June 26

June 26 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 189 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by the troops on the battlefield.
• 1409 - Western Schism: the Roman Catholic church is led into a double schism as Petros Philargos is crowned Pope Alexander V after the Council of Pisa, joining Pope Gregory XII in Rome and Pope Benedict XII in Avignon.
• 1483 - Richard III is crowned king of England.
• 1541 - Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima by the son of his former companion and later antagonist, Diego Almagro the younger. Almagro is later caught and executed.
• 1718 - Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia, Peter the Great's son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him.
• 1723 - After a lasting siege and bombardment by cannons, Baku surrenders to the Russians.
• 1848 - End of the June Days Uprising in Paris.
• 1857 - The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.
• 1870 - The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
• 1917 - the first U.S. troops arrive in France to fight alongside Britain, France, Italy, and Russia against Germany, and Austria-Hungary in World War I.
• 1918 - World War I, Western Front: Battle for Belleau Wood - Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.
• 1924 - American occupying forces leave the Dominican Republic.
• 1927 - The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island
• 1934 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.
• 1936 - Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.
• 1940 - World War II: under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.
• 1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco.
• 1948 - The Western allies begin an airlift to Berlin after the Soviet Union blockades West Berlin.
• 1948 - William Shockley filed the original patent for the grown junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.
• 1959 - The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America's Great Lakes to ocean-going ships.
• 1960 - The former British Protectorate of Somaliland British Somaliland gains its independence.
• 1960 - Madagascar achieved independence from France.
• 1963 - John F. Kennedy speaks the famous words "Ich bin ein Berliner" on a visit to West Berlin.
• 1973 - On Plesetsk Cosmodrome 9 people are killed in an explosion of a Cosmos 3-M rocket.
• 1974 - The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio
• 1975 - Indira Gandhi establishes emergency rule in India.
• 1975 - Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.
• 1976 - The CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing structure on land, is opened to general public.
• 1977 - The Yorkshire Ripper kills 16 year old shop assistant Jayne MacDonald in Leeds, changing public perception of the killer as she was the first victim who was not a prostitute.
• 1978 - Air Canada Flight 189 to Toronto overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of 107 passengers on board perish.
• 1991 - Ten-Day War- the Yugoslav people's army begins the Ten-Day War in Slovenia.
• 1993 - The U.S. launches a missile attack targeting Baghdad intelligence headquarters in retaliation for a thwarted assassination attempt against former President George H.W. Bush in April in Kuwait.
• 1995 - Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani deposes his father Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in a bloodless coup.
• 1996 - Irish Journalist Veronica Guerin is shot in her car while in traffic in the outskirts of Dublin
• 1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment
• 2003 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
• 2008 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.

