Vintage News · Odd history for February 26

What Happened On February 26

Q: What happened on February 26?

1616: Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun. 1917: The Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded "Livery Stable Blues", the first jazz single ever released. 1606: Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon made the first recorded European landing in Australia, although he believed that he was on New Guinea. 1815: Napoleon escaped from the Italian island of Elba (depicted), to which he had been exiled after the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau. 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from exile on the island of Elba. 1794: The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down. 1775: The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates. 1606: The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea. 320: Chandragupta I is officially crowned as the first Gupta Emperor. 2013: A hot air balloon crashed near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people in the deadliest ballooning disaster in history.

39 events and 173 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 26 February →

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10 odd things that happened on February 26

1616 Oddly true
Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1917 First ever
The Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded "Livery Stable Blues", the first jazz single ever released.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1606 First ever
Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon made the first recorded European landing in Australia, although he believed that he was on New Guinea.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1815 Oddly true
Napoleon escaped from the Italian island of Elba (depicted), to which he had been exiled after the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1815 Oddly true
Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from exile on the island of Elba.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1794 First ever
The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1775 Oddly true
The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1606 First ever
The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
320 First ever
Chandragupta I is officially crowned as the first Gupta Emperor.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2013 Oddly true
A hot air balloon crashed near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people in the deadliest ballooning disaster in history.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026The government of Pakistan declares "open war" against the Taliban in Afghanistan, initiating the 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan War. Wikipedia →
2021A total of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 are kidnapped by bandits in the Zamfara kidnapping in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Wikipedia →
2019Indian Air Force fighter-jets target Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camps in Balakot, Pakistan. Wikipedia →
2013A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people. Wikipedia →
2012A train derails in Burlington, Ontario, Canada killing at least three people and injuring 45. Wikipedia →
2012Seventeen-year-old African-American student Trayvon Martin is shot to death by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in an altercation in Sanford, Florida. Wikipedia →
2008The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, North Korea; this was the first such event to take place in North Korea. Wikipedia →
1995The UK's oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts. Wikipedia →
1993World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over a thousand people. Wikipedia →
1992First Nagorno-Karabakh War: Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces and the 366th CIS Regiment massacre Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead. Wikipedia →
1987Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff. Wikipedia →
1980Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations. Wikipedia →
1979The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak. Wikipedia →
1971U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day. Wikipedia →
1966Apollo program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket. Wikipedia →
1960A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board. Wikipedia →
1960A Kyiv-bound Aeroflot airliner crashes on approach to Snilow Airport in Lviv, killing 32 of the 33 people on board. Wikipedia →
1952Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: US troops reclaim the Philippine island of Corregidor from the Japanese. Wikipedia →
1936In the February 26 Incident, young nationalist Japanese military officers assassinate multiple cabinet statesmen and start a rebellion in downtown Tokyo, which is ended 3 days later. Wikipedia →
1935Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. Wikipedia →
1935Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of radar in the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
1929President Calvin Coolidge signs legislation establishing the 96,000 acres (390 km2) Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Wikipedia →
1919President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park. Wikipedia →
1914HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Wikipedia →
1909Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London. Wikipedia →
1876Japan and Korea sign the Treaty of Kangwha, which grants Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights in Korea, opens three Korean ports to Japanese trade, and ends Korea's status as a tributary state of Qing dynasty China. Wikipedia →
1870The Beach Pneumatic Transit in New York City, intended as a demonstration for a subway line, opens. Wikipedia →
1815Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from exile on the island of Elba. Wikipedia →
1794The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down. Wikipedia →
1775The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates. Wikipedia →
1616Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun. Wikipedia →
1606The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea. Wikipedia →
1365The Ava Kingdom and the royal city of Ava (Inwa) were founded by King Thado Minbya. Wikipedia →
1266Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples. Wikipedia →
1074Battle of Kemej: The royal army of Solomon, King of Hungary defeats the force of his rebellious cousin Duke Géza. Wikipedia →
364Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman Emperor. Wikipedia →
320Chandragupta I is officially crowned as the first Gupta Emperor. Wikipedia →
747 BCAccording to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2013The Guardian
Hacked Off condemns Leveson 'stitch-up'
Campaign group says newspapers were given special access to the government's response before victims of phone hacking
Read on The Guardian →
2011The Guardian
Mystery bird: African golden-weaver, Ploceus subaureus
This stunning species weaves many ball-shaped nests
Read on The Guardian →
2002The New York Times
A Dog's Life
Op-Ed article by Prof Richard A Friedman on why he would not consider cloning beloved dog, even after scientists succ…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.