February 26th

Events

• 1266 - Battle of Benevento: French forces, under Charles of Anjou, overcome a combined German-Sicilian force.
• 1797 - The Bank of England issues the first one pound note.
• 1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
• 1848 - The second French Republic is proclaimed.
• 1863 - President of the United States Abraham Lincoln signs the National Currency Act into law.
• 1870 - In New York City, the first pneumatic-subway is opened.
• 1919 - An act of the United States Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park (see Grand Canyon National Park).
• 1929 - The Grand Teton National Park is created.
• 1935 - The Luftwaffe is reformed.
• 1952 - United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces that his nation has an atomic bomb.
• 1966 - Apollo Program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
• 1970 - National Public Radio incorporates as a non-profit corporation.
• 1986 - After exiled President Ferdinand Marcos leaves the Philippines, Corazon Aquino is inaugurated president.
• 1986 - Robert Penn Warren is named poet laureate of the United States.
• 1987 - Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes American President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
• 1990 - The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections.
• 1991 - Tim Berners-Lee introduces WorldWideWeb, the first web browser.
• 1991 - Gulf War: On Baghdad Radio Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
• 1993 - World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center goes off, killing 6 and injuring over a thousand.
• 1995 - United Kingdom's oldest investment banking firm, Barings PLC collapses after a securities broker, Nick Leeson, lost $1.4 billion by gambling on the Singapore Monetary Exchange Simex with derivative securities.

Births

• 1361 - Wenceslaus, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, (d. 1419)
• 1802 - Victor Hugo, poet, (d. 1885)
• 1808 - Honoré Daumier, painter, illustrator, lithograph and sculptor, (d. 1879)
• 1829 - Levi Strauss, clothing designer, (d. 1902)
• 1846 - Buffalo Bill, pioneer and officer, hunter and carny, (d. 1917)
• 1861 - King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, (d. 1948)
• 1875 - Hans Böckler, unionist and politician, (d. 1951)
• 1887 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, Baseball Hall of Famer, (d. 1950)
• 1908 - Tex Avery, cartoonist, (d. 1980)
• 1908 - Jean-Pierre Wimille, race car driver, (d. 1949)
• 1909 - King Talal, King of Jordan, (d. 1972)
• 1916 - Jackie Gleason, actor, writer, composer, comedian, (d. 1987)
• 1918 - Theodore Sturgeon, science fiction writer, (d. 1985)
• 1920 - Tony Randall, actor
• 1928 - Fats Domino, musician
• 1928 - Anatoli Filipchenko, cosmonaut
• 1932 - Johnny Cash, country music singer, (d. 2003)
• 1933 - Godfrey Cambridge, actor, (d. 1976)
• 1950 - Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 1954 - Michael Bolton, singer
• 1971 - Erykah Badu, singer
• 1973 - Jenny Thompson, U.S. Olympic swimmer
• 1973 - Marshall Faulk, American football star

Deaths

• 1903 - Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor, (b. 1818)
• 1961 - King Mohammed V of Morocco, (b. 1909)
• 1969 - Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister of Israel, (b. 1895)
• 1971 - Fernandel, actor, (b. 1903)
• 1981 - Howard Hanson, composer, (b. 1896)
• 2002 - Lawrence Tierney, actor
• 2003 - Gerhard Czerwensky, economist

Holidays and observances

• Purim
• Bahá'í Faith - Day 1 of Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days) - days in the Bahá'í calendar devoted to service and gift giving.

February 25 - February 27 - January 26 - March 26 -- listing of all days

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