Births

• 1575 - Anne Catherine of Brandenburg, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1612)
• 1681 - Hedwig Sophia, duchess of Holstein-Gottorp, Swedish writer (d. 1708)
• 1689 - Edward Holyoke, American academic (d. 1769)
• 1694 - Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1768)
• 1702 - Philip Doddridge, English religious leader (d. 1751)
• 1703 - Thomas Clap, American academic (d. 1767)
• 1730 - Charles Messier, French Astronomer (d. 1817)
• 1817 - Branwell Bronte, British painter and poet (d. 1848)
• 1819 - Abner Doubleday, American Major General (d. 1893)
• 1824 - Lord Kelvin, Irish-born physicist (d. 1907)
• 1835 - Thomas W. Knox, American author (d. 1896)
• 1838 - Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Bengali Novelist (d. 1894)
• 1854 - Robert Laird Borden, Canadian politician (d. 1937)
• 1865 - Bernard Berenson, American art historian (d. 1959)
• 1866 - George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English financier of Egyptian excavations (d. 1923)
• 1869 - Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish writer (d. 1954)
• 1880 - Natalia, Princess Brassova (d. 1952)
• 1892 - Pearl S. Buck, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)
• 1895 - George Hainsworth, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1950)
• 1898 - Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer (d. 1978)
• 1898 - Chesty Puller, the most decorated Marine in history (d. 1971)
• 1899 - Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
• 1902 - Hugues Cuénod, Swiss Tenor
• 1904 - Frank Scott Hogg, Canadian astronomer (d. 1951)
• 1904 - Peter Lorre, Hungarian-born actor (d. 1964)
• 1906 - Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer (d. 1974)
• 1906 - Viktor Schreckengost, American industrial designer (d. 2008)
• 1907 - Debs Garms, American baseball player (d. 1984)
• 1908 - Salvador Allende, Former President of Chile (1970-1973) (d. 1973)
• 1909 - Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager (d. 1997)
• 1911 - Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete (d. 1956)
• 1913 - Aimé Césaire, French Martinican poet and politician (d. 2008)
• 1914 - Kathryn Johnston, US victim of police shooting (d. 2006)
• 1914 - Laurie Lee, British writer (d. 1997)
• 1915 - Paul Castellano, American mafia boss (d. 1985)
• 1915 - Charlotte Zolotow, American author
• 1919 - Richard Neustadt, American political historian (d. 2003)
• 1921 - Violette Szabo, French WWII secret agent (d. 1945)
• 1922 - Eleanor Parker, American actress
• 1923 - Barbara Graham, American murderer (d. 1955)
• 1924 - Costas Axelos, Greek philosopher
• 1925 - Pavel Belyayev, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1970)
• 1928 - Jacob Druckman, American composer (d. 1996)
• 1928 - Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Japanese inventor
• 1929 - Milton Glaser, American Designer
• 1933 - Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor
• 1933 - Gene Green, American baseball player (d. 1981)
• 1934 - Jeremy Wolfenden, British journalist (d. 1965)
• 1934 - Dave Grusin, American jazz pianist
• 1936 - Robert Maclennan, British politician
• 1936 - Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, Archbishop of Montreal
• 1937 - Sombat Metanee, Thai film actor
• 1937 - Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist, Nobel laureate
• 1938 - Gerald North, American climatologist
• 1940 - Billy Davis, Jr., American singer (The Fifth Dimension)
• 1941 - Yves Beauchemin, Canadian novelist
• 1942 - Gilberto Gil, Brazilian singer and Minister of Culture
• 1942 - James J. Dillon, American professional wrestling manager
• 1943 - John Beasley, American actor
• 1943 - Georgie Fame, British singer
• 1945 - Malachi York, Nuwaubian leader
• 1951 - Gary Gilmour, Australian cricketer
• 1953 - Robert Davi, American actor
• 1954 - Steve Barton, American actor (d. 2001)
• 1955 - Mick Jones, British guitarist (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite)
• 1956 - Chris Isaak, American singer
• 1957 - Patty Smyth, American singer (Scandal)
• 1957 - Philippe Couillard, Quebec neurosurgeon and politician
• 1959 - Mark McKinney, Canadian actor
• 1960 - Zachary Breaux, American jazz guitarist
• 1961 - Greg LeMond, American cyclist
• 1961 - Terri Nunn, American singer (Berlin)
• 1962 - Preston A. Whitmore II, American screenwriter and film director
• 1963 - Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, Russian businessman
• 1963 - Richard Garfield, American game designer
• 1966 - Minaguchi Yuko, japanese voice actress
• 1967 - Todd Pletcher, American horse trainer
• 1968 - Paolo Maldini, Italian footballer
• 1968 - Shannon Sharpe, American football player
• 1969 - Colin Greenwood, British musician (Radiohead)
• 1969 - Ingrid Lempereur, Belgian swimmer
• 1969 - Mike Myers, American baseball player
• 1970 - Paul Thomas Anderson, American filmmaker
• 1970 - Irv Gotti, American record producer
• 1970 - Sean Hayes, American actor
• 1970 - Matt Letscher, American actor
• 1970 - Chris O'Donnell, American actor
• 1970 - Nick Offerman, American actor
• 1971 - Max Biaggi, Italian motorcycle racer
• 1972 - Garou, Canadian singer
• 1972 - Jai Taurima, Australian long jumper
• 1973 - Gretchen Wilson, American singer
• 1973 - Paweł Małaszyński, Polish actor
• 1973 - Jussi Sydänmaa, Finnish musician (Lordi)
• 1974 - Matt Striker, American professional wrestler
• 1974 - Derek Jeter, American baseball player
• 1974 - Jeff Frankenstein, American musician (Newsboys)
• 1974 - Jason Kendall, American baseball player
• 1974 - Nicole Saba, Lebanese singer
• 1975 - Jonah Sorrentino, American hip hop artist
• 1975 - Terry Skiverton, English football player
• 1976 - Ed Jovanovski, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1976 - Chad Pennington, American football player
• 1976 - Joe Landon, American pornographic actor
• 1977 - Kubo Tite, Japanese cartoonist
• 1977 - Mark Jindrak,American Professional Wrestler
• 1978 - Alexandra, French singer, L5's singer
• 1979 - Wálter Herrmann, Argentinian basketball player
• 1979 - Andy O'Brien, English footballer
• 1979 - Ryo Fukuda, Japanese racing driver
• 1980 - Jason Schwartzman, American actor
• 1980 - Michael Vick, American football player
• 1980 - Chris Shelton, American baseball player
• 1980 - Sinik, French singer and rapper
• 1984 - Elijah Dukes, American baseball player
• 1984 - Raymond Felton, American basketball player
• 1984 - Deron Williams, American basketball player
• 1984 - Jose Juan Barea, American basketball player
• 1985 - Urgyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan spiritual leader
• 1986 - Casey Desmond, American singer
• 1987 - Carlos Iaconelli, Brazilian racing driver
• 1987 - Samir Nasri, French footballer
• 1992 - Jennette McCurdy, American actress
• 2005 - Princess Alexia of the Netherlands

