On this day in History - Oct. 26

• 0740 - An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death.
• 0899 - Alfred the Great dies. Writer and king of Wessex (0871-0899).
• 1235 - King Andrew II of Hungary dies (b. 1175)
• 1427 - Archduke Sigismund of Austria was born (d. 1496)
• 1440 - Gilles de Rais dies (b. 1404). French serial killer
• 1473 - Friedrich of Saxony was born (d. 1510)
• 1491 - Zhengde was born (d. 1521). Emperor of China.
• 1633 - Horio Tadaharu dies (b. 1596). Japanese warlord.
• 1640 - The Treaty of Ripon is signed, restoring peace between Scotland and Charles I of England
• 1671 - John Gell dies (b. 1593). English politician.
• 1673 - Dimitrie Cantemir was born (d. 1723). Moldavian linguist and scholar.
• 1679 - Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery dies (b. 1621). British soldier, statesman, and dramatist
• 1684 - Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin was born (d. 1757). Prussian field marshal.
• 1685 - Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples (d. 1757). Italian composer and harpsichordist
• 1686 - John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater dies (b. 1623). English politician.
• 1694 - Johan Helmich Roman was born (d. 1758). Swedish composer.
• 1717 - Catherine Sedley dies. English mistress of James II of England
• 1751 - Philip Doddridge dies (b. 1702). English religious leader
• 1757 - Karl Leonhard Reinhold was born (d. 1823). Austrian philosopher.
• 1759 - Georges Jacques Danton was born (d. 1794). French Revolutionary leader.
• 1764 - William Hogarth dies (b. 1697). British painter.
• 1768 - Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko was born (d. 1844). Polish general and politician.
• 1774 - The first Continental Congress adjourns.
• 1794 - Konstantin Thon was born (d. 1881). Russian architect
• 1795 - The French Directory, a five-man revolutionary government, is created.
• 1800 - Helmuth von Moltke the Elder was born (d. 1891). Prussian field marshal.
• 1802 - King Miguel of Portugal was born (d. 1866). King of Portugal (1828-1834), son of John VI and Carlota Joaquina.
• 1803 - Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford dies (b. 1721). English politician.
• 1806 - John Graves Simcoe dies (b. 1752). first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada.
• 1817 - Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin dies (b. 1727). Austrian scientist.
• 1818 - Tomás José da Anunciação was born. Portuguese painter.
• 1825 - The Erie Canal opens - passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie
• 1842 - Vasili Vasilyevich Vereshchagin was born (d. 1904). Russian painter.
• 1849 - Ferdinand Georg Frobenius was born (d. 1917). German mathematician.
• 1854 - C. W. Post was born (d. 1914). American entrepreneur.
• 1859 - The Royal Charter is wrecked on the coast of Anglesey, north Wales with 459 dead
• 1863 - The Football Association is formed
• 1863 - Francisco Dueñas Díaz assume (pela 4º vez) a presidência de El Salvador
• 1865 - Benjamin Guggenheim was born (d. 1912). American businessman.
• 1866 - John Kinder Labatt dies (b. 1803). Irish-Canadian brewer (Labatt Brewing Company)
• 1869 - Washington Luís (Washington Luís Pereira de Souza) was born in Macaé - Rio de Janeiro. 15th President of Brazil (15 Nov 1926 - 24 Oct 1930).
• 1871 - Guillermo Kahlo was born (d. 1941). Father of Frida Kahlo.
• 1873 - Thorvald Stauning was born (d. 1942). Prime Minister of Denmark
• 1874 - Martin Lowry was born (d. 1936). British chemist.
• 1874 - Peter Cornelius dies at 49. German composer.
• 1879 - Leon Trotsky was born (d. 1940). Leader of the Bolshevik Revolution
• 1880 - Andrei Bely was born (d. 1934). Russian writer.
• 1881 - The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona.
• 1883 - Paul Pilgrim was born (d. 1958). American athlete.
• 1890 - Carlo Collodi dies (b. 1826). Italian writer.
• 1896 - Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour dies (b. 1827). French statesman.
• 1902 - Jack Sharkey was born (d. 1994). American boxer.
• 1902 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton dies (b. 1815). American feminist and suffragette
• 1905 - Norway becomes independent from Sweden
• 1906 - Primo Carnera was born (d. 1967). Italian boxer.
• 1909 - Affonso Eduardo Reidy dies in Paris. Brazilian architect.
• 1909 - Prince Hirobumi Ito dies assassinated (b. 1841). Japanese governor of Korea
• 1911 - Sid Gilman was born (d. 2003). American football player, coach, and manager.
• 1911 - Mahalia Jackson was born (d. 1972). American singer.
