February 26
February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar. There are 308 days remaining, 309 in
leap years.
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Events
\n*1266 - Battle of Benevento: French forces, under Charles of Anjou, overcome a combined German-Sicilian force.\n*1797 - The Bank of England issues the first one pound note.\n*1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.\n*1848 - The second French Republic is proclaimed.\n* 1848 - Karl Marx publishes The Communist Manifesto. \n*1863 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the National Currency Act into law. \n*1870 - In New York City, the first pneumatic-subway is opened. \n*1919 - An act of the United States Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park (see Grand Canyon National Park). \n*1929 - The Grand Teton National Park is created. \n*1935 - The Luftwaffe is reformed.\n* 1935 - Robert Watson-Watt gives the first public demonstration of RADAR.\n*1936 - In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government.\n*1944 - Shooting begins of the Nazi propaganda film, "The Fuhrer Gives a Village to the Jews" in Theresienstadt.\n*1952 - United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces that his nation has an atomic bomb.\n*1966 - Apollo Program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket\n*1970 - National Public Radio incorporates as a non-profit corporation.\n*1986 - After exiled President Ferdinand Marcos leaves the Philippines, Corazon Aquino is inaugurated president. \n*1986 - Robert Penn Warren is named poet laureate of the United States.\n*1987 - Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes American President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff. \n*1990 - The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections.\n*1991 - Tim Berners-Lee introduces WorldWideWeb, the first web browser.\n* 1991 - Gulf War: On Baghdad Radio Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. \n*1993 - World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center goes off, killing 6 and injuring over a thousand. \n*1995 - United Kingdom's oldest investment banking firm, Barings PLC collapses after a securities broker, Nick Leeson, lost $1.4 billion by gambling on the Singapore Monetary Exchange Simex with derivative securities.\n*2001 - The Taliban destroyed two giant buddhas in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.\n*2004 - The United States lifted a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years.
Births
\n*1361 - Wenceslaus, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia (d. 1419)\n*1802 - Victor Hugo, poet (d. 1885)\n*1808 - Honoré Daumier, painter, illustrator, lithograph and sculptor (d. 1879)\n*1829 - Levi Strauss, clothing designer (d. 1902)\n*1846 - Buffalo Bill, pioneer and officer, hunter and carny (d. 1917)\n*1861 - King Ferdinand of Bulgaria (d. 1948)\n*1875 - Hans Böckler, unionist and politician (d. 1951)\n*1887 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, Baseball Hall of Famer (d. 1950)\n*1893 - I. A. Richards, literary critic and rhetorician (d. 1979)\n*1908 - Tex Avery, cartoonist (d. 1980)\n*1908 - Jean-Pierre Wimille, race car driver (d. 1949)\n*1909 - King Talal, King of Jordan (d. 1972)\n*1916 - Jackie Gleason, actor, writer, composer, comedian (d. 1987)\n*1918 - Theodore Sturgeon, science fiction writer (d. 1985)\n*1920 - Tony Randall, actor (The Odd Couple) (d. 2004)\n*1928 - Fats Domino, musician\n*1928 - Anatoli Filipchenko, cosmonaut\n*1932 - Johnny Cash, country music singer (d. 2003)\n*1933 - Godfrey Cambridge, actor (d. 1976)\n*1950 - Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand\n*1954 - Michael Bolton, singer\n*1959 - Rolando Blackman, basketball star\n*1971 - Erykah Badu, singer\n*1973 - Marshall Faulk, American football star\n* 1973 - Jenny Thompson, U.S. Olympic swimmer\n*1984 - Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican pop singer
Deaths
\n*1903 - Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor (b. 1818)\n*1913 - Felix Draeseke, German composer (b. 1835)\n*1961 - King Mohammed V of Morocco (b. 1909)\n*1969 - Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1895)\n*1971 - Fernandel, actor (b. 1903)\n*1981 - Howard Hanson, composer (b. 1896)\n*1994 - Bill Hicks, comedian (b. 1961)\n*2002 - Lawrence Tierney, actor\n*2003 - Gerhard Czerwensky, economist\n*2004 - Shankarrao Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra\n* 2004 - Adolf Ehrnrooth, general; Finnish war veteran\n* 2004 - Boris Trajkovski, president of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1956)
Holidays and observances
\n*Bahá'í Faith - Day 1 of Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days) - days in the Bahá'í calendar devoted to service and gift giving. \n*Nation of Islam - Saviour's Day - commemoration of the birthdate of Wallace Fard Muhammad, believed to be Allah in human form, the saviour of the black race.
February 25 -
February 27 -
January 26 -
March 26 --
listing of all days
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