Today in History – October 26th

Published October 26, 2012 |

899, Alfred the Great, king of Wessex (b. 849) died.
1640, The Treaty of Ripon is signed, restoring peace between Scotland and Charles I of England.
1689, General Piccolomini of Austria burned down Skopje to prevent the spread of cholera. He died of cholera himself soon after.
1774, 1st Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1775, King George III of Great Britain goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion.
1776, Benjamin Franklin departs from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution.
1795, The French Directory, a five-man revolutionary government, is created.
1806, John Graves Simcoe, first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (b. 1752) died.
1811, The Argentine government declare the freedom of expression for the press by decree.
1813, War of 1812: Canadians and Mohawks defeat the Americans in the Battle of Chateauguay.
1825, The Erie Canal opens, passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie.
1854, C. W. Post, American entrepreneur (d. 1914) was born.
1860, Meeting of Teano. Giuseppe Garibaldi, conqueror of Kingdom of Two Sicilies, gives it to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.
1861, The Pony Express officially ceases operations.
1865, Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman (d. 1912) was born.
1866, John Kinder Labatt, Irish-Canadian brewer (Labatt Brewing Company) (b. 1803) died.
1881, The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona.
1883, Napoleon Hill, American writer and philosopher (d. 1970) was born.
1905, Norway becomes independent from Sweden.
1911, Mahalia Jackson, American singer (d. 1972) was born.
1916, Francois Mitterrand, President of France (d. 1996) was born.
1917, WWI: Brazil declared in state of war with Central Powers.
1918, Erich Ludendorff is dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany for refusing to cooperate in peace negotiations.
1921, The Chicago Theatre opens.
1932, Margaret Brown, American socialite, philanthropist, activist and survivor of RMS Titanic (b. 1867) died.
1936, 1st electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation.
1940, The P-51 Mustang makes its maiden flight.
1943, WWII: 1st flight of the Dornier Do 335 “Pfeil”.
1944, WWII: The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends with an overwhelming American victory.
1947, The Maharaja of Kashmir and Jammu agrees to allow his kingdom to join India.
1952, Hattie McDaniel, American singer and actress (b. 1895) died.
1958, Pan American Airways makes 1st commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris, France.
1968, Soviet cosmonaut Georgy Beregovoy pilots Soyuz 3 into space for a four-day mission.
1984, “Baby Fae” receives a heart transplant from a baboon.
1992, The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum.
1994, Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty

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.