May 26Birthdays & History

On this day: May 26 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 17Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.Europe
2. 451Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Sasanids defeat the Armenians militarily but guarantee them freedom to openly practice Christianity.EuropeMiddle East
3. 866Basil I is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire by Michael III.Europe
4. 946England is left temporarily without a monarch after the death of King Edmund I in a street fight, resulting in Edmund's brother Eadred assuming the throne for the minority of Edmund's two sons.Europe
5. 961King Otto I elects his six-year-old son Otto II as heir apparent and co-ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom. He is crowned at Aachen, and placed under the tutelage of his grandmother Matilda.Europe
6. 1135Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in León Cathedral as Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of all of Spain).Europe
7. 1293An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 23,000.Asia
8. 1328William of Ockham, the Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena, and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.Europe
9. 1538Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.Europe
10. 1573The Battle of Haarlemmermeer, a naval engagement in the Eighty Years' War.Europe
11. 1637Pequot War: A combined English and Mohegan force under John Mason attacks a village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Pequots.EuropeNorth America
12. 1644Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory in the Battle of Montijo.Europe
13. 1736The Battle of Ackia is fought near the present site of Tupelo, Mississippi. British and Chickasaw soldiers repel a French and Choctaw attack on the then-Chickasaw village of Ackia.North AmericaEurope
14. 1783A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut, celebrates the end of fighting in the American Revolutionary War.North America
15. 1805Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan Cathedral, the gothic cathedral in Milan.Europe
16. 1821Establishment of the Peloponnesian Senate by the Greek rebels.Europe
17. 1822At least 113 people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway's history.Europe
18. 1864President Abraham Lincoln signs legislation organizing the Montana Territory.North America
19. 1865Conclusion of the American Civil War: The Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi division, is the last full general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.North America
20. 1868Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: President Andrew Johnson is acquitted by one vote in the United States Senate.North America
21. 1869Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.North America
22. 1879Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.EuropeAsia
23. 1896Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.North America
24. 1896Nicholas II is crowned as the last Tsar of Imperial Russia.Europe
25. 1900Thousand Days' War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colombian Liberal Party in the Battle of Palonegro.Latin America
26. 1903Românul de la Pind, the longest-running newspaper by and about Aromanians until World War II, is founded.Europe
27. 1908The first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made at Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia. The rights to the resource were quickly acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.Middle East
28. 1918The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.Europe
29. 1923The first 24 Hours of Le Mans is held in France. Run annually in June thereafter, it became the oldest endurance racing event in the world.Europe
30. 1926Abd el-Krim ends surrenders to the French, bringing an end to the Rif War.Europe
31. 1927The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.North America
32. 1936In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for ten hours.Europe
33. 1937Walter Reuther and members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) clash with Ford Motor Company security guards at the River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan, during the Battle of the Overpass.North America
34. 1938In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.North America
35. 1940World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France. The Battle of Dunkirk begins simultaneously as Allied defenders fight to slow down the German offensive.Europe
36. 1940World War II: The Siege of Calais ends with the surrender of the British and French garrison.Europe
37. 1942World War II: The Battle of Gazala begins, in present-day Libya.Africa
38. 1948The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 80-557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.North America
39. 1966British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.EuropeLatin America
40. 1967The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.Europe
41. 1968H-dagurinn in Iceland: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight.Europe
42. 1969Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first crewed Moon landing.World
43. 1970The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.Europe
44. 1971Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army slaughters at least 71 Hindus in Burunga, Sylhet, Bangladesh.Asia
45. 1972Cold War: The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.North AmericaEurope
46. 1981Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).Europe
47. 1981An EA-6B Prowler crashes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.North America
48. 1983The 7.8 Mw Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.Asia
49. 1986The European Community adopts the European flag.Europe
50. 1991Lauda Air Flight 004 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes in the Phu Toei National Park in the Suphan Buri province of Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.Asia
51. 1991Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.Europe
52. 1998The Supreme Court of the United States rules in New Jersey v. New York that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.North America
53. 1998The first "National Sorry Day" is held in Australia. Reconciliation events are held nationally, and attended by over a million people.Oceania
54. 1998A MIAT Mongolian Airlines Harbin Y-12 crashes near Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia, resulting in 28 deaths.Asia
55. 2002The tugboat Robert Y. Love collides with a support pier of Interstate 40 on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 others injured.North America
56. 2003Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines Flight 4230 crashes in the Turkish town of Maçka, killing 75.EuropeMiddle East
57. 2008Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.Asia
58. 2014Narendra Modi takes oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India.Asia
59. 2020Protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd erupt in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, later becoming widespread across the United States and around the world.North America
60. 2021Ten people are killed in a shooting at a VTA rail yard in San Jose, California, United States.North America
61. 202565 people are injured when a car rams into a crowd on Water Street, near Liverpool F.C.'s Premier League trophy parade.Europe

Source: Wikipedia "May 26" / CC BY-SA 4.0