September 26
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September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 96 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a temple to his mythical ancestor Venus Genetrix in accordance with a vow he made at the battle of Pharsalus.
- 715 - Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald at the Battle of Compiègne.
- 1580 - Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe.
- 1687 - The Parthenon in Athens is partially destroyed after an explosion caused by the bombing from Venetian forces led by Morosini who were besieging the Ottoman Turks stationed in Athens.
- 1777 - British troops occupy Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Revolution.
- 1783 - Fayette County, Pennsylvania created
- 1789 - Thomas Jefferson is appointed the first United States Secretary of State, John Jay is appointed the first Chief Justice of the United States, Samuel Osgood is appointed the first United States Postmaster General, and Edmund Randolph is appointed the first United States Attorney General.
- 1792 - Marc-David Lasource begins accusing Maximilien Robespierre of wanting a dictatorship for France.
- 1810 - A new Act of Succession is adopted by the Riksdag of the Estates and Jean Baptiste Bernadotte becomes heir to the Swedish throne.
- 1907 - New Zealand and Newfoundland each becomes a dominion of the British Empire.
- 1914 - The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is established by the Federal Trade Commission Act.
- 1918 - World War I: Battle of Meuse.
- 1934 - Steamship RMS Queen Mary is launched.
- 1937 - Street and Smith Publications launches a half-hour radio program featuring the announcer for its "Detective Stories" radio show, The Shadow, with Orson Welles in the title role.
- 1944 - World War II: Operation Market Garden fails.
- 1950 - United Nations troops recapture Seoul from the North Koreans.
- 1950 - Indonesia admitted to the United Nations.
- 1954 - Japanese rail ferry Toya Maru sinks during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait, Japan killing 1,172.
- 1957 - West Side Story, by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins opens on Broadway.
- 1960 - In Chicago, the first televised debate takes place between presidential candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy.
- 1960 - Fidel Castro announces Cuba's support for the U.S.S.R.
- 1961 - Bob Dylan makes his public debut.
- 1962 - Yemen Arab Republic is proclaimed.
- 1966 - The first Chevrolet Camaro appeared.
- 1969 - The Chicago Seven trial begins.
- 1969 - The Beatles album Abbey Road is released in the UK.
- 1970 - The Laguna Fire starts in San Diego County, California, burning 175,425 acres (710 km²).
- 1973 - Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time.
- 1980 - The Lonie Report in Victoria, Australia recommends rail line closures and freeway expansion.
- 1981 - Baseball: Nolan Ryan sets a Major League record by throwing his fifth no-hitter.
- 1983 - Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov averts a worldwide nuclear war.
- 1983 - Australia II, the first non-American winner, wins the Americas Cup.
- 1984 - United Kingdom agrees handover of Hong Kong.
- 1988 - Ben Johnson is stripped of his gold medal in the 100 m sprint at the Seoul Olympics for failing a drug test.
- 1997 - A Garuda Indonesia Airbus A-300 crashes near Medan, Indonesia, airport, killing 234.
- 1997 - An earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and the Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse.
- 2000 - Anti-globalization protests in Prague (some 20,000 protesters) turned violent during the IMF and World Bank summits.
- 2000 - Express Samina, capsized after running aground near the isle of Paros. 82 people were killed.
- 2002 - The overcrowded Senegalese ferry MV Joola capsizes off the coast of Gambia killing more than 1,000.
- 2002 - Thirty people are killed in a shooting by terrorists at a temple in Gandhinagar, India.
Births
- 1181 - Saint Francis of Assisi, Italian founder of the Franciscan Order (d. 1226)
- 1406 - Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros, English soldier and politician (d. 1430)
- 1711 - Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, English politician (d. 1779)
- 1750 - Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood, British admiral (d. 1810)
- 1758 - Cosme Argerich, Argentine physician, founder of the Medicine School of Buenos Aires.
