May 26 facts for kids

May 26 is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 219 days remain until the end of the year.

May 26th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history. From ancient triumphs to modern-day discoveries and celebrations, people around the world have marked this date in various ways. Let's explore some of the important things that happened on May 26th.

Historic Events

Ancient and Medieval Times

• 17 – A Roman general named Germanicus celebrated a big victory parade in Rome. He had won battles against German tribes.
• 451 – A major battle happened between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire. The Sasanids won the fight, but they promised the Armenians freedom to practice Christianity.
• 946 – King Edmund I of England was sadly killed by a thief. This happened while he was celebrating a special church day.
• 961 – King Otto I chose his six-year-old son, Otto II, to be his future successor and co-ruler. His son was crowned in Aachen.
• 1135 – Alfonso VII of León and Castile was crowned in Spain. He was given the title "Emperor of all of Spain."
• 1293 – A powerful earthquake hit Kamakura, Japan. About 23,000 people lost their lives.
• 1538 – The city of Geneva asked John Calvin and his followers to leave. Calvin lived away from the city for three years.

Early Modern History

• 1637 – In the Pequot War, English and Mohegan forces attacked a village in Connecticut. This sad event is known as the Mystic massacre.
• 1736 – The Battle of Ackia took place in what is now Mississippi. British and Chickasaw soldiers successfully defended against a French attack.
• 1783 – A special "Great Jubilee Day" was held in Connecticut. This day celebrated the official end of the fighting in the American Revolution.
• 1805 – Napoleon Bonaparte became the King of Italy. He was crowned with the historic Iron Crown in Milan.
• 1822 – A terrible fire at the Grue Church in Norway killed at least 113 people. It was Norway's worst fire disaster.
• 1864 – Montana officially became a United States territory.
• 1865 – The American Civil War ended for the Confederate Army. General Edmund Kirby Smith was the last Confederate general to surrender.
• 1868 – The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson ended. President Andrew Johnson was found not guilty by just one vote.
• 1869 – Boston University was officially started by the state of Massachusetts.
• 1896 – Nicholas II was crowned as the last Tsar of Imperial Russia.
• 1900 – The Thousand Days' War in Colombia saw a turning point. The Conservative Party won a key battle.

Modern and Recent Events

• 1908 – The first large amount of oil was discovered in the Middle East. This happened in southwest Persia (now Iran).
• 1917 – Several strong tornadoes hit Illinois, including the city of Mattoon.
• 1918 – The country of Georgia was established.
• 1923 – The first 24 Hours of Le Mans car race was held in France. This famous race has happened every year since.
• 1927 – The very last Ford Model T car was made. Over 15 million of these cars were produced!
• 1940 – During World War II, Allied forces began a huge evacuation from Dunkirk, France. This was called Operation Dynamo.
• 1948 – The U.S. Congress officially made the Civil Air Patrol a permanent helper group for the United States Air Force.
• 1966 – British Guiana gained its independence and became the country of Guyana.
• 1967 – The Beatles released their famous album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
• 1969 – The Apollo 10 spacecraft returned to Earth. It had successfully tested all the parts needed for the first crewed Moon landing.
• 1972 – The United States and the Soviet Union signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. This agreement aimed to limit certain types of missiles.
• 1983 – A powerful earthquake and a destructive tsunami hit the Sea of Japan. About 100 people died.
• 1986 – The European Community adopted the European flag.
• 1998 – The Supreme Court of the United States decided that Ellis Island, a historic place for immigrants, is mostly in New Jersey, not New York.
• 2020 – Large protests began in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. These protests spread across the United States and around the world.

Famous People Born

Born Before 1900

• 1478 – Pope Clement VII, a leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1566 – Mehmed III, an Ottoman sultan.
• 1650 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, an English general.
• 1667 – Abraham de Moivre, a French-English mathematician.
• 1863 – Bob Fitzsimmons, an English-New Zealand boxer.
• 1867 – Mary of Teck, the queen consort of the United Kingdom.
• 1886 – Al Jolson, a famous American singer and actor.
• 1895 – Dorothea Lange, an American photographer known for her powerful images.
• 1895 – Paul Lukas, a Hungarian-American actor.

Born After 1900

• 1907 – John Wayne, a very famous American actor.
• 1909 – Matt Busby, a Scottish football player and manager.
• 1913 – Peter Cushing, an English actor.
• 1920 – Peggy Lee, an American singer and actress.
• 1926 – Miles Davis, a legendary American trumpet player and composer.
• 1940 – Levon Helm, an American singer and drummer.
• 1941 – Cliff Drysdale, a South African tennis player.
• 1948 – Stevie Nicks, a famous American singer-songwriter.
• 1949 – Jeremy Corbyn, a British politician.
• 1949 – Ward Cunningham, an American computer programmer who created the first wiki.
• 1949 – Pam Grier, an American actress.
• 1951 – Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.
• 1953 – Michael Portillo, an English journalist and TV presenter.
• 1957 – François Legault, a Canadian politician.
• 1964 – Lenny Kravitz, an American singer-songwriter and musician.
• 1966 – Helena Bonham Carter, a well-known English actress.
• 1968 – Frederik X, the current king of Denmark.
• 1971 – Matt Stone, an American actor and animator, co-creator of South Park.
• 1975 – Lauryn Hill, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1977 – Raina Telgemeier, an American author and cartoonist.
• 1977 – Luca Toni, an Italian footballer.
• 1981 – Anthony Ervin, an American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.
• 1999 – Micah Parsons, an American football player.

Notable People Who Died

Died Before 1900

• 604 – Augustine of Canterbury, an important monk and archbishop.
• 735 – Bede, an English monk and historian.
• 946 – Edmund I, the King of England.
• 1512 – Bayezid II, an Ottoman sultan.
• 1703 – Samuel Pepys, a famous English politician known for his diaries.
• 1799 – James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, a Scottish linguist and judge.

Died After 1900

• 1914 – Jacob August Riis, a Danish-American journalist and photographer.
• 1924 – Victor Herbert, an Irish-American composer and conductor.
• 1933 – Jimmie Rodgers, an American country music singer.
• 1943 – Edsel Ford, an American businessman and son of Henry Ford.
• 1955 – Alberto Ascari, a famous Italian racing driver.
• 1976 – Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher.
• 1989 – Don Revie, an English football player and manager.
• 1995 – Friz Freleng, an American animator and director, known for Looney Tunes.
• 2008 – Sydney Pollack, an American actor and director.
• 2010 – Art Linkletter, a Canadian-American radio and television host.
• 2012 – Leo Dillon, an American illustrator.
• 2013 – Jack Vance, an American science fiction and fantasy author.
• 2017 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Polish-born American politician.
• 2022 – Ray Liotta, an American actor.
• 2022 – Alan White, an English drummer for the band Yes.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Augustine of Canterbury
  • Philip Neri
• Independence Day, celebrating the First Republic in 1918 (Georgia)
• Independence Day, celebrating the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom in 1966.
• Mother's Day (Poland)
• National Paper Airplane Day (United States)
• National Sorry Day (Australia)

See also

In Spanish: 26 de mayo para niños