On this day in History - Aug 26

0055 BC- Julius Caesar invades Britain
1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Empire at Manzikert
1278 - Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolph I of Germany defeat Premysl Ottokar II of Bohmia in the Battle of Marchfield near Dürnkrut in Moravia.
1278 - Premysl Ottokar II dies. King of Bohemia
1303 - Ala ud din Khilji won Chittor.
1346 - Hundred Years' War: The military supremacy of the English longbow over the Frenc combination of crossbow and armoured knights is established at the Battle of Crécy.
1346 - Killed in the Battle of Crécy: Charles II of Alençon (b. 1297), Louis I of Flanders (b. 1304), John I, Count of Luxemburg (b. 1296), Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1320).
1349 - Thomas Bradwardine dies. Archbishop of Canterbury
1429 - Joan of Arc enters Paris.
1466 - A conjure against Piero di Cosimo de' Medici in Florence, led by Luca Pitti, is discovered.
1469 - Ferdinand II of Naples was born (d. 1496).
1492 - Alexander VI is crowned Pope in Basilica of St. Peter. 215th Pope.
1498 - Michelangelo commissioned to carve the Pietà.
1540 - King Magnus of Livonia was born (d. 1583).
1550 - Fundação do Convento de Santo Domingo (Colômbia)
1551 - Margareta Leijonhufvud dies (b. 1516). Queen of Sweden.
1572 - Petrus Ramus dies (b. 1515). French philosopher.
1595 - Antonio, Prior of Crato dies (b. 1531). Claimant to the throne of Portugal / Morre, em França, D. António, O Prior do Crato (n. 1531). Rei de Portugal (19 Jun 1580 - 25 Ago 1581 data da derrota de Alcântara).
1666 - Frans Hals dies. Dutch painter
1676 - Robert Walpole was born (d. 1745). Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1694 - Elisha Williams was born (d. 1755). American rector of Yale College.
1714 - Edward Fowler dies (b. 1632). English Bishop of Gloucester.
1723 - Anton van Leeuwenhoek dies (b. 1632). Dutch scientist
1728 - Johann Heinrich Lambert was born (d. 1777). German scientist.
1736 - Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l'Isle was born (d. 1790). French chemist.
1740 - Joseph Montgolfier, French inventor (d. 1810)
1743 - Antoine Lavoisier was born (d. 1794). French chemist.
1748 - The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1775 - William Joseph Behr was born (d. 1851). German writer.
1778 - The first ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain of Slovenia.
1785 - George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville dies (b. 1716). British soldier and politician.
1789 - Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen approved by Constituent Assembly at Palace of Versailles
1789 - Abbas Mirza was born (d. 1833). Prince of Persia.
1792 - Manuel Oribe was born (d. 1857). Uruguayan political figure
1818 - The first Illinois Constitution was signed in Kaskaskia.
1839 - The ship Amistad is captured off Long Island.
1845 - Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols was born (d. 1888). Widely believed to be the first victim of Jack the Ripper
1847 - Liberia was proclaimed an independent republic.
1850 - Charles Robert Richet was born (d. 1935). French physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate
1850 - Louis-Philippe of France dies (b. 1773)
1858 - First news dispatch by telegraph.
1862 - American Civil War: The Second Battle of Bull Run begins.
1862 - Herbert Booth was born (d. 1926). The third son of William and Catherine Booth
1865 - Johann Franz Encke dies (b. 1791). German astronomer.
1870 - Manuel Jesús Ortiz was born. Chilean educator and writer.
1873 - Lee DeForest was born (d. 1961). American inventor.
1874 - Zona Gale was borm (d. 1938). American novelist.
1875 - John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir was born (d. 1940). Scottish novelist, Governor General of Canada
1880 - Guillaume Apollinaire was born (d. 1918). French poet and art critic.
1882 - James Franck was born in Hamburg (d. 1964). German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate in 1925.
1883 - Eruption of Mount Krakatoa.
1885 - Jules Romain (Louis Farigoule) was born in Saint Julien Chapteuil, Cevenas (d. 14 Aug 1972). French novelist, dramatist and poet.
1894 - Sparky Adams was born (d. 1989). Baseball player.
