What Happened on September 26
Significant Events
- 1580 Frances Drake completes circumnavigation of the world, sailing into Plymouth aboard the Golden Hind
- 1687 Acropolis in Athens attacked by Venetian army trying to eject Turks, damaging the Parthenon
- 1687 The city council of Amsterdam votes to support William of Orange's invasion of England, which became the Glorious Revolution.
- 1815 Russia, Prussia and Austria sign the Holy Alliance
- 1901 Great Britain annexes the Ashanti Kingdom and places it under the governor of the Gold Coast (Ghana)
- 1918 Beginning of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, more than 1 million American soldiers in the largest and most costly offensive of WWI
September 26 in Film & TV
- 1968 "Oliver!" directed by Carol Reed and starring Mark Lester and Ron Moody premieres in London (Best Picture 1969)
September 26 in Music
- 1969 The Beatles release "Abbey Road" album
September 26 in Sport
- 1983 Australia II wins America's Cup yacht race - 1st non-US winner
Did You Know?
Cuban leader Fidel Castro delivers a 4 hour and 29 minute long speech at the United Nations
On September 26, 1960
Famous Birthdays
Francis of Assisi
(1181 - 1226)
T. S. Eliot
(1888 - 1965)
Albert Anastasia
(1902 - 1957)
Winnie Mandela
(1936 - 2018)
Olivia Newton-John
70 Years Old
Serena Williams
37 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Soviet military officer Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov averts a worldwide nuclear war by judging supposed missile attack from the US an error
On September 26, 1983
Famous Weddings
- 1861 Political cartoonist Thomas Nast (21) weds Sarah Edwards (20) in USA
- 1919 German chancellor Konrad Adenauer (43) weds Auguste Zinsser in Cologne, Germany
- 1931 Earl Claus von Stauffenberg marries Freiin Nina von Lerchenfeld
Famous Divorces
- 2016 Actress Naomi Watts and actor Liv Schreiber announce their separation after 11 years together
Daniel Boone
Levi Strauss
Anna Magnani
Byron Nelson
Paul Newman
Gloria StuartSeptember in History
Airship Bomb Crew Meet their Match in Policeman
They dropped their bombs and planned to escape, but the German airship crew hadn’t reckoned on the tenacity of a lone British policeman on his bike.
September 24, 1916
'I Have Heard The Voice of Adolf Hitler . . .'
Hitler's speech threatening Czechoslovakia was broadcast on this day. Among those listening to the ‘mad dog of Europe’ was a journalist in an American hotel.
September 26, 1938
Fear as First Passenger Train Reaches 15mph
The steam engine Locomotion No. 1 took passengers for a ride on this day – the first in the world to do so and, for at least one person, at frightening speed.
September 27, 1825
And God Created Brigitte Bardot . . .
Brigitte Bardot, a leading sex symbol of the 1950s and 1960s, was born on this day. Such was her fame that she became widely known simply by her initials – BB.
September 28, 1934