Today in History – August 26th

Published August 26, 2012 |

55BC, Roman forces under Julius Caesar invade Great Britain.
1071, Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert.
1429, Joan of Arc makes a triumphant entry into Paris. bit.ly/MNGy4Y
1466, A conspiracy against Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici in Florence, led by Luca Pitti, is discovered.
1498, Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pieta.
1740, Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor (d. 1810) was born.
1748, The 1st Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1768, Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour.
1778, The 1st recorded ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia.
1789, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France.
1791, John Fitch is granted a US patent for the steamboat.
1813, War of the 6th Coalition: battle occurs when French and Prussian-Russian forces run into each other near Liegnitz, Prussia.
1814, Infighting b/w rebel forces of Jose Miguel Carrera and Bernardo O’Higgins erupts in the Battle of Las Tres Acequias.
1818, Illinois becomes the 21st state in the union of the US.
1821, The University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is officially opened.
1850, Louis-Philippe of France (b. 1773) died.
1873, Lee DeForest, American inventor (d. 1961) was born.
1883, The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa begins its final, paroxysmal, stage.
1910, Mother Teresa, Macedonian-born Indian missionary; Nobel Peace Prize recipient (d. 1997) was born.
1914, WWI: British Expeditionary Force fights a rear-guard action at the Battle of Le Cateau that briefly checks German advance.
1914, WWI: the German colony of Togoland is invaded by French and British forces, who take it after 5 days.
1920, The 19th amendment to US Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.
1935, Geraldine Ferraro, American politician (d. 2011) was born.
1940, Chad becomes 1st French colony to join the Allies under administration of Felix Eboue, France’s 1st black colonial governor.
1940, Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (d. 2008) was born.
1944, WWII: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
1952, Michael Jeter, American actor (d. 2003) was born.
1970, The then new feminist movement, led by Betty Friedan, leads a nation-wide Women’s Strike for Equality.
1974, Charles Lindbergh, American aviator (b. 1902) died.
1977, The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec
1978, Papal conclave, 1978 (August): Pope John Paul I is elected to the Papacy.
1978, Sigmund Jahn becomes 1st German cosmonaut, on board Soyuz 31.
1980, Tex Avery, American cartoonist (b. 1908) died.
1981, Roger Nash Baldwin, founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (b. 1884) died.
1986, Ted Knight, American actor (b. 1923) died.
2004, Laura Branigan, American singer (b. 1957) died.

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Chris Rivait

Chris loves history and hopes that Yesteeyear becomes a place where everyone can share their history knowledge. Chris owns an Internet Marketing company, Arrivait Marketing. He has a wonderful wife and four great children.