Hit REFRESH if page doesn't load Please Support our Fine Sponsors . . . Link to us - click here . Useful Links - click here . Add your own Personal Historic listing FREE! - Click Here Return to Daily Calendar Today's date is:    Please Support Our Sponsors Wisdom? Humor? Fact? Advice? ... Why don't we ever see headlines that read "Psychic wins lottery" ? What happened on February 26 Please support our Sponsors - They help us keep this site Alive! 0364 Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 1266 Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples. 1531 Earthquake in Lisbon Portugal, kills 20,000 1534 Pope Paul II affirms George van Egmond as bishop of Utrecht 1564 Christopher Marlowe, dramatist (Dr Faustus), baptized 1590 Mauritius of Nassaus sails to Breda 1616 Spanish Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo 1732 Mass first celebrated in American Catholic church, (St Joseph's Church, Philadelphia) 1773 Construction authorized for Walnut St jail (Philadelphia) (1st solitary) 1794 Christiansborg Castle, Copenhagen burns down. 1797 Bank of England issues first £1-note 1798 David Thompson 1770-1857 sets off up Red River to explore headwaters of Mississippi 1804 Vice-Admiral William Bligh ends siege of Fort Amsterdam, Willemstad 1815 Napoleon & 1,200 leave Elba to start 100-day re-conquest of France 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba. 1832 Polish constitution abolished/replaced by Czar Nicholas I 1838 Rensselaer Van Rensselaer invades Pelee Island in Lake Erie with 500 American sympathizers of the Canadian rebels 1839 Visitor posting - First Grand National steeplechase held at Aintree - United Kingdom 1839 Jem Mason on Lottery wins first Grand National Steeplechase (Britain) 1848 2nd French Republic forms 1848 Marx & Engels publish "The Communist Manifesto" 1848 The second French Republic is proclaimed. 1852 British frigate Birkenhead sinks off South Africa-458 die 1859 Paul Morphy's chess match vs Augustus Mongredien begins; Morphy wins 1862 Battle of Woodburn, KY 1863 Lincoln signs National Currency Act 1866 New York Legislature establishes NYC Metropolitan Board of Health 1869 15th Amendment guaranteeing right to vote sent to states 1869 Franz Schubert's "4th Tragic," premieres 1870 First NYC subway line opens (pneumatic powered) 1881 Natal British troops under General-Major Colley occupy Majuba Hill 1881 SS Ceylon begins first round-the-world cruise from Liverpool 1884 British & Portuguese treaty signed in Congo by Leopold II 1885 Congress of Berlin, gives Congo to Belgium & Nigeria to England 1885 The Berlin Act, which resulted from the Berlin Conference regulating European colonization and trade in Africa, was signed 1887 At the SCG, George Lohmann becomes the first bowler to take eight wickets in a Test innings. 1887 George Lohmann took first 8-wicket haul in Test Crickets, 8-35 at SCG 1891 First buffalo purchased for Golden Gate Park 1891 Henrik Ibsens "Hedda Gabler," premieres in Oslo 1893 2 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge, Michigan 1895 Michael Owens of Toledo OH patents a glass-blowing machine 1897 Sigma Pi Fraternity, International was founded at Vincennes University. 1903 Richard Gattling, rapid-fire gun inventor, dies. 1907 Royal Oil & Shell merge to form British Petroleum (BP) 1907 US Congress raised their own salaries to $7500 1912 Coal miners strike in England (settle on 03/01) 1914 New York Museum of Science & Industry incorporated 1915 Malancourt, Argonnen - first (German) flame-thrower 1916 Germans sink French transport ship Provence II, killing 930 1916 Mutual signs Charlie Chaplin to a film contract 1917 First Annual fair at Utrecht Harbor (Netherlands) 1917 The Original Dixieland Jass Band records the first ever Jazzrecord for the Victor Talking Machine Company in New York. 1918 Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse & burn, killing 604 1919 Acadia National Park established (as Lafayette National Park), Maine 1919 An act of the U.S. Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park (see Grand Canyon National Park). 1919 Grand Canyon National Park is established. 1923 Italian nationalist & fascists merge (blue-shirts & black-shirts) 1924 Trial against Hitler in Munich begins 1925 Jihad-Saint war against Turkish government 1925 Oregon adopts its state flag. 1929 Grand Teton National Park is established. 1929 The Grand Teton National Park is created. 