From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. On February 26th there are 308 days remaining in the year or 309 in leap years.
[edit] Events
- 747 BC - Epoch (origin) of Ptolemy's Nabonassar Era.
- 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman Emperor.
- 1266 - Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.
- 1794 - Christiansborg Castle, Copenhagen burns down.
- 1797 - The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound notes.
- 1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
- 1848 - The second French Republic is proclaimed.
- 1863 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the National Currency Act into law.
- 1870 - In New York City, the first pneumatic-subway opens.
- 1887 - At the SCG, George Lohmann becomes the first bowler to take eight wickets in a Test innings.
- 1887 - William Frawley is born.
- 1919 - An act of the U.S. Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park (see Grand Canyon National Park).
- 1929 - The Grand Teton National Park is created.
- 1935 - The Luftwaffe is reformed.
- 1935 - Robert Watson-Watt carried out a demonstration which led directly to the development of RADAR in the United Kingdom.
- 1936 - In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government.
- 1944 - Shooting begins of the Nazi propaganda film, The Fuhrer Gives a Village to the Jews in Theresienstadt.
- 1952 - United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces that his nation has an atomic bomb.
- 1957 - Final radio broadcast of Dragnet.
- 1966 - Apollo Program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
- 1970 - National Public Radio incorporates as a non-profit corporation.
- 1971 - Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
- 1972 - Buffalo Creek Flood caused by a burst dam kills 125 in West Virginia.
- 1986 - People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
- 1986 - Robert Penn Warren is named poet laureate of the United States.
- 1987 - Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes American President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
- 1990 - The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections.
- 1991 - Tim Berners-Lee introduces WorldWideWeb, the first web browser.
- 1991 - Gulf War: On Baghdad Radio Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
- 1993 - World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center goes off, killing 6 and injuring over a thousand. The buildings would be destroyed in a subsequent attack on September 11, 2001.
[edit] Births
- 1361 - Wenceslaus, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia (d. 1419)
- 1564 - Christopher Marlowe, English dramatist (d. 1593)
- 1587 - Stefano Landi, Italian composer (d. 1639)
- 1671 - Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician and philosopher (d. 1713)
- 1672 - Antoine Augustine Calmet, French theologian (d. 1757)
- 1714 - James Hervey, English clergyman and writer (d. 1758)
- 1715 - Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (d. 1771)
- 1720 - Gian Francesco Albani, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1803)
- 1749 - Jeremy Bentham, English philosopher
- 1786 - François Arago, French mathematician (d. 1853)
- 1799 - Émile Clapeyron, French engineer and physicist (d. 1864)
- 1802 - Victor Hugo, French writer (d. 1885)
- 1808 - Honoré Daumier, French painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 1879)
- 1814 - Charles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville, French geologist (d. 1876)
- 1829 - Levi Strauss, German-born clothing designer (d. 1902)
- 1846 - Buffalo Bill, American pioneer, officer, and hunter (d. 1917)
- 1852 - John Harvey Kellogg,American surgeon, advocate of dietary reform (d. 1943 )
- 1857 - Émile Coué, French psychologist (d. 1926)
- 1861 - King Ferdinand of Bulgaria (d. 1948)
- 1861 - Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya, Russian revolutioner, Lenin's wife (d. 1939)
- 1879 - Frank Bridge, English composer (d. 1941)
- 1882 - Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (d. 1968)
- 1885 - Aleksandras Stulginskis, President of Lithuania (d. 1969)
- 1887 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, baseball player (d. 1950)
- 1887 - William Frawley, American actor (d. 1966)
- 1893 - I. A. Richards, English literary critic (d. 1979)
- 1899 - Max Petitpierre, member of the Swiss Federal Council (d. 1994)
- 1902 - Jean Bruller, French writer and illustrator (d. 1991)
- 1903 - Giulio Natta, Italian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
- 1907 - Dub Taylor, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1908 - Tex Avery, American cartoonist (d. 1980)
- 1908 - Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (d. 1949)
- 1909 - King Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
- 1912 - Dane Clark, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1914 - Robert Alda, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1916 - Jackie Gleason, American actor, writer, composer, and comedian (d. 1987)
- 1918 - Otis Ray Bowen,American politician and physician.
