November 26 facts for kids

November 26 is a special day each year, marked by many interesting events throughout history. From ancient times to modern days, people have been born, passed away, and made history on this date.

Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• In 783, Adosinda, a queen from the Kingdom of Asturias, was sent to a monastery. This happened to stop her nephew from trying to take the throne from Mauregatus.
• In 1161, during the Jin–Song Wars, a naval battle took place on the Yangtze River. A fleet from the Song Dynasty fought against ships from the Jin dynasty.
• In 1476, Vlad the Impaler became the ruler of Wallachia for the third time. He won against Basarab Laiota with help from Stephen the Great and Stephen V Báthory.

Later History (1601–1900)

• In 1778, Captain James Cook became the first European to visit Maui in the Hawaiian Islands.
• In 1789, the United States celebrated its first national Thanksgiving Day. President George Washington announced it after a request from Congress.
• In 1805, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, an amazing water bridge designed by Thomas Telford, officially opened.
• In 1812, the Battle of Berezina started. This battle was part of Napoleon's difficult retreat from Russia.
• In 1852, a very strong earthquake, about magnitude 8.8, shook the Banda Sea. It caused a tsunami that killed at least 60 people in the Dutch East Indies.
• In 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declared November 26 as a national Thanksgiving Day. It was meant to be celebrated every year on the last Thursday of November. Since 1942, it has been on the fourth Thursday.
• In 1865, the Battle of Papudo took place. A Spanish navy ship was defeated by a Chilean ship north of Valparaíso, Chile.

Modern History (1901–present)

• In 1914, HMS Bulwark was destroyed by a huge explosion. This happened while the ship was anchored near Sheerness, and 741 men were lost.
• In 1917, the National Hockey League (NHL) was created. Its first teams included the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Arenas.
• In 1922, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon made an incredible discovery. They were the first people in over 3,000 years to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
• Also in 1922, The Toll of the Sea became the first widely released movie to use two-tone Technicolor.
• In 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was officially formed. A new constitution ended the old monarchy.
• In 1941, during World War II, the Hull note was given to Japan. It asked Japan to leave China and French Indochina so that the United States would lift economic sanctions. On the same day, Japan's 1st Air Fleet left for Hawaii.
• In 1942, the movie Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premiered in New York City.
• In 1943, during World War II, HMT Rohna was sunk by the Luftwaffe in an air attack in the Mediterranean Sea.
• In 1944, a German V-2 rocket hit a shop in New Cross, London, killing 168 people. Also, Germany began V-1 and V-2 attacks on Antwerp, Belgium.
• In 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the constitution for the country.
• In 1950, during the Korean War, Chinese troops launched a huge counterattack against United Nations and South Korean forces.
• In 1965, France launched its first satellite, Astérix. This made France the third nation to send an object into orbit using its own rocket.
• In 1968, during the Vietnam War, U.S. Air Force helicopter pilot James P. Fleming bravely rescued an Army Special Forces unit under heavy fire. He later received the Medal of Honor.
• In 1970, in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, a record-breaking amount of rain fell: 1.5 inches (38 mm) in just one minute!
• In 1977, an unknown person claiming to be from the "Ashtar Galactic Command" took over Britain's Southern Television for six minutes.
• In 1979, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 crashed near Taif in Saudi Arabia, killing all 156 people on board.
• In 1983, the Brink's-Mat robbery occurred in London. Gold bars worth almost £26 million were stolen from a vault at Heathrow Airport.
• In 1986, U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced the members of what became known as the Tower Commission, related to the Iran–Contra affair.
• In 1991, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan removed the special status of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.
• In 1998, Tony Blair became the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to speak to the Oireachtas, which is the parliament of the Republic of Ireland.
• Also in 1998, the Khanna rail disaster in India caused 212 deaths.
• In 1999, a strong 7.5 magnitude earthquake shook Vanuatu, followed by a destructive tsunami. Ten people died and forty were injured.
• In 2000, George W. Bush was confirmed as the winner of Florida's electoral votes, leading him to win the U.S. presidential election.
• In 2003, the Concorde supersonic jet made its final flight over Bristol, England.
• In 2004, the last Poʻouli (Black-faced honeycreeper) died in Hawaii, likely making the species extinct.
• In 2008, the famous ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 docked in Dubai, ending its service.
• In 2011, the Mars Science Laboratory launched to Mars, carrying the Curiosity Rover.
• In 2018, the robotic probe Insight successfully landed on Mars.
• In 2019, a strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Albania. It killed at least 52 people and injured over 1,000, making it the deadliest earthquake in the country in 99 years.
• In 2021, the World Health Organization identified the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Famous Births

