On This Day in History

February 26

Historical Events

1616 The Roman Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo demanding he abandon his belief in heliocentrism, which states the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun.

1815 Napoléon Bonaparte and his supporters leave Elba to start a 100 day re-conquest of France.

1885 Berlin Conference gives Congo to Belgium and Nigeria to Great Britain.

1935 RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt.

The so-called Highway of Death in Iraq after coalition planes repeatedly bombed it during Operation Desert Storm

1991 Gulf War: Coalition planes bomb Iraqi forces retreating from Kuwait, killing hundreds and creating the so-called “Highway of Death”.

2005 President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak orders the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections, asking the Egyptian parliament to amend Article 76.

More Historical Events

Famous Birthdays

Levi Strauss 1829 - 1902 Fats Domino 1928 - 2017

Johnny Cash 1932 - 2003   Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 69th Birthday

Also Alexander III, Jackie Gleason and Ariel Sharon.

More Famous Birthdays

Famous Deaths

Richard Jordan Gatling 1818 - 1903 Jimmie Lee Jackson 1938 - 1965

Also Roger II, Robert R. Livingston and Earl Lloyd.

More Famous Deaths

Enter Victor Hugo, Author of Les Mis

Les Misérables is the world’s longest running musical, an achievement that could never have been predicted by the story’s author, Victor Hugo, born on this day.

Story of Victor Hugo