What happened on October 26? There are more than 269 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 October 26

October 26 In HistoryOctober 26 is the 300th day of the year 2024. There are 66 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday. This day falls under the 43rd week of the year 2024.

On this day in Dudley, Missouri 63936 sunrise will occur at 07:17 AM and sunset will occur at 06:11 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Scorpio. The modern birthstone for this month is Opal while the mystical birthstone is Jasper.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 95 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 October 26

  • 306
    Martyrdom of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki
  • 1597
    Imjin War: Admiral Yi Sun-sin routs the Japanese Navy of 300 ships with only 13 ships at the Battle of Myeongnyang.
  • 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.
  • 1775
    King George III goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorized a military response to quell the American Revolution.
  • 1776
    Benjamin Franklin departs 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.
  • 1811
    The Argentine government declare the freedom of expression for the press by decree.
  • 1813
    War of 1812: Canadians and Mohawks defeat the Americans in the Battle of Chateauguay.
  • 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 ceases operations.
  • 1881
    The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona.
  • 1905
    Norway becomes independent from Sweden.
  • 1909
    Itō Hirobumi, Resident-General of Korea, was shot to death by Korean independence supporter Ahn Jung-geun at the Harbin train station in Manchuria.
  • 1912
    First Balkan War: The Ottoman occupied city of Thessaloniki, is liberated and 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. The young unknown Oberleutnant Erwin Rommel captures Mount Matajur with only 100 Germans against a force of over 7000 Italians.
  • 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.
  • 1921
    The Chicago Theatre opens.
  • 1936
    The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes 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, is 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 with an overwhelming American victory.
  • 1947
    The Maharaja of Kashmir agrees to allow his kingdom to join India.
  • 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 Đình Diệm 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.
  • 1964
    Eric Edgar Cooke becomes last person in Western Australia to be executed.
  • 1967
    Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowns himself Emperor of Iran and then crowns his wife Farah Empress of Iran.
  • 1968
    Soviet cosmonaut Georgy Beregovoy pilots Soyuz 3 into space for a four-day mission.
  • 1977
    The last natural case of smallpox is 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.
  • 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.
  • 1985
    The Australian government returns ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines.
  • 1992
    The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum.
  • 1992
    The London Ambulance Service is thrown into chaos after the implementation of a new CAD, or Computer Aided Dispatch, 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.
  • 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 acre, and destroys 2,200 homes around San Diego.

Who Were Born On October 26?