1896 - "Cry of Balntawak" (" Grito de Balintawak"): Rebenta a insurreição armada nas Filipinas contra o domínio espanhol.
1896 - Ivan Mihailov was born (d. 1990). Bulgarian revolutionary
1897 - Yoon Boseon was born (d. 1990). President of South Korea.
1898 - Peggy Guggenheim was born (d. 1979). American art collector.
1899 - Rufino Tamayo was born (d. 1991). Mexican painter.
1900 - Hellmuth Walter was born (d. 1980). German engineer and inventor.
1901 - Maxwell Taylor was born (d. 1987). American general.
1901 - Chen Yi was born (d. 1972). Chinese communist military commander and politician.
1904 - Christopher Isherwood was born (d. 1986). Anglo-American writer.
1906 - Albert Sabin was born in Byalistok, Polonia (d. 3 Mar 1993). American microbiologist; developed oral polio vaccine.
1908 - Aubrey Schenck was born (d. 1999). Film producer.
1908 - Simão Mathias was born. Brazilian chemist.
1908 - Tony Pastor dies (b. 1837). American vaudeville performer.
1909 - Jim Davis was born (d. 1981). American actor.
1909 - Gene Moore was born (d. 1978). Baseball player.
1910 - Mother Teresa was born (d. 1997). Roman Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work.
1910 - William James dies (b. 1842). American psychologist and philosopher.
1914 - Julio Cortázar was born (d. 1984). Argentine writer (“Rayuela") .
1914 - Societá Sportiva Palestra Itália, later Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, is founded in São Paulo, Brazil.
1914 - World War I: Germans defeat Russians in Battle of Tannenberg, a decisive engagement which resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian 2nd Army.
1914 - World War I: The British Expeditionary Force briefly checks the German advance at Le Cateau.
1914 - World War I: The German colony of Togoland is invaded by French and British forces, who take it after 5 days.
1915 - John Bunny dies (b. 1863). American comedian
1920 - 19th amendment to U.S. Constitution gives women the right to vote.
1920 - Brant Parker was born (d. 2007). American cartoonist.
1921 - Benjamin Bradlee was born. American journalist
1922 - Irving R. Levine was born. American journalist
1923 - Wolfgang Sawallisch was born. German conductor and pianist
1924 - Alex Kellner was born (d. 1996). Baseball player.
1925 - Jack Hirshleifer was born (d. 2005). American economist.
1925 - Alain Peyrefitte was born (d. 1999). French politician and writer.
1928 - May Donoghue drinks a bottle of ginger beer at a cafe in Paisley, Scotland and finds the remains of a snail in the bottle. She launches a civil action against the drink manufacturer which becomes one of the famous cases in English Common Law; that of Donoghue v. Stevenson.
1928 - Peter Appleyard was born. Canadian jazz vibraphonist
1928 - Naïm Kattan was born. Canadian novelist and essayist
1930 - Lon Chaney, Sr. dies (b. 1883). American actor.
1931 - Portugal: "Reviralhismo" .Tentativa de golpe de estado contra a ditadura : Um grupo de oficiais procura sublevar o Quartel de Metralhadoras 1 em Lisboa, sem sucesso.
1934 - Tom Heinsohn was born. American basketball player and commentator
1935 - Geraldine Ferraro was born. U.S. Vice Presidential candidate
1936 - First world TV transmission, produced by The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
1936 - Yvette Vickers was born. American actress
1939 - The first Major League Baseball game is telecast, a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, in Brooklyn, New York.
1940 - Chad is the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor.
1940 - Don LaFontaine was born. American voice actor
1941 - Barbet Schroeder was born. Swiss film director
1941 - Akiko Wakabayashi was born. Japanese actress
1941 - Chris Curtis was born (d. 2005). English singer and drummer (The searchers)
1941 - Barbet Schroeder was born. Swiss film director
1942 - Holocaust in Chortkiv, western Ukraine: At 2.30 am in the morning the German Schutzpolizei starts driving Jews out of houses, splits in groups of 120, packs them in freight cars and deports 2000 Jews to Belzec death camp. 500 of sick and children murdered on the spot.
1942 - Dennis Turner was born. British politician.