- 1774 - Johnny Appleseed, American environmentalist (d. 1847)
- 1791 - Théodore Géricault, French painter (d. 1824)
- 1840 - Louis-Olivier Taillon, French Canadian politician (d. 1923)
- 1865 - Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford, British pilot (d. 1937)
- 1869 - Komitas, Armenian composer (d. 1935)
- 1870 - King Christian X of Denmark (d. 1947)
- 1871 - Winsor McCay, American cartoonist (d. 1934)
- 1873 - Aleksey Shchusev, Russian architect (d. 1949)
- 1873 - Wacław Berent, Polish novelist and translator (d. 1940)
- 1874 - Lewis Hine, American photographer and social activist (d. 1940)
- 1875 - Edmund Gwenn, Welsh actor (d. 1959)
- 1876 - Edith Abbott, American social worker, educator, and author (d. 1957)
- 1877 - Ugo Cerletti, Italian neurologist (d. 1963)
- 1877 - Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist (d. 1962)
- 1886 - Archibald Vivian Hill, English physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1977)
- 1887 - Edwin Keppel Bennett, British writer (d. 1958)
- 1887 - Antonio Moreno, Spanish-born actor (d. 1967)
- 1887 - Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, British scientist, engineer and inventor (d. 1979)
- 1888 - J. Frank Dobie, American folklorist and newspaper columnist (d. 1964)
- 1888 - T. S. Eliot, American-born writer and editor, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
- 1889 - Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (d. 1976)
- 1891 - Charles Münch, French conductor and violinist (d. 1968)
- 1893 - Gladys Brockwell, American actress (d. 1929)
- 1895 - George Raft, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1897 - Arthur Rhys Davids, English pilot (d. 1917)
- 1897 - Pope Paul VI (d. 1978)
- 1898 - George Gershwin, American composer (d. 1937)
- 1905 - Emilio Navarro, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1907 - Anthony Blunt, English art historian and Soviet spy (d. 1983)
- 1907 - Bep van Klaveren, Dutch boxer (d. 1992)
- 1909 - Bill France, Sr., American founder of NASCAR (d. 1992)
- 1914 - Jack LaLanne, American fitness, exercise and nutritional expert
- 1917 - Réal Caouette, French Canadian politician, leader of the Ralliement créditiste (d. 1976)
- 1919 - Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and researcher
- 1922 - Nicholas Romanov, French-born pretender to the Russian throne
- 1923 - Dev Anand, Indian actor and film producer
- 1925 - Marty Robbins, American singer (d. 1982)
- 1926 - Julie London, American singer and actress (d. 2000)
- 1927 - Robert Blackburn, Irish educationist (d. 1990)
- 1927 - Patrick O'Neal, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1928 - Bob Van der Veken, Belgian actor
- 1930 - Fritz Wunderlich, German tenor (d. 1966)
- 1932 - Richard Herd, American actor
- 1932 - Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India
- 1932 - Vladimir Voinovich, Russian writer and dissident
- 1933 - Donna Douglas, American actress
- 1935 - Joe Sherlock, Irish Labour Party polititian (d. 2007)
- 1936 - Winnie Mandela, South African anti-apartheid activist
- 1937 - Jerry Weintraub, American film producer
- 1941 - Salvatore Accardo, Italian violinist and conductor
- 1942 - Kent McCord, American actor
- 1943 - Ian Chappell, Australian test cricket player and broadcaster
- 1943 - Tim Schenken, Australian racing driver
- 1944 - Anne Robinson, British television host
- 1945 - Bryan Ferry, British singer
- 1945 - Gal Costa, Brazilian singer
- 1945 - Louise Beaudoin, Quebec politician
- 1946 - Andrea Dworkin, American feminist (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Christine Todd Whitman, American politician
- 1947 - Lynn Anderson, American singer
- 1948 - Olivia Newton-John, British-born Australian singer and actress
- 1949 - Clodoaldo, Brazilian football player
- 1949 - Jane Smiley, American novelist
- 1951 - Stuart Tosh, Scottish musician
- 1952 - Predrag Miletić, Serbian actor from Nis
- 1953 - Joe Benigno, American radio personality
- 1953 - Aivars Lembergs, Latvian politician
- 1954 - Kevin Kennedy, baseball manager and television host
- 1955 - Carlene Carter, American singer
- 1956 - Linda Hamilton, American actress
- 1956 - Steve Butler, American racecar driver
- 1958 - Richard B. Weldon, Jr., American politician
- 1959 - Rich Gedman, American baseball player
- 1961 - Will Self, British author
- 1961 - Cindy Herron, American singer (En Vogue)
- 1962 - Melissa Sue Anderson, American actress
- 1962 - Peter Foster, Australian con-man
- 1963 - Lysette Anthony, British actress
- 1964 - Nicki French, British singer
- 1965 - Alexandra Lencastre, Portuguese actress
- 1966 - Jillian Barberie, Canadian actress and television hostess