1930 The first red & green traffic lights installed (Manhattan NYC) 1930 West Indies make first Test Cricket win, by 289 runs over England 1933 Golden Gate Bridge ground-breaking ceremony held at Crissy Field 1935 Germany began Luftwaffe operation, under Reichsmarshall H Goering 1935 RADAR-Radio Detection & Ranging first demonstrated (Robert Watson-Watt) 1935 The Daventry Experiment, Robert Watson-Watt carried out a demonstration near Daventry which led directly to the development of RADAR in the United Kingdom. 1935 The Luftwaffe is reformed. 1936 Hitler introduces Ferdinand Porsche's "Volkswagen" 1936 In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government. 1936 Military coup in Japan 1938 First passenger ship equipped with radar 1940 The US Air Defense Command is created. 1941 Cowboys' Amateur Association of America organized (California) 1941 Utrecht & Zaandam strike against raid on Jews 1941 Vichy-France makes religious education in school mandatory 1942 German battle cruiser Gneisenau deactivated by bombs 1942 Government starts evacuating 21,000 Japanese Canadians from coastal regions of British Columbia to interior work camps; under War Measures Act 1942 Radio Orange calls for March 1 day of prayer in Dutch Indies 1942 WWII Navy flier Don Mason sends message "Sighted sub sank same" 1942 Werner Heisenberger informs Nazis about uranium project "Wunderwaffen" 1943 German assault moves to Beja North Tunisia 1944 First female US navy captain, Sue Dauser of nurse corps, appointed 1945 Very heavy bombing on Berlin by 8th US Air Force 1946 2 killed & 10 wounded in race riot in Columbia TN 1949 USAF plane began first nonstop around-the-world flight 1950 Leonard Bernstein's "Age of Anxiety," premieres in New York NY 1951 Bread rationing in Czechoslovakia 1951 The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, which limits a president to two terms of office, is ratified. 1952 Britain announces that it has its own atomic bomb. 1952 Netherlands-Indonesian Unity conference 1952 United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces that his nation has an atomic bomb. 1953 Allen W Dulles, promoted from deputy to 5th director of CIA 1954 First typesetting machine (photo engraving) used, Quincy MA 1954 Michigan Representative Ruth Thompson (R) introduces legislation to ban mailing "obscene, lewd, lascivious or filthy" phonograph (rock & roll) records 1955 "Peter Pan" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 149 performances 1955 The first aviator to bail out at supersonic speed - G F Smith 1956 Writers Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes meet at a party in Cambridge 1960 Soviet premier Khrushchev voices support for Indonesia 1960 USA's David Jenkins wins the Olympics Gold for men's figure skating 1960 Verne Gagne beats Doctor X in Omaha, to become NWA wrestling champion 1961 Mohammed V, King of Morocco, dies. 1961 Visitor posting - Feb 26 1961 Lord Michael Scott was born in Winnipeg 1962 US Supreme court disallows race separation on public transportation 1964 Visitor posting - Kenneth B Forbes was born in Miami FL - USA 1965 Dutch Government of Marijnen falls 1965 West Germany ceases military aid to Tanzania 1966 Visitor posting - Estela and Carlos Veale are born - USA 1966 Apollo Program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket 1967 Verne Gagne beats Mad Dog Vachon in St Paul, to become NWA champion 1968 Clandestine Radio Voice of Iraqi People (Communist) final transmission 1969 Number one hit on UK music charts - Peter Sarstedt - Where Do You Go To My Lovely? 1969 Visitor posting - Feb. 26, 1969 J. Mendicino is born 1971 Ottawa starts program to raise Francophone numbers in the Canadian Armed Forces to at least 28% 1971 Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day. 1971 Visitor posting - Michael Gonyea was born 1972 Buffalo Creek Flood caused by a burst dam kills 125 in West Virginia. 1972 Slag heap dam collapses above Buffalo Creek WV, kills 125 1973 Triple Crown horse Secretariat bought for a record $5.7m 1974 Gold hits record $188 an ounce in Paris 1975 "Night... Made America Famous" opens at Barrymore NYC for 75 performances 1975 A televised kidney transplant is shown 1977 First flight of Space Shuttle (atop a Boeing 747) 1978 Ira Levin's "Deathtrap," premieres in New York NY 1979 A total eclipse of the sun casts a huge shadow from Oregon to North Dakota. 