• 1911 - Sorley MacLean was born (d. 1996). Scottish poet.
• 1912 - The city of Thessaloniki is unified with Greece on the feast day of its patron Saint Demetrius.
• 1912 - Don Siegel was born (d. 1991). American director
• 1913 - Charlie Barnet was born (d. 1991). American jazz saxophonist and bandleader
• 1914 - Jackie Coogan was born (d. 1984). American actor.
• 1916 - François Mitterrand was born (d. 1996). President of France (1981-1995)
• 1917 - Battle of Caporetto: Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Germany and Austria during the First World War
• 1917 - Virgílio Teixeira was born. Portuguese actor.
• 1918 - Erich von Ludendorff, quartermaster-general of the Imperial German Army, is dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany for refusing to cooperate in peace negotiations.
• 1919 - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran was born (d. 1980). Shah of Iran
• 1921 - George Forrest was born (d. 1968). Northern Irish Member of the Parliament.
• 1925 - Jan Wolkers was born. Dutch author.
• 1929 - Neal Matthews, Jr. was born (d. 2000). American singer (The Jordanaires)
• 1930 - Harry Payne Whitney dies (b. 1872). American businessman.
• 1931 - Charles Comiskey dies (b. 1859). Baseball team owner.
• 1933 - José Malhoa dies (b. 28 Apr 1854). Portuguese painter.
• 1936 - The first electric generator at Hoover Dam went into full operation.
• 1937 - Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki dies (b. 1867). Polish general, commander of the Greater Poland Uprising
• 1940 - The P-51 Mustang makes its maiden flight.
• 1941 - Arkady Gaidar dies killed in combat (b. 1904). Russian children's writer
• 1942 - World War II: In the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the Guadalcanal Campaign, one U.S. aircraft carrier is sunk and another heavily damaged.
• 1942 - Bob Hoskins was born. British actor.
• 1942 - Milton Nascimento was born in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian singer and composer
• 1943 - Marc Aurel Stein dies (b. 1862). Hungarian born British archaeologist
• 1944 - The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends.
• 1944 - Vice president Harry Truman publicly denies ever having been a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
• 1944 - Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom dies (b. 1857). Daughter of Queen Victoria
• 1944 - William Temple dies (b. 1881). Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1945 - Pat Conroy was born. American writer.
• 1945 - Jaclyn Smith was born. American actress
• 1945 - Paul Pelliot dies (b. 1878). French explorer.
• 1945 - Alexei Krylov dies (b. 1863). Russian engineer and mathematician.
• 1946 - Pat Sajak was born. American game show host
• 1947 - Hillary Rodham Clinton was born. First Lady of the United States and Senator from New York
• 1947 - Holly Woodlawn was born. Puerto Rican actress
• 1947 - The Maharaja of Kashmir agrees to allow his kingdom to join India
• 1947 - The British Military Occupation ends in Iraq.
• 1947 - Canon Edwin Sidney Savage dies (b. 1862). English rector.
• 1948 - Killer smog settles into Donora, Pennsylvania.
• 1949 - Steve Rogers was born. Major League Baseball pitcher
• 1951 - Bootsy Collins was born. American musician (P Funk).
• 1951 - Rocky Marciano defeated Joe Louis at Madison Square Garden.
• 1952 - Andrew Motion was born. English poet.
• 1952 - Hattie McDaniel dies (b. 1895). American singer
• 1954 - Trieste return to Italy.
• 1955 - After the last Allied troops have left the country and following the provisions of the Austrian Independence Treaty, Austria declares its permanent neutrality.
• 1955 - Ngo Dinh Diem declares himself Premier of South Vietnam
• 1956 - Walter Gieseking dies (b. 1895). French conductor
• 1957 - Gerty Cori dies (b. 1896). Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate.
• 1957 - Nikos Kazantzakis dies (b. 1883). Greek writer (The Last Temptation of Christ).
• 1957 - Bob Golic was born. American football player
• 1958 - Rita Wilson was born. American actress
• 1958 - Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York to Paris.
• 1959 - Evo Morales was born. President of Bolivia
• 1959 - Brian Bovell was born. British actor
• 1961 - Dylan McDermott was born. American actor
• 1962 - Cary Elwes was born. British actor
• 1963 - Natalie Merchant was born. American singer
• 1964 - Eric Edgar Cooke hanged, last person in Western Australia to be executed.
• 1965 - The body of Sylvia Likens is found in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
• 1965 - The Beatles are appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs)
• 1965 - Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing was born. Hong Kong singer and actor
• 1966 - Jane Hajduk was born. American actress
• 1966 - Steve Valentine was born. British actor
• 1966 - Jeanne Zelasko was born. American sportcaster
• 1966 - Alma Cogan dies (b. 1932). English singer.