1942 - Vic Dana was born. American singer
1944 - World War II: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
1944 - Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester was born.
1944 - Maureen Tucker was born. American musician (The Velvet Underground)
1944 - Adam von Trott zu Solz dies executed. German anti-Nazi diplomat.
1945 - Tom Ridge was born. First United States Secretary of Homeland Security
1945 - Franz Werfel dies (b. 1890). Austrian writer.
1946 - Mark Snow was born. American composer
1946 - Zhou Ji was born. Education Minister of the People's Republic of China
1946 - Chantal Renaud was born. Quebec singer and actress
1946 - Valerie Simpson was born. American singer.
1946 - Jeanie MacPherson dies (b. 1887). American actress and screenwriter.
1950 - Jerome "Pop" Pentsky was born. Co-founder and president of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits
1952 - Bryon Baltimore was born. Canadian ice hockey player
1952 - Michael Jeter was born (d. 2003). American actor.
1952 - Will Shortz was born. New York Times crossword editor
1952 - Michael Jeter was born (d. 2003). American actor.
1953 - Pat Sharkey was born. Irish footballer
1954 - Efren Reyes was born. World Pool Player
1957 - The USSR announces the successful test of an ICBM - a "super long distance intercontinental multistage ballistic rocket ... a few days ago," according to the Soviet news agency, TASS.
1957 - É proclamada a independencia da Namíbia
1957 - Dr. Alban was born. Nigerian-Swedish singer
1957 - Rick Hansen was born. Canadian paraplegic athlete
1957 - Cláudia Telles was born. Brazilian singer.
1958 - Ralph Vaughan Williams dies (b. 1872). English composer
1960 - Branford Marsalis was born. American saxophonist and bandleader
1960 - Nancy Martinez was born. Canadian-born singer
1961 - Jeff Parrett was born. American baseball player
1962 - Bob Mionske was born. American cyclist and attorney
1965 - Chris Burke was born. American actor
1965 - Bobby Duncum, Jr. was born (d. 2000). Wrestler.
1966 - Jacques Brinkman was born. Dutch field hockey player
1966 - Shirley Manson was born. Scottish singer
1967 - Kelly Madison was born. Porn star
1968 - The Democratic National Convention opens in Chicago, Illinois.
1968 - The Beatles' "Hey Jude" is released (in a shortened version) as a single in the United States under the Apple Records label, to spend nine weeks as number one, a record for any Beatles single.
1968 - Christopher Boardman was born. English cyclist.
1968 - Kay Francis dies (b. 1899). American actress.
1969 - Canada decrimilized sodomy by the Prime Minister, by saying and quoting: "the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation"
1970 - The third annual Isle of Wight rock festival, which would feature the last UK performance from Jimi Hendrix, opens in Great Britain.
1970 - Melissa McCarthy was born. Actress (''Gilmore Girls'')
1970 - Olimpiada Ivanova was born. Russian athlete
1971 - Thalía was born. Mexican singer
1972 - Games of the XX Olympiad open in Munich, Germany.
1974 - Charles Lindbergh dies (b. 1902). American aviator, the first man to fly solo, nonstop across the Atlantic.
1976 - Raymond Barre becomes Prime Minister of France.
1976 - Zemfira was born. Russian singer
1976 - Lotte Lehmann dies (b. 1888). German soprano.
1977 - Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec
1977 - Saeko Chiba was born. Japanese seiyuu
1977 - Morris Peterson was born. American basketball player
1978 - Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I.
1978 - Sigmund Jähn becomes first German cosmonaut on board of the Soyuz 31 spacecraft.
1978 - Charles Boyer dies: suicide (b. 28 Aug 1899). French actor.
1978 - José Manuel Moreno dies (b. 1916). Argentine footballer.
1979 - Jamal Lewis was born. American football player
1979 - Cristian Mora was born. Ecuadorian footballer
1979 - Rubén Pazos was born. Spanish footballer
1979 - Mika Waltari dies (b. 1908). Finnish author.
1979 - Jamal Lewis was born. American football player.
1978 - Sigmund Jähn becomes first German cosmonaut on board of the Soyuz 31 spacecraft.
