What happened on May 26? There are more than 285 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About May 26

May 26 In HistoryMay 26 is the 147th day of the year 2024. There are 219 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday. This day falls under the 21st week of the year 2024.

On this day in Burkettsville, Ohio 45310 sunrise will occur at 06:11 AM and sunset will occur at 08:59 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Gemini. The modern birthstone for this month is Emerald while the mystical birthstone is Sapphire.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 248 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 30 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For May 26

  • 17
    Germanicus returns to Rome as a conquering hero; he celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
  • 451
    Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place. The Empire defeats the Armenians militarily but guarantees them freedom to openly practice Christianity.
  • 1135
    Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in the Cathedral of Leon as Imperator totius Hispaniae, “Emperor of all of Spain”.
  • 1293
    An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 30,000.
  • 1328
    William of Ockham, Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.
  • 1538
    Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.
  • 1637
    Pequot War: A combined Protestant and Mohegan force under English Captain John Mason attacks a Pequot village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Native Americans.
  • 1647
    Alse Young, hanged in Hartford, Connecticut, becomes the first person executed as a witch in the British American colonies.
  • 1736
    Battle of Ackia: British and Chickasaw soldiers repel a French and Choctaw attack on the Chickasaw village of Ackia, near present-day Tupelo, Mississippi. The French, under Louisiana governor Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, had sought to link Louisiana with Acadia and the other northern colonies of New France.
  • 1770
    The Orlov Revolt, an attempt to revolt against the Ottoman Empire before the Greek War of Independence, ends in disaster for the Greeks.
  • 1783
    A Great Jubilee Day held at Trumbull, Connecticut celebrated end of fighting in American Revolution.
  • 1805
    Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in the Duomo di Milano, the gothic cathedral in Milan.
  • 1822
    116 people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway’s history.
  • 1828
    Feral child Kaspar Hauser is discovered wandering the streets of Nuremberg.
  • 1830
    The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress; it is signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later.
  • 1857
    Dred Scott is emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners.
  • 1864
    Montana is organized as a United States territory.
  • 1865
    American Civil War: Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, is the last general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.
  • 1868
    The impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Johnson ends with Johnson being found not guilty by one vote.
  • 1869
    Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  • 1879
    Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.
  • 1896
    Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
  • 1896
    Nicholas II becomes Tsar of Russia.
  • 1897
    Dracula, a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker is published.
  • 1906
    Vauxhall Bridge is opened in London.
  • 1908
    At Masjed Soleyman (مسجد سليمان) in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
  • 1917
    Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon, killing 101 people and injuring 689.
  • 1918
    The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.
  • 1936
    In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation Bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for 10 hours.
  • 1938
    In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.
  • 1940
    World War II: Battle of Dunkirk – In France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
  • 1942
    World War II: The Battle of Bir Hakeim takes place.
  • 1948
    The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
  • 1966
    British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.
  • 1969
    Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing.
  • 1970
    The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.
  • 1972
    The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
  • 1972
    Willandra National Park is established in Australia.
  • 1977
    George Willig climbs the South Tower of New York City’s World Trade Center.
  • 1981
    Prime Minister of Italy Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).
  • 1983
    A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan, triggering a tsunami that kills at least 104 people and injures thousands. Many people go missing and thousands of buildings are destroyed.
  • 1986
    The European Community adopts the European flag.
  • 1991
    Lauda Air Flight 004 crashes in rural Thailand, killing 223.
  • 1991
    Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.
  • 1998
    The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
  • 2004
    The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
  • 2008
    Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.

Who Were Born On May 26?

