 – René Féret, French actor, screenwriter, director and producer (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Garry Peterson, Canadian drummer
- 1945 – Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian politician, 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2012)
- 1946 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist (d. 1993)
- 1946 – Simon Hoggart, English journalist (d. 2014)
- 1948 – Stevie Nicks, American songwriter
- 1949 – Jeremy Corbyn, British politician, leader of the Labour Party
- 1949 – Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer
- 1949 – Pam Grier, American actress
- 1949 – Anne McGuire, Scottish politician
- 1949 – Hank Williams, Jr., American singer–songwriter and guitarist
1951 – 1975
- 1951 – Sally Ride, American astronaut and physicist (d. 2012)
- 1951 – Ramón Calderón, Spanish lawyer and President of Real Madrid
- 1953 – Michael Portillo, British politician
- 1954 – Alan Hollinghurst, British writer
- 1955 – Masaharu Morimoto, Japanese chef
- 1956 – Lisa Niemi, American actress
- 1956 – Ricky Sbragia, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1957 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer and composer (d. 2013)
- 1958 – Howard Goodall, English composer
- 1959 – Ole Bornedal, Norwegian actor, director and producer
- 1961 – Tarsem Singh, Indian–American director
- 1962 – Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor and comedian
- 1962 – Black, English singer–songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1963 – Simon Armitage, English author, poet and playwright
- 1963 – Mary Nightingale, English news presenter
- 1964 – Valery Salov, Russian chess player
- 1964 – Lenny Kravitz, American singer
- 1964 – Paul Okalik, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Nunavut
- 1964 – Caitlin R. Kiernan, Irish–American paleontologist and author
- 1965 – Hazel Irvine, Scottish television presenter
- 1966 – Helena Bonham Carter, English actress
- 1966 – Zola Budd, South African athlete
- 1966 – Shona Robison, Scottish politician
- 1968 – Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
- 1968 – Pat Kenney, American baseball player, wrestler and agent
- 1969 – John Baird, Canadian politician
- 1970 – Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese mangaka
- 1971 – Matt Stone, American animator and movie maker
- 1971 – Ivan O. Godfroid, writer
- 1972 – Patsy Palmer, English actress
- 1972 – Alan White, English drummer
- 1975 – Travis Lee, American baseball player
- 1975 – Nicki Lynn Aycox, American actress
- 1975 – Kwasi Kwarteng, British politician
From 1976
- 1977 – Luca Toni, Italian footballer
- 1977 – Nikos Hatzivrettas, Greek basketball player
- 1977 – Mark Hunter, American musician
- 1978 – Dan Parks, Australian–Scottish rugby player
- 1978 – Jaheim, American singer
- 1979 – Amanda Bauer, American astronomer
- 1979 – Elisabeth Harnois, American actress
- 1979 – Ashley Massaro, American professional wrestler, television host and model (d. 2019)
- 1979 – Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player
- 1981 – Eda–Ines Etti, Estonian singer
- 1981 – Jason Manford, English comedian
- 1981 – Irini Merkouri, Greek singer
- 1981 – Razvan Rat, Romanian footballer
- 1981 – Ben Zobrist, American baseball player
- 1983 – Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer
- 1986 – Astrid Berges–Frisbey, Spanish–French actress
- 1986 – Matt Oivanen, Finnish volleyball player
- 1987 – Josh Thomas, Australian comedian, actor and writer
- 1988 – Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Colombian footballer
- 1989 – Tomas Pekhart, Czech footballer
- 1989 – Amit Farkash, Canadian–Israeli actress
- 1991 – Amber Bondin, Maltese singer
- 1991 – Julianna Rose Mauriello, American actress and dancer
- 1999 – Kerry Ingram, English actress
- 2001 – Megan Charpentier, Canadian actress
Deaths
Up to 1900
- 451 – Saint Vartan Mamikonian, Armenian warrior
- 604 – Augustine of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 735 – Bede, English monk, historian and theologian (b. 672)
- 818 – Ali ar–Rida, Shia Imam (b. 766)
- 946 – King Edmund I of England (b. 921)
- 1055 – Margrave Adalbert of Austria
- 1421 – Mehmed I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1389)
- 1512 – Bayezid II, Ottoman Sultan
- 1536 – Francesco Berni, Italian poet
- 1595 – Philip Neri, Italian churchman (b. 1515)
- 1647 – Alse Young, American woman executed for witchcraft (b. 1600)
- 1648 – Vincent Voiture, French poet (b. 1597)
- 1653 – Robert Filmer, English writer (b. 1588)
- 1679 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1636)
- 1685 – Karl II, Elector Palatine (b. 1651)
- 1703 – Samuel Pepys, English civil servant and diarist (b. 1633)
- 1742 – Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1672)
- 1762 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher (b. 1714)
- 1799 – James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish judge (b. 1714)
- 1824 – Capel Lofft, English writer (b. 1751)
- 1828 – John Oxley, British officer and explorer (b. 1785)
- 1831 – Ciro Menotti, Italian patriot (b. 1798)
- 1840 – Sidney Smith, British admiral (b. 1764)
- 1845 – Jónas Hallgrímsson, Icelandic poet (b. 1807)
- 1881 – Jakob Bernays, German philologist (b. 1824)
- 1883 – Edward Sabine, Irish astronomer (b. 1788)
