August 26 Events In History

EVENTS

• 1768 – James Cook Sails off on HMS Endeavour. The British explorer was the first European in recorded history to have visited the eastern shores of Australia. The ship reached Botany Bay in April 1770 and was back on British shores on July 12, 1771.
• 1839 – The ship Amistad is captured off Long Island.

  

• 1883 – One of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions in recorded history occurred on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa. Explosions were heard 2,000 miles away. Tidal waves 120 ft. high killed 36,000 persons on nearby islands, while five cubic miles of earth were blasted into the air up to a height of 50 miles.
• 1920 – 19th Amendment to the US Constitution Takes Effect. The amendment extended universal suffrage to women in the United States. Before this, women in some states could vote in local and state elections. The Amendment was first introduced in Congress 42 years ago in 1878 by Senator Aaron A. Sargent. In 1919, the Congress approved the amendment and sent it to the states to be ratified.
• 1929 – The 1st U.S. roller is coaster built.
• 1939 – The first Major League Baseball game is shown on television.
• 1955 – First Tennis Match to be Telecast in Color. The Davis Cup match between Australia and the US from the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York, was telecast on NBC.
• 1966 – Namibian War of Independence Begins. The 24-year long rebellion against the South African government began with an attack by the South African Defence Force on the members of the South-West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) at Omugulugwombashe. Namibia gained independence on 21 March 1990. Namibians observe Heroes Day annually on August 26.
• 1978 – First German to go into Space. Sigmund Jähn, a pilot from the East German Air Force joined the crew of Soyuz 31, a Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station.

BIRTHDAYS

• 1743 – Antione Lavoisier (Chemist)
• 1873 – American inventor Lee De Forest (1873-1961) was born at Council Bluffs, Iowa
• 1819 – Albert, Prince Consort (of the United Kingdom)
• 1910 – Mother Teresa (Humanitarian)
• 1935 – Geraldine Ferraro (Politician)
• 1952 – Mark Jeter (Actor)
• 1960 – Branford Marsalis (Bandleader)
• 1966 – Shirley Manson (Scottish singer-songwriter, actress)
• 1970 – Melissa McCarthy (American actress, writer, producer)

  

• 1971 – Thalía (Mexican singer-songwriter, actress)
• 1979 – Jamal Lewis (Football Player)
• 1980 – McCaulay Culkin (Actor from Home Alone)
• 1980 – Chris Pine (Actor)
• 1989 – James Harden (Basketball Player)

DEATHS

• 1666 – Frans Hals (Dutch painter)
• 1850 – Louis Philippe I (French king)
• 1910 – William James (American psychologist, philosopher)
• 1958 – Ralph Vaughan Williams (English composer)
• 1974 – Charles Lindbergh (American pilot, activist)