1979 Total solar eclipse crosses western Canada, casting a moving shadow 250 km wide 1980 Egypt & Israel exchange ambassadors for the first time 1980 Military coup under Desi Bouterse in Suriname 1980 R Hadlee scores Test Cricket century vs Roberts, Garner, Holding, Croft 1981 3 Anglican missionaries detained in Iran since August 1980 are released 1981 French Train à Grande Vitesse averages 380 kph on trial run 1982 Visitor posting - February 26 1982 Herman J Nunez was born 1983 Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album goes to #1 & stays #1 for 37 weeks 1983 Visitor posting - Joshua Snyder born 1983 Visitor posting - Edward Snook, the world's finest non league footballer is born - United Kingdom 1984 Last US marines in multinational peace-keeping force in Lebanon left Beirut 1984 Pak Awang (84) marries 80th spouse 1984 Reverend Jesse Jackson acknowledges that he called NYC, "Hymietown" 1984 Robert Penn Warren, Pulitzer Prize winner, named first US poet laureate 1984 US troops withdraw from Beirut. President Ronald Reagan had sent the troops as a peacekeeping force in August 1982. 1985 27th Grammy Awards What's Love Got to Do With It, Cyndi Lauper win 1986 Former Philippines President Ferdinand E Marcos fled in defeat 1986 Goaltending great Jacques Plante 1929-1986 dies at his home near Geneva at age 57 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines. 1987 Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes American President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff. 1987 NASA launches GEOS-H 1987 The Tower Commission report is issued, chiding President Reagan for his national security staff's actions in the Iran-Contra affair. 1987 The first release of Beatles compact discs 1987 USSR resumes nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR 1988 Christa Rotherburger (GDR) skates ladies world record 1000 meter (1:17.65) 1989 "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 634 performances 1989 California court throws out most of Margo Adams's $12 million breach-of- contract suit against Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs 1990 President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua concedes defeat to election opponent, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. 1990 The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections. 1990 USSR agrees to withdraw all 73,500 troops from Czechoslovakia by July, 1991 1991 Asanka Gurusinha scores twin Test Cricket tons vs New Zealand (119 & 102) 1991 Bill Veeck & Tony Lazzeri elected to Baseball Hall of Fame 1991 Gulf War: On Baghdad Radio Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. 1991 Kuwaiti resistance leaders declare they have control of their capital 1991 Tim Berners-Lee introduces WorldWideWeb, the first web browser. 1992 Visitor posting - Tawnie l JUlian born - USA 1992 Irish Supreme Court rules 14 year old rape victim may get an abortion 1993 2nd tallest building in world, NYC World Trade Center bombed, 7 die 1993 Allan Border beats Gavaskar's record for most Test Cricket runs 10,123 1993 Visitor posting - Crystal Flores from Texas birthday 1993 Six people die and more than a thousand are injured when Islamic extremists explode a bomb in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. 1993 Visitor posting - Personal - Kaitlynn Manning of Amarillo, TX date of birth - USA 1993 World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center goes off, killing 6 and injuring over a thousand. 1994 Actor Dolph Lundgren (34) weds Anette Qviberg in Stockholm 1994 Visitor posting - Bridgette Irene is Born - USA 1994 Visitor posting - Claudia was born !!!! 1994 Visitor posting - Brianna was born!!! 1995 Barings, England's oldest investment banking company, fails after a securities broker loses over $1 billion gambling on Tokyo stock prices. 1995 The United Kingdom's oldest investment banking firm, Barings Bank collapses after a securities broker, Nick Leeson, loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts. 1995 Visitor posting - Parker Reid Olmstead is born 1996 Visitor posting - Toni-Marie Hackett was born. - United Kingdom 1997 39th Grammy Awards Change the World Babyface, Beck & LeAnn Rimes win 1998 Oprah Winfrey beats Texas cattlemen in beef trial 1998 Visitor posting - zishan bashir was born - United Kingdom 1998 Total solar eclipse in Venezuela-Pacific Ocean 1999 Ontario Southland commenced operation over the CP Port Burwell subdivision from Ingersoll to Tillsonburg, ON. 1999 Visitor posting - alex birthday - United Kingdom 2001 The Taliban destroy two giant Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan. 2004 Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2004 The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years. 2005 Hosni Mubarak the president of Egypt orders the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections before September 2005 by asking Egyptian parliament to amend Article 76 of the constitution. 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