1980 - John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada.
1980 - Macaulay Culkin was born. American actor (Home Alone, My Girl)
1980 - Chris Pine was born. American actor
1980 - Brendan Harris was born. American baseball player
1980 - Tex Avery dies (b. 1908). American cartoonist.
1980 - Rosa Albach-Retty dies (b. 1874). German actress.
1981 - Jesse Martin was born. Australian yachtsman
1981 - Roger Nash Baldwin dies (b. 1884). American founder of the American Civil Liberties Union.
1981 - Lee Elhardt Hays dies (b. 1914). American folksinger.
1982 - Petey Williams was born. Canadian professional wrestler
1983 - Flooding destroys most of the old town of Bilbao, Spain.
1983 - Félix Porteiro was born. Spanish racing driver
1986 - Cassie Ventura was born. American singer
1986 - Toxic gas kills 1700 in Cameroon.
1986 - Em Estugarda, a atleta portuguesa Rosa Mota ganha a medalha de ouro na maratona dos Campeonatos Europeus de Atletismo.
1986 - Ted Knight dies (b. 1923). American actor.
1987 - President Ronald Wilson Reagan proclaims September 11, 1987 as 9-1-1 Emergency Number Day.
1987 - Georg Wittig dies (b. 1897). German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate.
1988 - Merhan Karimi Nasseri arrives at Charles de Gaulle International Airport.
1988 - Danielle Savre was born. American actress
1988 - Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este was born.
1988 - Carlos Paião dies (b. 1957). Portuguese singer.
1989 - Irving Stone dies (b. 1903). American author
1990 - Mário Pinto de Andrade dies. Angolan writer.
1990 - Minoru Honda dies (b. 1913). Japanese astronomer.
1992 - Arthur Leigh Allen dies (b. 1933). Suspected Zodiac serial killer.1992 - Bob de Moor dies (b. 1925). Belgian comics artist.
1993 - Keke Palmer was born. American actress
1994 - Portugal: No Casino do Estoril, Jackpot nas slot machines dá 155 700 contos a um jogador de 91 anos.
1994 - Jesus Otero Oreña dies (b. 1908). Spanish sculptor.
1995 - The International Rugby Board lifts all restrictions on payments relating to the game of Rugby Union, thus bringing the game's amateur age to an end.
1995 - Ronald White dies (b. 1939). American singer and songwriter (The Miracles).
1997 - Beni-Ali massacre in Algeria; 60-100 people killed.
1998 - Frederick Reines dies (b. 1918). American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1999 - Michael Johnson breaks the 400 metres world record with a time of 43.18 seconds.
2000 - Akbar Adibi dies (b. 1939). Iranian scientist, father of electronics in Iran.
2001 - Louis Muhlstock dies (b. 1904). Canadian painter.
2002 - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Éric Gagné converts his first of a record 84 consecutive successful save opportunities.
2002 - Earth Summit 2002 begins in Johannesburg, South Africa.
2002 - Chile ratifica o Protocolo de Kyoto
2003 - A Venezuela anuncia adesão ao Mercosul
2003 - Columbia Accident Investigation Board releases its final reports on Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
2003 - Jim Wacker dies (b. 1937). American football coach
2004 - Os jogadores do FC Porto arrebatam a maioria dos prémios da Uefa para a época 2003/2004. Vítor Baía é considerado o melhor guarda-redes, Ricardo Carvalho o melhor defesa e Deco o jogador mais valioso (MVP): José Mourinho é eleito o melhor treinador.
2004 - Laura Branigan dies (b. 1957). American singer.
2005 - Denis D'Amour dies (b. 1960). Canadian guitarist (Voivod)
2005 - Robert Denning dies (b. 1927). American interior designer.
2006 - Rainer Barzel dies (b. 1924). President of the German Bundestag.
2006 - Clyde Walcott dies (b. 1926). Barbadian West Indies cricketer.
2007 - Alberto de Lacerda (b. 20 Sep 1928). Portuguese poet.
St Zephyrinus Day
Namibia - Namibia Day or Heroes' Day.
Philippines - National Heroes' Day.
Zanzibar - Sultan's Birthday.
United States - Women's Equality Day