- 1966 - Christos Dantis, Greek composer and singer
- 1967 - Shannon Hoon, American singer (Blind Melon) (d. 1995)
- 1968 - James Caviezel, American actor
- 1969 - Paul Warhurst, English football player
- 1969 - Anthony Kavanagh, Québécois comedian, actor and singer
- 1970 - Sheri Moon Zombie, American Actress
- 1972 - Ras Kass, American rapper
- 1972 - Melanie Paxson, American actress
- 1972 - Shawn Stockman, American R&B singer (Boyz II Men)
- 1973 - Marty Casey, American singer (Lovehammers)
- 1973 - Chris Small, Scottish snooker player
- 1973 - Olga Vasdeki, Greek triple jumper
- 1974 - Martin Müürsepp, Estonian basketball player
- 1975 - Emma Härdelin, Swedish singer (Garmarna and Triakel)
- 1976 - Michael Ballack, German footballer
- 1977 - Kaylynn, American porn star
- 1978 - Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Boston Marathon record holder
- 1979 - Fuifui Moimoi, New Zealand (Tongan) Rugby League player
- 1979 - Jon Harley, English footballer
- 1979 - Jaycie Phelps, American gymnast
- 1980 - Patrick Friesacher, Austrian race car driver
- 1980 - Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Swedish professional ice hockey players
- 1981 - Collien Fernandes, German TV host and actress
- 1981 - Christina Milian, American actress and singer
- 1981 - Serena Williams, American tennis player
- 1982 - Miguel Alfredo Portillo, Argentine footballer
- 1983 - Ricardo Quaresma, Portuguese footballer
- 1983 - Samantha Hammel, American record producer and actress
- 1985 - Lenna Kuurmaa, Estonian singer
- 1986 - Ashley Leggat, Canadian actress
- 1987 - Rosie Munter, member of singing group "Play"
- 1988 - Kiira Korpi, Finnish figure skater
- 1988 - Mark Simpson, English Clarinetist and Composer
- 2000 - Princess Salma bint Al Abdullah II, of Jordan
Deaths
- 1417 - Francesco Zabarella, Italian jurist (b. 1360)
- 1468 - Juan de Torquemada, Spanish Catholic cardinal (b. 1388)
- 1501 - Džore Držić, Croatian writer (b. 1461)
- 1620 - Taichang Emperor of China (b. 1582)
- 1626 - Wakisaka Yasuharu, Japanese warrior (b. 1554)
- 1716 - Antoine Parent, French mathematician (b. 1666)
- 1763 - John Byron, English poet (b. 1692)
- 1764 - Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro, Spanish scholar (b. 1767)
- 1802 - Baron Jurij Vega, Slovenian mathematician, physicist, and military officer (b. 1754)
- 1820 - Daniel Boone, American frontiersman (b. 1734)
- 1868 - August Ferdinand Möbius, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1790)
- 1877 - Hermann Grassmann, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1809)
- 1902 - Levi Strauss, American clothing manufacturer (b. 1829)
- 1904 - John F. Stairs, Canadian businessman and statesman (b. 1848)
- 1904 - Lafcadio Hearn, Greek writer (b. 1850)
- 1937 - Bessie Smith, American singer (b. 1894)
- 1945 - Béla Bartók, Hungarian composer (b. 1881)
- 1947 - Hugh Lofting, British writer (b. 1886)
- 1951 - Hans Cloos, German geologist (b. 1885)
- 1952 - George Santayana, Spanish philosopher (b. 1863)
- 1953 - Xu Beihong, Chinese painter (b. 1895)
- 1965 - James Fitzmaurice, Irish aviation pioneer (b. 1898)
- 1968 - Daniel Johnson, Sr, politician, premier of Québec (b. 1915)
- 1972 - Charles Correll, American radio actor (b. 1890)
- 1973 - Ralph Earnhardt, American race car driver (b. 1923)
- 1973 - Anna Magnani, Italian actress (b. 1908)
- 1976 - Lavoslav Ružička, Croatian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
- 1978 - Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
- 1982 - Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer (b. 1902)
- 1983 - Tino Rossi, French singer and actor (b. 1907)
- 1984 - John Facenda, American broadcaster and sports announcer (b. 1913)
- 1984 - Paquirri, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1948)
- 1990 - Alberto Moravia, Italian author (b. 1907)
- 1998 - Betty Carter, American singer (b. 1930)
- 1999 - Oseola McCarty, notable benefactor of Southern Miss (b. 1908)
- 2000 - Richard Mulligan, American actor (b. 1932)
- 2000 - Baden Powell, Brazilian guitarist (b. 1937)
- 2003 - Robert Palmer, British singer (b. 1949)
- 2003 - Shawn Lane, American guitarist (b. 1963)
- 2004 - Marianna Komlos, professional wrestling valet (b. 1969)
- 2006 - Byron Nelson, American golfer (b. 1912)
- 2006 - Iva Toguri D'Aquino, alleged Tokyo Rose (b. 1916)
Holidays and observances
- Calendar of Saints - Sts. Cosmas and Damian.
- Also see September 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
- Discordianism - Bureflux.
- European Day of Languages.
- French Republican Calendar - Cheval (Horse) Day, fifth day in the Month of Vendémiaire.