- 1883 – Abd al–Qadir, Algerian political and military leader (b. 1808)
- 1888 – Ascanio Sobrero, Italian chemist (b. 1812)
- 1895 – Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman statesman (b. 1822)
1901 – 2000
- 1902 – Almon Strowger, American inventor (b. 1839)
- 1904 – Georges Gilles de la Tourette, French neurologist (b. 1857)
- 1907 – Ida Saxton McKinley, First Lady of the United States (b. 1847)
- 1908 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Punjabi founder of the Qadianism (b. 1839)
- 1914 – Jacob August Riis, Danish–American journalist, photographer and reformer (b. 1849)
- 1924 – Victor Herbert, Irish composer (b. 1859)
- 1926 – Simon Petlyura, Ukrainian independence fighter (b. 1879)
- 1933 – Horatio Bottomley, British financier and politician (b. 1860)
- 1933 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer (b. 1897)
- 1939 – Charles Horace Mayo, American medical practitioner (Mayo Clinic) (b. 1865)
- 1943 – Edsel Ford, American automobile executive (b. 1893)
- 1943 – Alice Tegnér, Swedish composer, organist and educator (b. 1864)
- 1948 – Theodore Morell, Hitler's personal physician (b. 1886)
- 1951 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American scientist and polar explorer (b. 1880)
- 1954 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete (b. 1900)
- 1955 – Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1918)
- 1968 – Little Willie John, American R&B singer (b. 1937)
- 1969 – Paul Hawkins, Australian racing driver (b. 1937)
- 1969 – Allan Haines Loughead, American aviation pioneer and engineer (b. 1889)
- 1974 – Silvio Moser, Swiss racing driver (b. 1941)
- 1976 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (b. 1889)
- 1979 – George Brent, British actor (b. 1899)
- 1989 – Don Revie, English footballer and manager (b. 1927)
- 1995 – Friz Freleng, American animator (b. 1905)
- 1999 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor (b. 1906)
- 1999 – Waldo Semon, American inventor (b. 1898)
From 2001
- 2001 – Vittorio Brambilla, Italian racing driver (b. 1937)
- 2001 – Roger Brocksom, English engineer and soldier (b. 1919)
- 2001 – Anne Haney, American actress (b. 1934)
- 2002 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (b. 1932)
- 2003 – Kathleen Winsor, American writer (b. 1919)
- 2004 – Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh, Russian astronomer (b. 1931)
- 2004 – Dullah Omar, South African lawyer and politician (b. 1934)
- 2005 – Eddie Albert, American actor (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Krzysztof Nowak, Polish footballer (b. 1975)
- 2005 – Sangoulé Lamizana, President of Burkina Faso (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Édouard Michelin, CEO of Michelin (b. 1963)
- 2006 – C. H. Patterson, American psychologist (b. 1912)
- 2008 – Sydney Pollack, American actor (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Jack Vance, American mystery, fantasy and science fiction writer (b. 1916)
- 2014 – Manuel Uribe, Mexican computer repairman, was once the world's heaviest man (b. 1965)
- 2015 – Vicente Aranda, Spanish movie director (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Les Johnson, Australian politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Dayton Waller, American politician (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Rocky Frisco, American pianist (b. 1937)
- 2015 – Bob Hornery, Australian actor (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Robert Craft, American astronomer (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Kazimierz Barburski, Polish fencer (b. 1942)
- 2016 – Loris Francesco Capovilla, Italian cardinal (b. 1915)
- 2016 – Ted Dumitru, Romanian football manager (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Hedy Epstein, German–American Holocaust survivor and activist (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Angela Paton, American actress (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Arturo Pomar, Spanish chess player (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Bob Williams, American football player (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Toni Bertorelli, Italian actor (b. 1948)
- 2017 – Laura Biagiotti, Italian fashion designer (b. 1943)
- 2017 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish–American political scientist and diplomat (b. 1928)
- 2017 – Jim Bunning, American baseball player and politician (b. 1931)
- 2018 – Alan Bean, American astronaut (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Pierre Bellemare, French television presenter, actor and radio personality (b. 1929)
- 2018 – Ted Dabney, American electrical engineer (b. 1937)
- 2018 – Roger Piantoni, French footballer (b. 1931)
- 2018 – Svetlin Rusev, Bulgarian artist (b. 1933)
- 2018 – Antonio Pujía, Italian–Argentine sculptor (b. 1929)
- 2019 – Abdel Latif El Zein, Lebanese politician (b. 1932)
- 2019 – Harry Hood, Scottish footballer (b. 1944)
- 2019 – Ibrahim Lame, Nigerian educator and politician (b. 1953)
- 2019 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach (b. 1934)
- 2019 – Stephen Thorne, British actor (b. 1935)
- 2019 – Prem Tinsulanonda, Prime minister and Regent of Thailand (b. 1920)
- 2019 – Vittorio Zucconi, Italian–American journalist and writer (b. 1944)
Observances
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