  • 1264
    Prince Koreyasu, Japanese shogun (d. 1326)
  • 1478
    Pope Clement VII (d. 1534)
  • 1566
    Mehmed III, Ottoman Emperor (d. 1603)
  • 1602
    Philippe de Champaigne, French painter (d. 1674)
  • 1650
    John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, British general (d. 1722)
  • 1667
    Abraham de Moivre, French mathematician (d. 1754)
  • 1669
    Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist (d. 1722)
  • 1689
    Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (d. 1762)
  • 1700
    Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, German religious and social reformer (d. 1760)
  • 1764
    Edward Livingston, American jurist and statesman (d. 1836)
  • 1822
    Edmond de Goncourt, French writer (d. 1896)
  • 1863
    Robert James “Bob” Fitzsimmons, Boxing champion (d. 1917)
  • 1865
    Robert W. Chambers, American artist (d. 1933)
  • 1867
    Mary of Teck, queen consort of George V of the United Kingdom (d. 1953)
  • 1873
    Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian artist (d. 1958)
  • 1880
    W. Otto Miessner, American composer and music educator (d. 1967)
  • 1883
    Mamie Smith, American singer (d. 1946)
  • 1886
    Al Jolson, American singer (d. 1950)
  • 1893
    Eugène Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer (d. 1962)
  • 1893
    Norma Talmadge, American actress (d. 1957)
  • 1895
    Dorothea Lange, American photographer (d. 1965)
  • 1895
    Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (d. 1971)
  • 1898
    Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (d. 1965)
  • 1899
    Antonio Barrette, French Canadian politician (d. 1968)
  • 1904
    George Formby, English singer and comedian (d. 1961)
  • 1904
    Vlado Perlemuter, Polish pianist (d. 2002)
  • 1907
    Jean Bernard, French physician (d. 2006)
  • 1907
    John Wayne, American actor (d. 1979)
  • 1908
    Nguyen Ngoc Tho, Vietnamese politician
  • 1908
    Robert Morley, English actor (d. 1992)
  • 1909
    Adolfo López Mateos, Mexican politician (d. 1969)
  • 1909
    Nikolay Guryanov, Russian mystic and priest (d. 2002)
  • 1909
    Sir Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1994)
  • 1910
    Imi Lichtenfeld, Israeli martial artist (d. 1998)
  • 1911
    Ben Alexander, American actor (d. 1969)
  • 1912
    János Kádár, Hungarian politician (d. 1989)
  • 1912
    Jay Silverheels, Canadian actor (d. 1980)
  • 1913
    Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
  • 1913
    Pierre Daninos, French writer and humorist (d. 2005)
  • 1914
    Frankie Manning, American Lindy Hop dancer (d. 2009)
  • 1915
    Antonia Forest, British children’s author (d. 2003)
  • 1915
    Sam Edwards, American actor (d. 2004)
  • 1916
    Henriette Roosenburg, Dutch journalist (d. 1972)
  • 1916
    Moondog, American composer, musician and poet (d. 1999)
  • 1917
    Eva Szorenyi, Hungarian actress (d. 2009)
  • 1918
    Anton Christoforidis, Greek boxer (d. 1985)
  • 1920
    Peggy Lee, American singer (d. 2002)
  • 1921
    Ernst Märzendorfer, Austrian conductor (d. 2009)
  • 1923
    James Arness, American actor (d. 2011)
  • 1923
    Roy Dotrice, British actor
  • 1925
    Alec McCowen, English actor
  • 1926
    Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (d. 1991)
  • 1926
    Phyllis Gotlieb, Canadian author
  • 1928
    Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist and right-to-die advocate (d. 2011)
  • 1929
    J.F. Ade Ajayi, Nigerian historian
  • 1930
    Karim Emami, Iranian translator (d. 2005)
  • 1932
    Grigor Vachkov, Bulgarian actor (d. 1980)
  • 1935
    Sheila Steafel, South African–born British actress
  • 1938
    Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian playwright and novelist
  • 1938
    Pauline Parker, New Zealander murderer
  • 1938
    Teresa Stratas, Canadian soprano
  • 1938
    William Bolcom, American composer
  • 1939
    Brent Musburger, American sports broadcaster
  • 1939
    Jaki Liebezeit German musician (Can)
  • 1939
    Merab Kostava, Georgian anti-Soviet leader (d. 1989)
  • 1940
    Levon Helm, American musician (The Band)
  • 1940
    Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, French Canadian politician
  • 1941
    Cliff Drysdale, South African tennis player
  • 1941
    Reg Bundy, British performer (d. 2003)
  • 1942
    Ganapathi Sachchidananda, Indian spiritual figure
  • 1943
    Erica Terpstra, Dutch swimmer and politician
  • 1944
    Sam Posey, American race car driver, TV commentator and author
  • 1945
    Garry Peterson, Canadian drummer (The Guess Who)
  • 1945
    Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian politician
  • 1946
    Mick Ronson, English musician (d. 1993)
  • 1946
    Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian Rhythmic gymnastics coach
  • 1948
    Stevie Nicks, American songwriter
  • 1949
    Hank Williams Jr., American singer
  • 1949
    Joe Alaskey, American voice actor
  • 1949
    Pam Grier, American actress
  • 1949
    Philip Michael Thomas, American actor
  • 1949
    Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer and inventor
  • 1951
    Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, Irish politician
  • 1951
    Sally Ride, American astronaut
  • 1952
    David Meece, Christian musician
  • 1953
    Kay Hagan, American politician
  • 1953
    Michael Portillo, British politician
  • 1954
    Alan Hollinghurst, British novelist
  • 1954
    Danny Rolling, American murderer (d. 2006)
  • 1954
    Marian Gold, German singer (Alphaville)
  • 1955
    Masaharu Morimoto, Japanese chef
  • 1955
    Wesley Walker, American football player
  • 1956
    Frédéric Dutoit, French politician
  • 1957
    Diomedes Diaz, Colombian singer
  • 1957
    François Legault, French Canadian politician
  • 1957
    Kristina Olsen, American musician
  • 1957
    Margaret Colin, American actress
  • 1957
    Pontso S.M. Sekatle, Lesotho academic and politician
  • 1957
    Roberto Ravaglia, Italian racing driver
  • 1958
    Howard Goodall, British composer
  • 1958
    Moinul Ahsan Saber, Bangladeshi writer, editor.
  • 1959
    Ole Bornedal, Danish film director, actor and producer
  • 1959
    Steve Hanley, English musician (The Fall, Tom Hingley and the Lovers)
  • 1960
    Doug Hutchison, American actor
  • 1960
    Masahiro Matsunaga, Japanese racing driver
  • 1960
    Rob Murphy, American baseball player
  • 1961
    Tarsem Singh, Indian film director
  • 1962
    Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor
  • 1962
    Genie Francis, American actress
  • 1964
    Argiris Pedoulakis, Greek basketball coach
  • 1964
    Caitlín R. Kiernan, Irish-American writer
  • 1964
    Lenny Kravitz, American musician
  • 1965
    Hazel Irvine, British television presenter
  • 1966
    Helena Bonham Carter, English actress
  • 1966
    Zola Budd, South African athlete
  • 1967
    Kevin Moore, American musician (OSI)
  • 1967
    Phil Doyle, Australian writer
  • 1968
    Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
  • 1968
    Fernando León de Aranoa, Spanish film director
  • 1968
    Pat Kenney, American professional wrestler
  • 1968
    Steve Sedgley, English footballer
  • 1969
    John Baird, Canadian politician
  • 1969
    Musetta Vander, South African actress
  • 1970
    Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese cartoonist
  • 1971
    Matt Stone, American animator and filmmaker
  • 1971
    Timothy Allen, British photojournalist
  • 1972
    Kylie Ireland, Adult film actress, radio host and street artist
  • 1972
    Patsy Palmer, British actress
  • 1974
    Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
  • 1975
    Nicki Aycox, American actress
  • 1975
    Travis Lee, American baseball player
  • 1976
    Justin Pierre, American singer (Motion City Soundtrack)
  • 1976
    Kenny Florian, American Mixed Martial Artist
  • 1977
    Luca Toni, Italian footballer
  • 1977
    Mark Hunter, American musician (Chimaira)
  • 1977
    Misaki Ito, Japanese actress and model
  • 1977
    Nikos Hatzivrettas, Greek basketball player
  • 1977
    Raina Telgemeier, American cartoonist
  • 1978
    Fabio Firmani, Italian footballer
  • 1978
    Phil Elverum, American singer-songwriter
  • 1979
    Ashley Massaro, American model and professional wrestler
  • 1979
    Elisabeth Harnois, American actress
  • 1979
    Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player
  • 1981
    Eda-Ines Etti, Estonian singer
  • 1981
    Irini Merkouri, Greek singer
  • 1981
    Isaac Slade, American musician (The Fray)
  • 1981
    Jason Manford, British comedian
  • 1981
    Robert Copeland, Australian Australian rules footballer
  • 1982
    David Reed, British writer and comedian
  • 1982
    Yoko Matsugane, Japanese model
  • 1983
    Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer
  • 1983
    Henry Holland, British fashion designer
  • 1987
    Josh Thomas, Australian comedian
  • 1987
    Olcay Şahan, Turkish footballer
  • 1987
    Valerie Garcia, Filipina actress
  • 1988
    Joel Selwood, Australian footballer
  • 1989
    Paula Findlay, Canadian triathlete
  • 1991
    Julianna Rose Mauriello, American actress