Many notable people were born on November 26:

Before 1900

• 1288 – Emperor Go-Daigo, a Japanese emperor.
• 1552 – Seonjo of Joseon, a King of Joseon.
• 1607 – John Harvard, an English minister and generous giver, after whom Harvard University is named.
• 1792 – Sarah Moore Grimké, an American author and activist who fought for women's rights.
• 1827 – Ellen G. White, an American religious leader who helped start the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
• 1832 – Mary Edwards Walker, an American surgeon and activist, and a Medal of Honor recipient.
• 1853 – Bat Masterson, an American police officer and journalist.
• 1857 – Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist.
• 1858 – Katharine Drexel, an American nun and saint.
• 1876 – Willis Carrier, an American engineer who invented air conditioning.
• 1878 – Major Taylor, a famous American cyclist.
• 1895 – Bill W., an American activist who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous.
• 1898 – Karl Ziegler, a German chemist and engineer who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

After 1900

• 1902 – Maurice McDonald, an American businessman who co-founded McDonald's.
• 1909 – Eugène Ionesco, a Romanian-French playwright.
• 1918 – Patricio Aylwin, the 31st President of Chile.
• 1919 – Frederik Pohl, an American science fiction author.
• 1922 – Charles M. Schulz, the American cartoonist who created the beloved Peanuts comic strip.
• 1931 – Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, an Argentinian artist and activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1933 – Robert Goulet, an American-Canadian singer and actor.
• 1933 – Tony Verna, an American director who invented instant replay for television.
• 1939 – Tina Turner, a legendary American-Swiss singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress.
• 1948 – Elizabeth Blackburn, an Australian-American biologist who won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1949 – Mari Alkatiri, the first Prime Minister of East Timor.
• 1956 – Dale Jarrett, an American race car driver.
• 1961 – Tom Carroll, an Australian surfer.
• 1964 – Vreni Schneider, a Swiss skier.
• 1965 – Scott Adsit, an American actor and director.
• 1966 – Kristin Bauer van Straten, an American actress.
• 1966 – Garcelle Beauvais, a Haitian-American actress and singer.
• 1969 – Shawn Kemp, an American basketball player.
• 1972 – Chris Osgood, a Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1972 – Arjun Rampal, an Indian actor.
• 1973 – Peter Facinelli, an American actor.
• 1975 – DJ Khaled, an American rapper and producer.
• 1981 – Natasha Bedingfield, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1983 – Chris Hughes, an American publisher who co-founded Facebook.
• 1990 – Rita Ora, a Kosovan-English singer-songwriter and actress.
• 1990 – Danny Welbeck, an English footballer.
• 1996 – Louane, a French singer and actress.
• 1997 – Aaron Wan-Bissaka, an English footballer.

Notable Deaths

Some important people who passed away on November 26 include:

Before 1900

• 1504 – Isabella I, a powerful queen of Castile and León.
• 1836 – John Loudon McAdam, a Scottish engineer known for inventing "macadam" road surfaces.
• 1855 – Adam Mickiewicz, a famous Polish poet.
• 1883 – Sojourner Truth, an American activist who fought for the rights of African Americans and women.

After 1900

• 1926 – John Browning, an American who designed many famous weapons.
• 1956 – Tommy Dorsey, a well-known American trombonist and bandleader.
• 1963 – Amelita Galli-Curci, a famous Italian opera singer.
• 1981 – Max Euwe, a Dutch chess player who was a World Chess Champion.
• 1985 – Vivien Thomas, an American surgeon who helped develop important heart surgery techniques.
• 1989 – Ahmed Abdallah, a politician who was the President of Comoros.
• 1996 – Paul Rand, an American graphic designer known for creating many famous company logos.
• 2012 – Joseph Murray, an American surgeon who won a Nobel Prize for his work on organ transplants.
• 2013 – Arik Einstein, a beloved Israeli singer-songwriter.
• 2015 – Amir Aczel, an Israeli-American mathematician and author.
• 2018 – Stephen Hillenburg, the American animator who created the popular TV show SpongeBob SquarePants.
• 2021 – Stephen Sondheim, a very famous American composer and lyricist for musicals.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast days:
  • Alypius the Stylite
  • Basolus (Basle)
  • Bellinus of Padua
  • Conrad of Constance
  • Ethelwine of Athelney
  • John Berchmans
  • Pope Siricius
  • Stylianos of Paphlagonia (Eastern Orthodoxy)
  • Sylvester Gozzolini
  • Isaac Watts (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • November 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Abkhazia, Georgia)
• Constitution Day (India)
• Republic Day (Mongolia)

See also

In Spanish: 26 de noviembre para niños