- 1918 - Theodore Sturgeon, American writer (d. 1985)
- 1919 - Mason Adams, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Rie Mastenbroek, Dutch swimmer (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Tony Randall, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Danny Gardella, baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist, writer and traveller (d. 2006)
- 1922 - Margaret Leighton, British Actress (d. 1976)
- 1921 - Betty Hutton, American actress
- 1926 - Miroslava Stern, Mexican actress (d. 1955)
- 1927 - Tom Kennedy, American game show host
- 1928 - Fats Domino, American musician
- 1928 - Anatoli Filipchenko, cosmonaut
- 1928 - Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel
- 1930 - Lazar Berman, Russian pianist (d. 2005)
- 1931 - Ally McLeod, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2004)
- 1932 - Johnny Cash, American singer (d. 2003)
- 1934 - Robert Novak, American political columnist
- 1941 - Tony Ray-Jones, British photographer (d. 1972)
- 1943 - Bill Duke, American actor and director
- 1945 - Marta Kristen, Norwegian actress
- 1945 - Peter Brock, Australian motorsports champion (d. 2006)
- 1946 - Ahmed H. Zewail, Egyptian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1947 - Sandie Shaw, British singer
- 1949 - Emma Kirkby, British early music singer
- 1950 - Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- 1951 - Lee Atwater, American political operative (d. 1991)
- 1953 - Michael Bolton, American singer
- 1954 - Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey
- 1956 - Keisuke Kuwata, Japanese singer
- 1957 - Joe Mullen, American ice hockey player
- 1957 - David Muldrow Beasley, American politician
- 1958 - Michel Houellebecq, French novelist
- 1959 - Rolando Blackman, Panamanian basketball player
- 1962 - Greg Germann, American actor
- 1966 - Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer
- 1968 - J.T. Snow, American baseball player, 1st baseman
- 1971 - Erykah Badu, American singer
- 1971 - Max Martin, Swedish composer and producer
- 1973 - Marshall Faulk, American football star
- 1973 - Jenny Thompson, American swimmer
- 1973 - Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer
- 1974 - Sébastien Loeb, French rally driver
- 1977 - Marty Reasoner, American ice hockey player
- 1978 - Marc Hynes, British racing driver
- 1979 - Corinne Bailey Rae, British singer
- 1980 - Alex Fong, Hong Kong singer
- 1980 - Gary Majewski, Baseball player
- 1981 - Kertus Davis, NASCAR driver
- 1982 - Jay Mullen, British actor
- 1982 - Song Hye Kyo, South Korean model and actress
- 1984 - Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer
- 1984 - Emmanuel Adebayor, Togon footballer
- 1985 - Alexandria Hilfiger, American actress, Daughter of Tommy Hilfiger
- 1986 - Crystal Kay, Japanese singer
- 1987 - Julia Bond, American Actress
- 1993 - Taylor Dooley, American actress
[edit] Deaths
- 1154 - King Roger II of Sicily (b. 1093)
- 1266 - King Manfred of Sicily
- 1360 - Roger de Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, English military leader (b. 1328)
- 1525 - Cuauhtémoc, Aztec ruler
- 1552 - Heinrich Faber, German composer
- 1561 - Jorge de Montemayor, Spanish writer
- 1577 - King Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)
- 1608 - John Still, English bishop
- 1630 - William Brade, English composer (b. 1560)
- 1638 - Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician (b. 1681)
- 1723 - Thomas d'Urfey, English writer (b. 1653)
- 1726 - Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1662)
- 1770 - Giuseppe Tartini, Italian composer (b. 1692)
- 1802 - Esek Hopkins, American Revolutionary War admiral (b. 1718)
- 1813 - Robert Livingston, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1746)
- 1815 - Prince Josias of Coburg, Austrian general (b. 1737)
- 1903 - Richard Jordan Gatling, American inventor (b. 1818)
- 1913 - Felix Draeseke, German composer (b. 1835)
- 1921 - Carl Menger, Austrian economist (b. 1840)
- 1931 - Otto Wallach, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1847)
- 1933 - Princess Thyra, daughter of Christian IX of Denmark (b. 1853)
- 1947 - Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss politician, member of the Federal Council (b. 1868)
- 1961 - King Mohammed V of Morocco (b. 1909)
- 1966 - Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian freedom fighter and writer (b. 1883)
- 1969 - Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1895)
- 1969 - Karl Jaspers, German psychiatrist (b. 1883)
- 1971 - Fernandel, French actor (b. 1903)
- 1981 - Howard Hanson, American composer (b. 1896)
- 1985 - Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch economist, Bank of Sweden Prize winner (b. 1910)
- 1989 - Roy Eldridge, American musician (b. 1911)
- 1993 - Constance Ford, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1994 - Bill Hicks, American comedian (b. 1961)
- 1995 - Jack Clayton, British film director (b.1921)
- 1997 - David Doyle, American actor (b. 1929)
- 1998 - Theodore Schultz, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- 2002 - Lawrence Tierney, American actor (b. 1919)
- 2004 - Shankarrao Chavan, Indian politician (b. 1920)
- 2004 - Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (b. 1905)
- 2004 - Boris Trajkovski, President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1956)
- 2005 - Jef Raskin, American computer scientist (b. 1943)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] Liturgical feasts
- Saint Nestor (died 251)
- Saint Alexander of Alexandria
- Saint Victor
- Blessed Leo of Furnes (d. 1163)
- Saint Mechtild (d. 1154)
- Blessed Edigna
[edit] External links
February 25 - February 27 - January 26 - March 26 -- listing of all days