Who Died On May 26?

  • 604
    Augustine of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • 735
    The Venerable Bede, English historian and theologian (b. 672 or 673)
  • 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 “witch”
  • 1648
    Vincent Voiture, French poet (b. 1597)
  • 1651
    Jeane Gardiner, British woman executed for witchcraft
  • 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 Zaporozhian Cossack starshina, diplomat (b. 1672)
  • 1762
    Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher (b. 1714)
  • 1799
    James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish judge (b. 1714)
  • 1818
    Manuel Rodríguez, Chilean lawyer and guerrilla leader, considered one of the founders of independent Chile (b. 1785)
  • 1818
    Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian military commander (b. 1761)
  • 1824
    Capel Lofft, English writer (b. 1751)
  • 1831
    Ciro Menotti, Italian patriot (b. 1798)
  • 1840
    Sidney Smith, Royal Navy admiral (b. 1764)
  • 1881
    Jakob Bernays, German philologist (b. 1824)
  • 1883
    Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri, Algerian political and military leader (b. 1808)
  • 1883
    Edward Sabine, Irish astronomer (b. 1788)
  • 1902
    Almon Strowger, American inventor (b. 1839)
  • 1904
    Georges Gilles de la Tourette, French neurologist (b. 1857)
  • 1907
    Ida McKinley, First Lady of the United States (b. 1847)
  • 1908
    Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam (b. 1835)
  • 1914
    Jacob August Riis, Danish-American journalist, photographer, and social reformer (b. 1849)
  • 1924
    Victor Herbert, Irish composer (b. 1859)
  • 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
    Alice Tegnér, Swedish composer and organist (b. 1864)
  • 1943
    Edsel Ford, American automobile executive (b. 1893)
  • 1944
    Christian Wirth, commandant of Belzec extermination camp (b. 1885)
  • 1948
    Theodor Morell, Hitler’s personal physician (b. 1886)
  • 1951
    Lincoln Ellsworth, American scientist (b. 1880)
  • 1954
    Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete (b. 1900)
  • 1955
    Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver and two-time F1 world champion (b. 1918)
  • 1966
    Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (b. 1894)
  • 1968
    Little Willie John, American singer (b. 1937)
  • 1969
    Allan Haines Loughead, American aviation pioneer (Lockheed Corporation (b. 1889)
  • 1969
    Paul Hawkins, Australian racing driver (b. 1937)
  • 1974
    Silvio Moser, Swiss racing driver (b. 1941)
  • 1976
    Juan Maino, Chilean leader of MAPU, “disappeared”
  • 1976
    Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (b. 1889)
  • 1977
    William Powell, American singer (The O'Jays) (b. 1942)
  • 1978
    Cybele, Greek actress (b. 1887)
  • 1979
    George Brent, British actor (b. 1899)
  • 1989
    Don Revie, Former footballer and England and Leeds United Manager (b. 1927)
  • 1999
    Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor (b. 1906)
  • 1999
    Waldo Semon, American inventor (b. 1898)
  • 2001
    Anne Haney, American actress (b. 1934)
  • 2001
    Moven Enock Mahachi, Defence Minister of Zimbabwe (b. 1952)
  • 2001
    Vittorio Brambilla, Italian racing driver (b. 1937)
  • 2002
    Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (b. 1932)
  • 2003
    Kathleen Winsor, American writer (b. 1919)
  • 2004
    Dullah Omar, South African lawyer (b. 1934)
  • 2004
    Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh, Russian astronomer (b. 1931)
  • 2005
    Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player (b. 1928)
  • 2005
    Eddie Albert, American actor (b. 1906)
  • 2005
    Ruth Laredo, American pianist (b. 1937)
  • 2006
    Édouard Michelin, CEO of Michelin (b. 1963)
  • 2006
    Kevin O'Flanagan, Irish athlete and physician (b. 1919)
  • 2007
    J Edward Oliver, cartoonist and composer (b. 1942)
  • 2008
    Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2008
    Zita Urbonaitė, Lithuanian road cyclist (b. 1973)
  • 2009
    Mihalis Papagiannakis, Greek politician (b. 1941)
  • 2009
    Peter Zezel, Canadian professional hockey player (b. 1965)
  • 2009
    Stanley Chapman, British architect, designer, translator and writer (b. 1925)
  • 2010
    Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television personality (b. 1912)
  • 2010
    Christopher Moran, British Air Chief Marshal (b. 1956)
  • 2010
    Jarvis Williams, American football player (b. 1965)
  • 2010
    Jean Constantin, Romanian actor (b. 1928)
  • 2010
    Kieran Phelan, Irish senator (b. 1949)
  • 2011
    Arisen Ahubudu, Sri Lankan scholar, author and playwright (b. 1920)

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