June 26
From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
[edit] Events
- 684 - Benedict II becomes Pope.
- 1409 - Western Schism: The Catholic church is led into a double schism as Petros Philargos is crowned Pope Alexander V after the Council of Pisa, joining Pope Gregory XII in Rome and Pope Benedict XII in Avignon.
- 1483 - Richard III becomes king of England.
- 1819 - The bicycle is patented.
- 1924 - American occupying forces leave the Dominican Republic.
- 1934 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.
- 1934 - Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.
- 1940 - World War II: Under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and northern part of Bukovina.
- 1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed.
- 1948 - The Western allies start an airlift to Berlin after the Soviet Union has blockaded West Berlin.
- 1959 - The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America's Great Lakes to ocean-going ships.
- 1960 - Former British Protectorate of Somaliland British Somaliland gains its independence
- 1963 - John F. Kennedy speaks the famous words "Ich bin ein Berliner".
- 1964 - The Beatles release the album A Hard Day's Night.
- 1973 - On Plesetsk Cosmodrome 9 persons were killed at an explosion of a Cosmos 3-M rocket.
- 1974 - The first retail product (a pack of chewing gum) was sold using a barcode reader.
- 1975 - Indira Gandhi establishes authoritarian rule in India.
- 1977 - Last concert of Elvis Presley.
- 1979 - Muhammad Ali retires.
- 1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment.
- 1997 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S.), the first book in J.K. Rowling's hugely popular Harry Potter series, is published.
- 2003 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that sodomy laws are unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas.
[edit] Births
- 1653 - Cardinal André-Hercule de Fleury, Bishop of Fréjus, chief minister of France under Louis XV
- 1824 - Lord Kelvin, physicist (died 1907)
- 1854 - Robert Laird Borden, eighth Prime Minister of Canada
- 1865 - Bernard Berenson, art connoisseur (died 1959)
- 1892 - Pearl S. Buck, American writer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (died 1973)
- 1898 - Willy Messerschmitt, aircraft designer (died 1978)
- 1899 - Maria Nikolaevna Romanova, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Alexandra of Hesse (died 1918)
- 1904 - Peter Lorre, actor (died 1964)
- 1906 - Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer and actor
- 1909 - Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager (died 1997)
- 1911 - Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete and golfer (died 1956)
- 1912 - Jay Silverheels, actor (died 1980)
- 1919 - Richard Neustadt, political historian
- 1925 - Pavel Belyayev, cosmonaut (died 1970)
- 1933 - Claudio Abbado, conductor
- 1934 - Jeremy Wolfenden, British journalist (died 1965)
- 1936 - Robert Maclennan, British politician
- 1942 - Gilberto Gil, first Minister of Culture of Brazil, singer, songwriter, musician
- 1945 - Dwight York, musician, fashion consultant, cult leader, child molester
- 1954 - Steve Barton, actor, singer, dancer
- 1955 - Mick Jones, British musician, guitarist with The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite
- 1956 - Chris Isaak, pop singer
- 1961 - Greg Lemond, cyclist
- 1963 - Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, Russian CEO of YUKOS Oil Company
- 1968 - Rich Eisen, ESPN SportsCenter anchor
- 1968 - Shannon Sharpe, American football player, commentator
- 1968 - Paolo Maldini, Italian footballer
- 1969 - Colin Greenwood, musician, Radiohead
- 1970 - Chris O'Donnell, actor
- 1973 - Gretchen Wilson, country music singer
- 1974 - Derek Jeter, baseball player
- 1977 - Kubo Tite, cartoonist
- 1980 - Jason Schwartzman, actor
- 1980 - Michael Vick, American football player
- 1985 - Urgyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan spiritual leader
[edit] Deaths
- 363 - Julian, Roman Emperor (killed in battle)
- 1291 - Eleanor of Provence, queen of Henry III of England
- 1541 - Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conqueror of Peru (murdered)
- 1922 - Albert I, Prince of Monaco
- 1939 - Ford Maddox Ford, English writer (born 1873)
- 1947 - Richard Bedford Bennett, eleventh Prime Minister of Canada
- 1957 - Alfred Döblin, German writer (born 1878)
- 1958 - Andrija Štampar, physician and United Nations diplomat (born 1888)
- 1958 - George Orton, Canadian athlete
- 1964 - Gerrit Rietveld, architect
- 1968 - Tony Hancock, comedian
- 1975 - St. Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish Roman Catholic priest
- 1984 - Michel Foucault, French literary theorist (bborn 1926)
- 1993 - William H. Riker, political scientist
- 1997 - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, singer
- 2002 - Jay Berwanger, American football player
- 2003 - Sir Denis Thatcher Bt., husband of Margaret Thatcher
- 2003 - Strom Thurmond, U.S. Senator
- 2003 - Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer
- 2004 - Yash Johar, Indian film producer