  • 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)
  • 1850
    Grigore Tocilescu, Romanian historian, archaeologist, epigrapher and folkorist (d. 1909)
  • 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
    A. K. Fazlul Huq, Sher-E-Bangla (Tiger Of Bengal) (d. 1962)
  • 1873
    Thorvald Stauning, Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1942)
  • 1874
    Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, American 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 (d. 1970)
  • 1883
    Paul Pilgrim, American athlete (d. 1958)
  • 1888
    Nestor Ivanovich Makhno, Ukrainian anarchist (d. 1934)
  • 1893
    Miloš Crnjanski, Serbian poet and author (d. 1977)
  • 1899
    Judy Johnson, American baseball player (d. 1989)
  • 1902
    Beryl Markham, Kenyan horse trainer and author (d. 1986)
  • 1902
    Jack Sharkey, American boxer (d. 1994)
  • 1905
    George Flahiff, Canadian Cardinal (d. 1989)
  • 1906
    Primo Carnera, Italian boxer (d. 1967)
  • 1909
    Dante Quinterno, Argentine comics artist (d. 2003)
  • 1911
    Mahalia Jackson, American singer (d. 1972)
  • 1911
    Sid Gillman, American football player (d. 2003)
  • 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
    Boyd Wagner, First USAAF fighter ace of World War II (d. 1942)
  • 1916
    François Mitterrand, President of France (d. 1996)
  • 1919
    Edward Brooke, American politician
  • 1919
    Frank Bourgholtzer, American television correspondent (d. 2010)
  • 1919
    Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran (d. 1980)
  • 1921
    George Forrest, Northern Irish MP (d. 1968)
  • 1925
    Jan Wolkers, Dutch author (d. 2007)
  • 1926
    Panos Gavalas, Greek singer and musician (d. 1988)
  • 1927
    Warne Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (d. 1987)
  • 1928
    Francisco Solano López, Argentine comics artist
  • 1929
    Neal Matthews, Jr., American singer (The Jordanaires) (d. 2000)
  • 1933
    Takis Kanellopoulos, Greek film director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
  • 1934
    Hans-Joachim Rödelius, German composer and musician (Cluster, Harmonia)
  • 1936
    Shelley Morrison, American actress
  • 1940
    Eddie Henderson, American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player
  • 1940
    John Horgan, author, professor and politician
  • 1941
    Charlie Landsborough, Singer/Songwriter
  • 1942
    Bob Hoskins, British actor
  • 1942
    Milton Nascimento, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942
    Zdenko Runjić, Croatian composor (d. 2004)
  • 1945
    Demetris Th. Gotsis, Greek poet and author
  • 1945
    Pat Conroy, American writer
  • 1946
    Holly Woodlawn, Puerto Rican actress
  • 1946
    Keith Hopwood, British musician (Herman’s Hermits)
  • 1946
    Pat Sajak, American game show host
  • 1947
    Hillary Rodham Clinton, American politician, United States Senator from New York (2001-2009), 67th United States Secretary of State (since 2009)
  • 1947
    Ian Ashley, British racing driver
  • 1947
    Jaclyn Smith, American actress
  • 1947
    Ricardo Asch, Argentine physician
  • 1947
    Trevor Joyce, Irish poet
  • 1948
    Toby Harrah, American baseball player
  • 1949
    Antonio Carpio, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
  • 1949
    Kevin Sullivan, American professional wrestler
  • 1949
    Steve Rogers, American baseball player
  • 1951
    Bootsy Collins, American musician (P Funk)
  • 1951
    Julian Schnabel, American filmmaker
  • 1951
    Tommy Mars, American keyboard player Frank Zappa
  • 1952
    Andrew Motion, English poet and Poet Laureate
  • 1952
    David Was, member of 1980's group Was (Not Was)
  • 1953
    Keith Strickland, American musician (The B-52's)
  • 1953
    Maureen Teefy, American actress
  • 1953
    Rosa Monckton, English fundraiser
  • 1954
    Vassilis Hatzipanagis, Greek footballer
  • 1956
    Rita Wilson, American actress
  • 1956
    Stephen Gumley, Australian businessman
  • 1957
    Bob Golic, American football player
  • 1957
    Julie Dawn Cole, British actress
  • 1959
    Andreas Hinze, German footballer
  • 1959
    Brian Bovell, British actor
  • 1959
    Evo Morales, Bolivian politician
  • 1959
    François Chau, Cambodian actor
  • 1959
    Paul Farmer, American anthropologist
  • 1960
    June Brigman, American comic book artist
  • 1960
    Patrick Breen, American actor
  • 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
    Jeanne Zelasko, American sportcaster
  • 1966
    Masaharu Iwata, Japanese composer
  • 1966
    Steve Valentine, British actor
  • 1967
    Keith Urban, New Zealand singer
  • 1970
    Dian Bachar, American actor
  • 1970
    Lisa Ryder, Canadian actress
  • 1971
    Anthony Rapp, American singer and actor
  • 1971
    Jim Butcher, American author
  • 1973
    Austin Healey, English rugby player
  • 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
  • 1978
    CM Punk, American professional wrestler
  • 1978
    Dave Zastudil, American football player
  • 1978
    Eva Kaili, Greek TV presenter and politician
  • 1978
    Jimmy Aggrey, English footballer
  • 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 footballer
  • 1983
    Francisco Liriano, Dominican baseball player
  • 1983
    Luke Watson, South African rugby player
  • 1984
    Adriano, Brazilian footballer
  • 1984
    Amanda Overmyer, American singer
  • 1984
    Jefferson Farfán, Peruvian footballer
  • 1984
    Sasha Cohen, American figure skater
  • 1985
    Andrea Bargnani, Italian basketball player
  • 1985
    Asin, Indian actress
  • 1985
    Kieran Read, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1985
    Monta Ellis, American basketball player
  • 1986
    Ibor Bakar, Comorian footballer
  • 1987
    Shawn Lauvao, American football player
  • 1988
    Greg Zuerlein, American ice dancer
  • 2000
    Ellery Sprayberry, American actress

Who Died On October 26?

  • 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. 1838)
  • 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)
  • 1930
    Waldemar Haffkine, Russian-Jewish bacteriologist (b. 1860)
  • 1931
    Charles Comiskey, baseball team owner (b. 1859)
  • 1937
    Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki, 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
    Alexei Krylov, Russian engineer and mathematician (b. 1863)
  • 1945
    Paul Pelliot, French explorer (b. 1878)
  • 1946
    Ioannis Rallis, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
  • 1947
    Canon Edwin Sidney Savage, English rector (b. 1862)
  • 1949
    Lionel Halsey, British Royal Navy officer and courtier (b. 1872)
  • 1952
    Hattie McDaniel, American singer and actress (b. 1895)
  • 1956
    Walter Gieseking, German 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)
  • 1963
    Elizabeth Gunn, New Zealand paediatrician (b. 1879)
  • 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)
  • 1974
    Bidia Dandaron, Buddhist author and teacher in the USSR (b. 1914)
  • 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
    George Swindin, English football player manager (b. 1914)
  • 2005
    Keith Parkinson, American fantasy artist (b. 1958)
  • 2006
    Pontus Hultén, Swedish art collector and museum director (b. 1924)
  • 2006
    Tillman Franks, American songwriter (b. 1920)
  • 2007
    Dr. Arthur Kornberg, American Nobel Prize laureate in 1959 for the discovery of DNA polymerase (b. 1918)
  • 2007
    Friedman Paul Erhardt (Chef Tell), German-American TV chef (b. 1943)
  • 2007
    Khun Sa, Burmese warlord (b. 1934)
  • 2007
    Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer (b. 1947)
  • 2008
    Delmar Watson, American child actor (b. 1926)
  • 2008
    Tony Hillerman, American writer (b. 1925)
  • 2009
    George Na'ope, American musician (b. 1928)
  • 2009
    Teel Bivins, American politician (b. 1947)
  • 2010
    Glen “Frosty” Little, American circus clown (b. 1925)
  • 2010
    Mbah Maridjan, Mount Merapi gatekeeper (b. 1927)
  • 2010
    Romeu Tuma, Brazilian politician (b. 1931)

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