August 26
| August 26 in recent years |
| 2024 (Monday) |
| 2023 (Saturday) |
| 2022 (Friday) |
| 2021 (Thursday) |
| 2020 (Wednesday) |
| 2019 (Monday) |
| 2018 (Sunday) |
| 2017 (Saturday) |
| 2016 (Friday) |
| 2015 (Wednesday) |
August 26 is the 238th day of the year (239th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 127 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 1071 – Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert.
- 1278 – Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolph I of Germany defeat Premysl Ottokar II of Bohemia in the Battle of Marchfield near Dürnkrut in (then) Moravia.
- 1303 – Ala ud din Khilji captures Chittorgarh.
- 1346 – Hundred Years' War: the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights is established at the Battle of Crécy.
- 1444 – Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs: A vastly outnumbered force of Swiss Confederates is defeated by the Dauphin Louis (future Louis XI of France) and his army of 'Armagnacs' near Basel.
- 1466 – A conspiracy against Piero di Cosimo de' Medici in Florence, led by Luca Pitti, is discovered.
- 1498 – Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pietà.
- 1748 – The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1768 – Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour.
- 1778 – The first recorded ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia.
- 1789 – The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France.
- 1791 – John Fitch is granted a United States patent for the steamboat.
- 1810 – The former viceroy Santiago de Liniers is executed after the defeat of his counter-revolution.
- 1813 – War of the Sixth Coalition: An impromptu battle takes place when French and Prussian-Russian forces accidentally run into each other near Liegnitz, Prussia (now Legnica, Poland).
- 1814 – Chilean War of Independence: Infighting between the rebel forces of José Miguel Carrera and Bernardo O'Higgins erupts in the Battle of Las Tres Acequias.
- 1821 – The University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is officially opened.
- 1883 – The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa begins its final, paroxysmal, stage.
- 1914 – World War I: the British Expeditionary Force fights a rear-guard action at the Battle of Le Cateau that briefly checks the German advance.
- 1914 – World War I: the German colony of Togoland is invaded by French and British forces, who take it after 5 days.
- 1920 – The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.
- 1940 – Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor.
- 1942 – Holocaust in Chortkiav, western Ukraine: At 2.30 am the German Schutzpolizei starts driving Jews out of their houses, divides them into groups of 120, packs them in freight cars and deports 2000 to Belzec death camp. 500 of the sick and children are murdered on the spot.
- 1944 – World War II: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
- 1966 – The Namibian War of Independence starts with the battle at Omugulugwombashe.
- 1970 – The then new feminist movement, led by Betty Friedan, leads a nation-wide Women's Strike for Equality.
- 1977 – The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec
- 1978 – Papal conclave, 1978 (August): Pope John Paul I is elected to the Papacy.
- 1978 – Sigmund Jähn becomes first German cosmonaut, on board Soyuz 31.
- 1980 – John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada, US.
- 1997 – Beni-Ali massacre in Algeria; 60-100 people killed.
- 1999 – Russia begins the Second Chechen War in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade.
- 2002 – Earth Summit 2002 begins in Johannesburg, South Africa
- 2011 – The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's all-new composite airliner, receives certification from the EASA and the FAA
Births
- 1469 – Ferdinand II of Naples (d. 1496)
- 1540 – Magnus, Duke of Holstein (d. 1583)
- 1676 – Robert Walpole, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1745)
- 1694 – Elisha Williams, American minister, jurist, and academic (d. 1755)
- 1695 – Marie-Anne-Catherine Quinault, French singer and composer (d. 1791)
- 1728 – Johann Heinrich Lambert, Swiss scientist (d. 1777)
- 1736 – Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l'Isle, French chemist (d. 1790)
- 1740 – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor, invented the hot air balloon (d. 1810)
- 1743 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist (d. 1794)
- 1775 – William Joseph Behr, German writer (d. 1851)
- 1789 – Abbas Mirza, Persian prince (d. 1833)
- 1792 – Manuel Oribe, Uruguayan politician, 4th President of Uruguay (d. 1857)
- 1819 – Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (d. 1861)
- 1826 – Princess Alexandra of Bavaria (d. 1875)
- 1845 – Mary Ann Nichols, English victim of Jack the Ripper (d. 1888)
- 1854 – Arnold Fothergill, English cricketer (d. 1932)
- 1862 – Herbert Booth, Canadian writer and director (d. 1926)
- 1864 – Anna Ulyanova, Russian revolutionary and stateswoman (d. 1935)
- 1865 – Arthur James Arnot, Australian engineer and inventor (d. 1946)
- 1873 – Lee De Forest, American inventor, invented the Audion tube (d. 1961)
- 1874 – Zona Gale, American novelist (d. 1938)
- 1875 – John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, Scottish author, historian, and politician, 15th Governor General of Canada (d. 1940)
- 1880 – Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet and critic (d. 1918)
- 1882 – James Franck, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Jules Romains, French author (d. 1972)
- 1890 – Tommy Andrews, Australian cricketer (d. 1970)
- 1894 – Sparky Adams, American baseball player (d. 1989)
- 1896 – Besse Cooper, American super-centenarian (d. 2012)
- 1896 – Ivan Mihailov, Bulgarian revolutionary and statesman (d. 1990)
- 1897 – Yun Bo-seon, South Korean politician, 4th President of South Korea (d. 1990)
- 1898 – Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter (d. 1991)
- 1900 – Hellmuth Walter, German engineer (d. 1980)
- 1901 – Eleanor Dark, Australian novelist (d. 1985)
- 1901 – Hans Kammler, German engineer and SS officer (d. 1945)
- 1901 – Maxwell D. Taylor, American general and diplomat (d. 1987)
- 1901 – Jimmy Rushing, American singer (Oklahoma City Blue Devils) (d. 1972)
- 1901 – Chen Yi, Chinese military commander and politician (d. 1972)
- 1904 – Christopher Isherwood, English-American author (d. 1986)
- 1906 – Albert Sabin, Polish-American medical researcher, developed the polio vaccine (d. 1993)
- 1907 – Lester Lanin, American bandleader (d. 2004)
- 1908 – Walter Bruno Henning, Prussian scholar (d. 1967)
- 1908 – Bill Hunt, Australian cricketer (d. 1983)
- 1908 – Aubrey Schenck, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1999)
- 1909 – Eric Davies, South African cricketer (d. 1976)
- 1909 – Jim Davis, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1909 – Gene Moore, American baseball player (d. 1978)
- 1910 – Mother Teresa, Macedonian-Indian missionary, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
- 1911 – Otto Binder, American author (d. 1974)
- 1914 – Julio Cortázar, Argentine author (d. 1984)
- 1920 – Brant Parker, American cartoonist (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Prem Tinsulanonda, Thai soldier and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Thailand
- 1921 – Shimshon Amitsur, Israeli mathematician, recipient of the Israel Prize (d. 1994)
- 1921 – Benjamin C. Bradlee, American journalist and publisher
- 1922 – Irving R. Levine, American journalist (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Wolfgang Sawallisch, German conductor and pianist (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Alex Kellner, American baseball player (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Jack Hirshleifer, American economist (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Alain Peyrefitte, French politician and writer (d. 1999)
- 1926 – Anahit Tsitsikian, Armenian violinist (d. 1999)
- 1927 – B. V. Doshi, Indian architect
- 1928 – Peter Appleyard, English-Canadian vibraphonist and composer
- 1928 – Naïm Kattan, Iraqi-Canadian novelist and critic
- 1928 – Yvette Vickers, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Reuben Kamanga, Zambian politician, 1st Vice President of Zambia (d. 1996)
- 1930 – Joe Solomon, Guyanese cricketer
- 1931 – Kálmán Markovits, Hungarian water polo player (d. 2009)
- 1932 – Luis Salvadores Salvi, Chilean basketball player
- 1933 – Oscar Marzaroli, Scots-Italian photographer (d. 1988)
- 1934 – Tom Heinsohn, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1935 – Geraldine Ferraro, American attorney and politician (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Jet Black, English drummer (The Stranglers)
- 1939 – Pinchas Goldstein, Israeli politician (d. 2007)
- 1939 – Todor Kolev, Bulgarian actor and singer (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Jorge Paulo Lemann, Brazilian banker and financier
- 1940 – Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (d. 2008)
- 1940 – Nik Turner, English singer-songwriter and saxophonist (Hawkwind, Inner City Unit, and Space Ritual)
- 1941 – Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (The Searchers) (d. 2005)
- 1941 – Jane Merrow, English actress
- 1941 – Barbet Schroeder, French-Swiss director and producer
- 1941 – Akiko Wakabayashi, Japanese actress
- 1942 – Vic Dana, American singer and dancer
- 1942 – Dennis Turner, Baron Bilston, English politician
- 1944 – Stephen Greif, English actor
- 1944 – Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
- 1944 – Maureen Tucker, American singer-songwriter and drummer (The Velvet Underground)
- 1945 – Jo Freeman, American scholar
- 1945 – Tom Ridge, American politician, 1st Secretary of Homeland Security
- 1946 – Zhou Ji, Chinese politician
- 1946 – Chantal Renaud, Canadian singer, actress, and scriptwriter
- 1946 – Valerie Simpson, American singer (Ashford & Simpson)
- 1946 – Mark Snow, American composer
- 1947 – Emiliano Díez, Cuban actor
- 1947 – Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer (d. 2007)
- 1949 – Leon Redbone, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1950 – Benjamin Hendrickson, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1951 – Edward Witten, American physicist
- 1952 – Bryon Baltimore, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1952 – Michael Jeter, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1952 – Will Shortz, American puzzle creator and editor
- 1953 – Pat Sharkey, Irish footballer
- 1954 – Efren Reyes, Filipino pool player
- 1954 – Steve Wright, English radio host
- 1956 – Brett Cullen, American actor
- 1956 – Mark Mangino, American football coach
- 1957 – Dr. Alban, Nigerian-Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1957 – Rick Hansen, Canadian paraplegic athlete
- 1958 – Jan Nevens, Belgian cyclist
- 1959 – Stan Van Gundy, American basketball coach
- 1960 – Wanda De Jesus, American actress
- 1960 – Branford Marsalis, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (Buckshot LeFonque)
- 1960 – Nancy Martinez, Canadian singer
- 1960 – Ola Ray, American actress and model
- 1961 – Daniel Lévi, French singer-songwriter, composer and pianist
- 1961 – Jeff Parrett, American baseball player
- 1962 – Bob Mionske, American cyclist and attorney
- 1963 – David Byas, English cricketer
- 1963 – Stephen J. Dubner, American journalist and author
- 1964 – Allegra Huston, English-American writer and editor
- 1965 – Carolina Arregui, Chilean actress
- 1965 – Chris Burke, American actor
- 1965 – Bobby Duncum, Jr., American wrestler (d. 2000)
- 1965 – Jon Hensley, American actor
- 1965 – Marcus du Sautoy, English mathematician
- 1966 – Jacques Brinkman, Dutch field hockey player
- 1966 – Avner Ben-Gal, Israeli painter
- 1966 – Shirley Manson, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress (Garbage, Angelfish, and Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie)
- 1967 – Michael Gove, Scottish journalist and politician
- 1968 – Chris Boardman, English cyclist
- 1968 – Byron Lawson, Canadian actor
- 1969 – Christopher Douglas American actor
- 1969 – Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, American model
- 1970 – Olimpiada Ivanova, Russian race walker
- 1970 – Melissa McCarthy American actress, writer, and producer
- 1970 – Brett Schultz, South African cricketer
- 1971 – Thalía, Mexican singer-songwriter and actress
- 1973 – Richard Evatt, English boxer (d. 2012)
- 1974 – Kelvin Cato, American basketball player
- 1974 – Meredith Eaton, American actress
- 1975 – Tyler Connolly, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Theory of a Deadman)
- 1975 – Morgan Ensberg, American baseball player
- 1975 – Momar Njie, Gambian footballer
- 1976 – Zemfira, Russian singer-songwriter
- 1976 – Amaia Montero, Spanish singer-songwriter (La Oreja de Van Gogh)
- 1977 – Therese Alshammar, Swedish swimmer
- 1977 – Liam Botham, English rugby player
- 1977 – Saeko Chiba, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1977 – Tran Thu Ha, Vietnamese pop singer
- 1977 – Simone Motta, Italian footballer
- 1977 – Morris Peterson, American basketball player
- 1978 – Raja Kashif, English singer
- 1979 – Jamal Lewis, American football player
- 1979 – Cristian Mora, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1979 – Rubén Arriaza Pazos, Spanish footballer
- 1979 – Allison Robertson, American guitarist (The Donnas)
- 1979 – Yağmur Sarıgül, Turkish guitarist and songwriter (maNga)
- 1980 – Macaulay Culkin, American actor
- 1980 – Brendan Harris, American baseball player
- 1980 – Manolis Papamakarios, Greek basketball player
- 1980 – Chris Pine, American actor
- 1981 – Tino Best, Barbadian cricketer
- 1981 – Sebastian Bönig, German footballer
- 1981 – Andreas Glyniadakis, Greek basketball player
- 1981 – Jesse Martin, Australian sailor
- 1981 – Vangelis Moras, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Petey Williams, Canadian wrestler
- 1982 – Angelo Iorio, Italian footballer
- 1982 – David Long, New Zealand guitarist and composer (The Mutton Birds)
- 1982 – Jayson Nix, American baseball player
- 1982 – Noah Welch, American ice hockey player
- 1983 – Mattia Cassani, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Toshiaki Imae, Japanese baseball player
- 1983 – Félix Porteiro, Spanish race car driver
- 1985 – Brandon McDonald, American football player
- 1986 – Colin Kazim-Richards, English-Turkish footballer
- 1986 – Cassie Ventura, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1987 – Riley Steele, American porn actress
- 1988 – Elvis Andrus, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1988 – Tori Black, American porn actress
- 1988 – Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
- 1988 – William Petzäll, Swedish politician (d. 2012)
- 1988 – Evan Ross, American actor and singer
- 1988 – Danielle Savre, American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1988 – Wayne Simmonds, Canadians ice hockey player
- 1989 – Heloise Guerin, French model
- 1989 – Charles Green, American Scholar
- 1989 – James Harden, American basketball player
- 1990 – Lil' Chris, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1991 – Tommy Bastow, English actor and singer (FranKo)
- 1991 – Jessica Diggins, American cross-country skier
- 1991 – Dylan O'Brien, American actor
- 1992 – Hayley Hasselhoff, American actress
- 1992 – Yang Yilin, Chinese gymnast
- 1993 – Keke Palmer, American actress and singer
- 1993 – Marko Livaja, Croatian footballer
- 1994 – Taylor Bright, American singer and actress
- 1995 – Abdul-Rahman al-Awlaki, American son of Anwar al-Awlaki (d. 2011)
- 2003 – Emma Rayne Lyle, American actress
Deaths
- 1214 – Patriarch Michael IV of Constantinople
- 1278 – Ottokar II of Bohemia (b. 1233)
- 1346 – Killed in the Battle of Crécy:
- Charles II, Count of Alençon (b. 1297)
- Louis I, Count of Flanders (b. 1304)
- John of Bohemia (b. 1296)
- Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1320)
- 1349 – Thomas Bradwardine, English archbishop and scholar (b. 1290)
- 1551 – Margaret Leijonhufvud, Swedish wife of Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1516)
- 1572 – Petrus Ramus, French philosopher (b. 1515)
- 1595 – António, Prior of Crato, Portuguese king (b. 1531)
- 1666 – Frans Hals, Dutch painter (b. 1580)
- 1714 – Edward Fowler, English bishop (b. 1632)
- 1723 – Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch biologist (b. 1632)
- 1785 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, English soldier and politician (b. 1716)
- 1810 – Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires, French-Spanish navy officer (b. 1753)
- 1850 – Louis Philippe I of France (b. 1773)
- 1865 – Johann Franz Encke, German astronomer (b. 1791)
- 1889 – Ciel Phantomhive, English Earl (b. 1875)
- 1908 – Tony Pastor, American actor, singer, and manager (b. 1837)
- 1910 – William James, American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1842)
- 1921 – Sándor Wekerle, Hungarian politician, Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1848)
- 1930 – Lon Chaney, Sr., American actor (b. 1883)
- 1944 – Adam von Trott zu Solz, German lawyer and diplomat (b. 1909)
- 1945 – Franz Werfel, Austrian author and playwright (b. 1890)
- 1946 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1887)
- 1956 – Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American activist (b. 1881)
- 1958 – Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (b. 1872)
- 1968 – Kay Francis, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1974 – Charles Lindbergh, American pilot, author, and explorer (b. 1902)
- 1976 – Lotte Lehmann, German soprano (b. 1888)
- 1978 – Charles Boyer, French actor (b. 1899)
- 1978 – José Manuel Moreno, Argentine footballer (b. 1916)
- 1979 – Mika Waltari, Finnish author (b. 1908)
- 1980 – Rosa Albach-Retty, German actress (b. 1874)
- 1980 – Tex Avery, American animator, cartoonist, voice actor, and director (b. 1908)
- 1981 – Roger Nash Baldwin, American co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (b. 1884)
- 1981 – Lee Hays, American singer-songwriter (The Weavers) (b. 1914)
- 1986 – Ted Knight, American actor (b. 1923)
- 1987 – John Goddard, Barbadian-English cricketer (b. 1919)
- 1987 – Georg Wittig, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
- 1988 – Carlos Paião, Portuguese singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
- 1989 – Irving Stone, American author (b. 1903)
- 1990 – Minoru Honda, Japanese astronomer (b. 1913)
- 1992 – Bob de Moor, Belgian illustrator and writer (b. 1925)
- 1993 – Reima Pietilä, Finnish architect (b. 1923)
- 1998 – Frederick Reines, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 2000 – Akbar Adibi, Iranian engineer (b. 1939)
- 2001 – Louis Muhlstock, Canadian painter (b. 1904)
- 2001 – Marita Petersen, Faroese politician, 8th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (b. 1940)
- 2003 – Jim Wacker, American football coach (b. 1937)
- 2004 – Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1957)
- 2005 – Denis D'Amour, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (Voivod) (b. 1960)
- 2005 – Robert Denning, American interior designer (b. 1927)
- 2006 – Rainer Barzel, German politician (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Clyde Walcott, Barbadian cricketer (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Gaston Thorn, Luxembourger politician, 20th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1928)
- 2007 – Ramon Zamora, Filipino actor (b. 1935)
- 2009 – Dominick Dunne, American journalist (b. 1925)
- 2010 – Raimon Panikkar, Catalan philosopher (b. 1918)
- 2011 – George Band, English mountaineer (b. 1929)
- 2011 – Patrick C. Fischer, American computer scientist (b. 1935)
- 2011 – John McAleese, Scottish soldier (b. 1949)
- 2012 – Reginald Bartholomew, American diplomat (b. 1936)
- 2012 – Jacques Bensimon, Canadian film executive (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Gérard Bitsindou, Congolese politician (b. 1937)
- 2012 – A. K. Hangal, Indian actor (b. 1917)
Holidays and observances
- Christian Feast Day:
- Heroes' Day (Namibia)
- Repentance Day (Papua New Guinea)
- Women's Equality Day (United States)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to August 26.