• 1967 - Keith Urban was born. New Zealand singer .
• 1969 - Portugal: Realizam-se as primeiras eleições após a substituição de Salazar por Marcelo Caetano, no cargo de Presidente do Conselho. São eleitos deputados Pinto Leite, Sá Carneiro, Pinto Balsemão, Magalhães Mota e Miller Guerra que formarão a chamada «Ala Liberal» da Assembleia Nacional. A oposição contesta em bloco os resultados eleitorais.
• 1970 - Raveena Tandon was born. Indian actress.
• 1971 - Anthony Rapp was born. American singer and actor
• 1971 - Vincent Coleman dies (b. 1901). American actor.
• 1972 - Igor Sikorsky dies (b. 1889). Ukrainian-born inventor.
• 1973 - Seth MacFarlane was born. American animator, creator of Family Guy and American Dad!
• 1976 - Transkei declares its "independence" from South Africa
• 1976 - Damião Peres dies (b. 8 Jul 1889). Portuguese teacher, historian and writer.
• 1976 - Emiliano Di Cavalcanti dies. Brazilian painter.
• 1977 - The last natural case of smallpox was 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.
• 1977 - Jon Heder was born. American actor
• 1978 - Independent Counsel Act signed into law
• 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.
• 1979 - Park Chung-hee dies (b. 1917). President of South Korea
• 1980 - Prajeesh P R was born. Indian software engineer
• 1980 - Morreu Marcelo Caetano (n. 1906), último Presidente do Conselho do regime ditatorial, instaurado com a Constituição de 1933. Professor de direito e historiador, tinha sido escolhido, em 1968, para substituir Salazar na chefia do governo, sendo deposto pelo movimento militar de 25 de Abril de 1974.
• 1982 - Christopher Neil Hamman was born. American Icon
• 1984 - John D. McCollum shoots and kills himself after spending a day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records; a lawsuit is later filed by his parents over the song "Suicide Solution", but the case eventually gets thrown out.
• 1984 - «Baby Fae» receives a heart transplant from a baboon
• 1984 - The Terminator is released in theaters nationwide.
• 1984 - Gus Mancuso dies (b. 1905). Baseball player.
• 1986 - Jackson Scholz dies (b. 1897). American runner.
• 1989 - Charles J. Pedersen dies (b. 1904). American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1991 - Bill Graham dies (b. 1931). German-born music promoter.
• 1991 - Lori Keevil-Matthews is killed after a 485-pound umbrella slams her against a boulder in a Christo art installation.
• 1992 - The command and control system of the London Ambulance Service fails catastrophically.
• 1992 - The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum.
• 1994 - Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty
• 1994 - Announcement of Andrew Wiles correct proof of Fermat's last theorem.
• 1994 - Wilbert Harrison dies (b. 1929). American singer.
• 1995 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Mossad agents assassinate Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shikaki in his hotel in Malta.
• 1995 - Gorni Kramer dies (b. 1913). Italian bandleader and songwriter.
• 1997 - The left arms of Chen Ming-Kuo and Yang Chung-ming are amputated by the rope in a 1,500-person tug-of-war contest in Taipei; both arms are successfully reattached later on.
• 1997 - Basketball player Charles Barkley is charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest after throwing Jorge Lugo through a plate glass window in a dance club in Orlando, Florida.
• 1998 - Morre o escritor português José Cardoso Pires, autor de O Delfim, obra que serviu de base ao filme do mesmo nome de Fernando Lopes.
• 1999 - Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament.
• 1999 - Hoyt Axton dies (b. 1938). American musician.
• 2000 - Laurent Gbagbo takes over as president of Côte d'Ivoire following a popular uprising against President Robert Guéï
• 2000 - The PlayStation 2 was released in the United States of America
• 2001 - The United States passes the controversial USA Patriot Act into law.
• 2002 - Moscow Theater Siege ends: Approximately 50 Chechen rebels and 150 hostages die when Russian commandos storm the House of Culture theater in Moscow, which had been occupied by the rebels three days before.
• 2002 - Jacques Massu dies (b. 1908). French general.
• 2002 - Movsar Barayev dies. Chechen militant
• 2004 - Bobby Avila dies (b. 1924). Major League Baseball player.
• 2004 - AT&T Wireless is officially acquired by Cingular Wireless.
• 2005 - The Chicago White Sox defeat the Houston Astros in the World Series to win their first championship since 1917
• National Holiday: Anniversary of the Austrian Declaration of Neutrality
• Intersex Awareness Day
• Angam Day in Nauru