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This day in history

This day in history: 26 December

Events, births and deaths on this date, ordered by how many people look them up.

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Events52

Born on this day · Died on this day202 · 119

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Key facts

373 historical events, births and deaths are listed for 26 December.
Entries come from Wikipedia’s day pages and are ordered by page views.
2025: Israel recognises Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so.

Holidays and observances

Boxing Day, except when December 26 is a Sunday. If it is a Sunday, Boxing Day is transferred to December 27 by Royal Proclamation. (Commonwealth of Nations), and its related observances: Day of Good Will (South Africa and Namibia)

Boxing Day, except when December 26 is a Sunday. If it is a Sunday, Boxing Day is transferred to December 27 by Royal Proclamation. (Commonwealth of Nations), and its related observances: Family Day (Vanuatu)

Boxing Day, except when December 26 is a Sunday. If it is a Sunday, Boxing Day is transferred to December 27 by Royal Proclamation. (Commonwealth of Nations), and its related observances: Thanksgiving (Solomon Islands)

Christian feast day: Abadiu of Antinoe (Coptic Church)

Christian feast day: December 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christian feast day: James the Just (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Christian feast day: Pope Dionysius

Christian feast day: Saint Stephen (Western Church)

Christian feast day: Synaxis of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Christian feast day: Vicenta María López i Vicuña

Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia)

Mauro Hamza Day (Houston, Texas)

Events

2025Israel recognises Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so.

2021Three people are killed when a 14-year-old opens fire on civilians at a Texaco convenience store in Garland, Texas.

2015A violent EF-4 tornado hits Garland, Texas, killing nine and injuring almost 500 others.

2013An Irkut-Avia Antonov An-12 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Northwest Airport, killing all nine people on board.

2012China opens the world's longest high-speed rail route, which links Beijing and Guangzhou.

2006Two earthquakes in Hengchun, Taiwan measuring 7.0 and 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale kill two and disrupt telecommunications across Asia.

2004Orange Revolution: The final run-off election in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.

2004The 9.1–9.3 Mw Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis, it affected coastal and partially mainland areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Mald

2003The 6.6 Mw Bam earthquake shakes southeastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving more than 26,000 dead and 30,000 injured.

1999The storm Lothar sweeps across Central Europe, killing 137 and causing US$1.3 billion in damage.

1998Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones.

1994Four Armed Islamic Group hijackers seize control of Air France Flight 8969. When the plane lands at Marseille, a French Gendarmerie assault team boards the aircraft and kills the hijackers.

1993Kuban Airlines Flight 5719 crashes during a go-around at Gyumri Shirak International Airport, killing 35 of the 36 people on board.

1991The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.

1989United Express Flight 2415 crashes on approach to the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, Washington, killing all six people on board.

1980Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell".

1978The inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally begins.

1975Tu-144, the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft, surpassing Mach 2, goes into service.

1972Vietnam War: As part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi, including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.

1968Pan Am Flight 799 crashes during takeoff from Elmendorf Air Force Base, killing three.

1968The Communist Party of the Philippines is established by Jose Maria Sison, breaking away from the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930.

1966The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach.

1963The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" are released in the United States, marking the beginning of Beatlemania on an international level.

1948Cardinal József Mindszenty is arrested in Hungary and accused of treason and conspiracy.

1948The last Soviet troops withdraw from North Korea.

1944World War II: George S. Patton's Third Army breaks the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne, Belgium.

1943World War II: German warship Scharnhorst is sunk off Norway's North Cape after a battle against major Royal Navy forces.

1941British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.

1941U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

1926World premiere of Sibelius's tone poem Tapiola.

1919Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee, allegedly establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition.

1898Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium.

1871Thespis, the first Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration, debuts.

1862American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou begins as Union General William T. Sherman starts landing his troops in an attempt to advance on Vicksburg, Mississippi.

1862Dakota War of 1862: The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history takes place in Mankato, Minnesota, where 38 Native American prisoners are hanged.

1861American Civil War: The Trent Affair: Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus easing tensions between the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

1860First Rules derby is held between Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C., the oldest football fixture in the world.

1843The discovery of octonions by John T. Graves, who denoted them with a boldface O, was announced to his mathematician friend William Hamilton, discoverer of quaternions, in a letter on this date.

1825Advocates of liberalism in Russia rise up against Czar Nicholas I in the Decembrist revolt, but are later suppressed.

1811A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills 72 people, including the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable.

Born on this day

2004Leo Carlsson, Swedish ice hockey player

2002Josh Wilson-Esbrand, English footballer

2001Aleksej Pokuševski, Serbian basketball player

1997Tamara Zidanšek, Slovenian tennis player

1994Colby Cave, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2020)

1994Souleymane Coulibaly, Ivorian footballer

1992Cecilia Costa Melgar, Chilean tennis player

1992Jade Thirlwall, English singer

1991Brandon Scherff, American football player

1991Eden Sher, American actress

1991Trevor Siemian, American football player

1990Aaron Ramsey, Welsh footballer

1990Cory Jefferson, American basketball player

1990Denis Cheryshev, Russian footballer

1989Sofiane Feghouli, Algerian footballer

1989Tomáš Kundrátek, Czech ice hockey player

1989Yohan Blake, Jamaican sprinter

1987Oskar Osala, Finnish ice hockey player

1986Hugo Lloris, French footballer

1986Joe Alexander, American-Israeli basketball player

1986Kit Harington, English actor

1986Selen Soyder, Turkish actress and beauty queen

1985Damir Markota, Croatian basketball player

1984Ahmed Barusso, Ghanaian footballer

1984Alex Schwazer, Italian race walker

1984Leonardo Ghiraldini, Italian rugby player

1983Alexander Wang, American fashion designer

1983Jeroen Soete, Belgian politician

1983Yu Takahashi, Japanese singer-songwriter

1982Aksel Lund Svindal, Norwegian skier

1982Kenneth Darby, American football player

1982Noel Hunt, Irish footballer

1981Omar Infante, Venezuelan baseball player

1981Pablo Canavosio, Argentine-Italian rugby player

1980Ceylan Ertem, Turkish singer

1980Todd Dunivant, American soccer player

1979Chris Daughtry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1979Craig Wing, Australian rugby player

1979Dimitry Vassiliev, Russian ski jumper

1979Fabián Carini, Uruguayan footballer

Died on this day

2025Pate Mustajärvi, Finnish rock singer (born 1956)

2024Manmohan Singh, Indian economist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of India (born 1932)

2024Richard Parsons, American business executive (born 1948)

2023Lukas Enembe, Indonesian politician, Governor of Papua from 2013 to 2023 (born1967)

2023Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist (born 1937)

2021Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican bishop, theologian and anti-apartheid and human rights activist (born 1931)

2021Edward O. Wilson, American biologist (born 1929)

2021Giacomo Capuzzi, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodi (born 1929)

2021Karolos Papoulias, Greek politician, President of Greece from 2005 to 2015 (born 1929)

2021Nell Hall Williams, American quilter (born 1933)

2021Paul B. Kidd, Australian author, journalist, and radio show host (born 1945)

2020Brodie Lee, American Professional Wrestler (born 1979)

2017Irv Weinstein, American broadcaster and television news anchor (born 1930)

2016George S. Irving, American actor, singer and dancer (born 1922)

2016Ricky Harris, American comedian, actor (born 1962)

2015Jim O'Toole, American baseball player (born 1937)

2015Sidney Mintz, American anthropologist and academic (born 1922)

2014James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (born 1927)

2014Leo Tindemans, Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium (born 1922)

2014Stanisław Barańczak, Polish-American poet, critic, and scholar (born 1946)

2013Marta Eggerth, Hungarian-American actress and singer (born 1912)

2013Paul Blair, American baseball player and coach (born 1944)

2012Gerald McDermott, American author and illustrator (born 1941)

2012Gerry Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1929)

2012Ibrahim Tannous, Lebanese general (born 1929)

2011Houston Antwine, American football player (born 1939)

2011James Rizzi, American painter and illustrator (born 1950)

2011Joe Bodolai, American screenwriter and producer (born 1948)

2011Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., Mexican-American actor and producer (born 1940)

2011Sarekoppa Bangarappa, Indian politician, 15th Chief Minister of Karnataka (born 1932)

Quote of the day

“Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.”

Alan Watts

Questions people ask

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From Wikipedia’s on-this-day pages for this language, updated once a day and ordered by how often each article is read.

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