Deaths

• 363 - Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor (b. 331)
• 1291 - Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III of England
• 1541 - Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conqueror of Peru
• 1688 - Ralph Cudworth, English philosopher (b. 1617)
• 1784 - Caesar Rodney, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1728)
• 1793 - Gilbert White, English ornithologist (b. 1720)
• 1810 - Joseph Michel Montgolfier, French inventor (b. 1740)
• 1836 - Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French composer (La Marseillaise) (b. 1760)
• 1878 - Mercedes of Orleans, queen of Spain (b. 1860)
• 1918 - Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
• 1922 - Albert I, Prince of Monaco (b. 1848)
• 1939 - Ford Madox Ford, English writer (b. 1873)
• 1943 - Karl Landsteiner, Austrian biologist and physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1868)
• 1945 - Emil Hácha, President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1872)
• 1946 - Yosuke Matsuoka, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (b. 1880)
• 1946 - Max Kögel, SS officer (b. 1895)
• 1947 - Richard Bedford Bennett, eleventh Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1870)
• 1948 - Lilian Velez, Filipino actress (b. 1924)
• 1949 - Kim Gu, President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (b. 1876)
• 1956 - Clifford Brown, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1930)
• 1957 - Alfred Döblin, German writer (b. 1878)
• 1958 - George Orton, Canadian athlete (b. 1873)
• 1958 - Andrija Štampar, Croatian physician and United Nations diplomat (b. 1888)
• 1964 - Leo Dandurand, American-born Canadian sports executive (b. 1889)
• 1964 - Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect (b. 1888)
• 1967 - Françoise Dorléac, French actress (b. 1942)
• 1975 - St. Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish Catholic priest (b. 1902)
• 1990 - Anni Blomqvist, Finnish novelist (b. 1909)
• 1992 - Herman Rohde, professional wrestler (b. 1921)
• 1993 - William H. Riker, American political scientist (b. 1920)
• 1993 - Roy Campanella, American baseball player (b. 1921)
• 1994 - Jahanara Imam, Bangladeshi writer and activist (b. 1929)
• 1996 - Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (b. 1958)
• 1997 - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Hawaiian singer (b. 1959)
• 2001 - Soccer (dog actor) (b. 1988)
• 2002 - Arnold Brown, the 11th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1913)
• 2002 - Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
• 2003 - Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroon footballer (b. 1975)
• 2003 - Denver Randleman, U.S. Army Seargent (b. 1920)
• 2003 - Strom Thurmond, U.S. Senator (b. 1902)
• 2003 - Sir Dennis Thatcher MBE, husband of Margaret Thatcher (b. 1915)
• 2004 - Yash Johar, Indian film producer (b. 1929)
• 2004 - Naomi Shemer, Israeli singer and song-writer (b. 1930)
• 2005 - Richard Whiteley, British television game show host (b. 1943)
• 2006 - Tommy Wonder, Dutch magician (b. 1953)
• 2007 - Liz Claiborne, Belgian-born American fashion designer (b. 1929)
• 2007 - Joey Sadler, All Black rugby player (b. 1914)
• 2007 - Natasja Saad, Danish Reggae singer (b. 1974)

Holidays and observances

• International Day in Support of Torture Victims
• International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
• Madagascar: Independence Day
• Thailand: Sunthorn Phu Day
• Romania: Flag Day
• Mar Abhai
• Anthelm of Belley
• Saints John and Paul
• Saint Josemaría Escrivá (d. 1975)
• St. Vigilius of Trent

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada