August 26

Events

• 683 - Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah.
• 1071 - The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most of Anatolia.
• 1278 - Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolf I of Germany defeat Ottokar II of Bohemia in the Battle on the Marchfeld near Dürnkrut in Moravia.
• 1303 - Alauddin Khalji captures Chittorgarh.
• 1346 - France suffered a devastating military humiliation at the Battle of Crécy, while England's military reputation was established in an evening's hard fighting.
• 1444 - Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs: A vastly outnumbered force of Swiss Confederates is defeated by the Dauphin Louis and his army of 'Armagnacs' near Basel.
• 1542 - Francisco de Orellana navigated the Amazon River, reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1748 - The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia.
• 1767 - Jesuits all over Chile are arrested as the Spanish Empire suppresses the Society of Jesus.
• 1768 - Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board.
• 1778 - The first recorded ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia.
• 1789 - The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France.
• 1791 - John Fitch is granted a United States patent for the steamboat.
• 1810 - The former viceroy Santiago de Liniers of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata is executed after the defeat of his counter-revolution.
• 1813 - War of the Sixth Coalition: An impromptu battle takes place when French and Prussian-Russian forces accidentally run into each other near Liegnitz, Prussia.
• 1814 - Chilean War of Independence: Infighting between the rebel forces of José Miguel Carrera and Bernardo O'Higgins erupts in the Battle of Las Tres Acequias.
• 1883 - The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa begins its final, paroxysmal, stage.
• 1914 - World War I: The German colony of Togoland surrenders to French and British forces after a 20-day campaign.
• 1914 - World War I: During the retreat from Mons, the British II Corps commanded by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien fought a vigorous and successful defensive action at Le Cateau.
• 1920 - The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.
• 1922 - Greco-Turkish War : Turkish army launched what has come to be known to the Turks as the "Great Offensive". The major Greek defense positions were overrun.
• 1940 - Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor.
• 1942 - At Chortkiv, the Ukrainian police and German Schutzpolizei deport two thousand Jews to Bełżec extermination camp. Five hundred of the sick and children are murdered on the spot. This continued until the next day.
• 1944 - World War II: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
• 1966 - The South African Border War starts with the battle at Omugulugwombashe.
• 1970 - A new feminist movement leads a nationwide Women's Strike for Equality.
• 1977 - The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec
• 1978 - Papal conclave: Albino Luciani is elected as Pope John Paul I.
• 1980 - After John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada, in the United States, the FBI inadvertently detonates the bomb during its disarming.
• 1997 - Beni Ali massacre occurs in Algeria, leaving 60 to 100 people dead.
• 1998 - The first flight of the Air Force Delta III ends in disaster 75 seconds after liftoff resulting in the loss of the Galaxy X satellite.
• 1999 - Russia begins the Second Chechen War in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade.
• 2003 - A Beechcraft 1900 operating as Colgan Air Flight 9446 crashes after taking off from Barnstable Municipal Airport in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, killing both pilots on board.
• 2009 - Kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard is discovered alive in California after being missing for over 18 years.
• 2011 - The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's all-new composite airliner, receives certification from the EASA and the FAA.
• 2015 - Two U.S. journalists are shot and killed by a disgruntled former coworker while conducting a live report in Moneta, Virginia.
• 2018 - Three people are killed and eleven wounded during a mass shooting at a Madden NFL '19 video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.

  Births

• 1469 - Ferdinand II of Naples
• 1548 - Bernardino Poccetti, Italian painter
• 1582 - Humilis of Bisignano, Italian Franciscan friar and saint
• 1596 - Frederick V, Elector Palatine, Bohemian king
• 1676 - Robert Walpole, English scholar and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 1694 - Elisha Williams, English colonial minister, academic, and politician
• 1695 - Marie-Anne-Catherine Quinault, French singer-songwriter
• 1728 - Johann Heinrich Lambert, Swiss mathematician, physicist, and astronomer
• 1736 - Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l'Isle, French mineralogist and geologist
• 1740 - Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor, invented the hot air balloon
• 1743 - Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist
• 1751 - Manuel Abad y Queipo, Spanish-born Mexican bishop
• 1775 - William Joseph Behr, German publicist and academic
• 1792 - Manuel Oribe, Uruguayan soldier and politician, 4th President of Uruguay
• 1797 - Saint Innocent of Alaska, Russian Orthodox missionary priest, then the first Orthodox bishop and archbishop in the Americas, and finally the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia
• 1819 - Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom
• 1854 - Arnold Fothergill, English cricketer
• 1856 - Clara Schønfeld, Danish actress
• 1862 - Herbert Booth, Canadian songwriter and bandleader
• 1865 - Arthur James Arnot, Scottish-Australian engineer, designed the Spencer Street Power Station
• 1873 - Lee de Forest, American engineer and academic, invented the Audion tube
• 1874 - Zona Gale, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright
• 1875 - John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, Scottish-Canadian historian and politician, 15th Governor General of Canada
• 1880 - Guillaume Apollinaire, Italian-French author, poet, playwright, and critic
• 1882 - James Franck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1882 - Sam Hardy, English footballer
• 1885 - Jules Romains, French author and poet
• 1888 - Gustavo R. Vincenti, Maltese architect and developer
• 1891 - Acharya Chatursen Shastri, Indian author and playwright
• 1894 - Sparky Adams, American baseball player and farmer
• 1896 - Ivan Mihailov, Bulgarian soldier and politician
• 1897 - Yun Posun, South Korean activist and politician, 2nd President of South Korea
• 1898 - Peggy Guggenheim, American-Italian art collector and philanthropist
• 1900 - Margaret Utinsky, American nurse, recipient of the Medal of Freedom
• 1900 - Hellmuth Walter, German-American engineer and businessman
• 1901 - Eleanor Dark, Australian author and poet
• 1901 - Hans Kammler, German SS officer and engineer
• 1901 - Jimmy Rushing, American singer and bandleader
• 1901 - Maxwell D. Taylor, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Vietnam
• 1901 - Chen Yi, Chinese general and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China
• 1903 - Caroline Pafford Miller, American author
• 1904 - Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic
• 1904 - Joe Hulme, English footballer and cricketer
• 1906 - Bunny Austin, English tennis player
• 1906 - Albert Sabin, Polish-American physician and virologist, developed the polio vaccine
• 1908 - Walter Bruno Henning, Prussian-American linguist and scholar
• 1908 - Aubrey Schenck, American screenwriter and producer
• 1909 - Eric Davies, South African cricketer and educator
• 1909 - Jim Davis, American actor
• 1909 - Gene Moore, American baseball player
• 1910 - Mother Teresa, Macedonian-Indian nun, missionary, Catholic saint, and Nobel Prize laureate
• 1911 - Otto Binder, American author and screenwriter
• 1914 - Julio Cortázar, Belgian-Argentinian author and translator
• 1914 - Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca, Turkish soldier and poet
• 1915 - Humphrey Searle, English composer and conductor
• 1915 - Mohammad Nurul Haque, Bangladeshi
• 1918 - Katherine Johnson, American physicist and mathematician
• 1919 - Gerard Campbell, American priest and academic
• 1920 - Brant Parker, American illustrator
• 1920 - Prem Tinsulanonda, Thai general and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Thailand
• 1921 - Shimshon Amitsur, Israeli mathematician and scholar
• 1921 - Benjamin C. Bradlee, American journalist and author
• 1922 - Irving R. Levine, American journalist and author
• 1923 - Wolfgang Sawallisch, German pianist and conductor
• 1924 - Alex Kellner, American baseball player
• 1925 - Jack Hirshleifer, American economist and academic
• 1925 - Alain Peyrefitte, French scholar and politician, Minister of Justice for France
• 1925 - Pyotr Todorovsky, Ukrainian-Russian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
• 1925 - Etelka Keserű, Hungarian economist and politician
• 1925 - Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean composer
• 1926 - Anahit Tsitsikian, Armenian violinist and educator
• 1926 - Robert Vickrey, American painter and author
• 1928 - Om Prakash Munjal, Indian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Hero Cycles
• 1929 - Reuben Kamanga, Zambian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Zambia
• 1930 - Joe Solomon, Guyanese cricketer and coach
• 1931 - Kálmán Markovits, Hungarian water polo player
• 1932 - Luis Salvadores Salvi, Chilean basketball player
• 1934 - Tom Heinsohn, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1934 - Kevin Ryan, Australian rugby player, coach, lawyer and politician
• 1935 - Geraldine Ferraro, American lawyer and politician
• 1935 - Karen Spärck Jones, English computer scientist and academic
• 1936 - Benedict Anderson, American political scientist and academic
• 1937 - Don Bowman, American singer-songwriter
• 1938 - Jet Black, English drummer
• 1939 - Pinchas Goldstein, Israeli businessman and politician
• 1939 - Jorge Paulo Lemann, Brazilian banker and financier
• 1940 - Michael Cockerell, English journalist
• 1940 - Vic Dana, American dancer and singer
• 1940 - Don LaFontaine, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1940 - Nik Turner, English musician and songwriter
• 1941 - Chris Curtis, English drummer and singer
• 1941 - Jane Merrow, English actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1941 - Barbet Schroeder, French-Swiss director and producer
• 1942 - Dennis Turner, Baron Bilston, English lawyer and politician
• 1942 - Chow Kwai Lam, Malaysian football coach and player
• 1943 - Dori Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1944 - Alan Parker, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1944 - Judith Rees, English geographer and academic
• 1944 - Maureen Tucker, American singer-songwriter and drummer
• 1945 - Tom Ridge, American sergeant and politician, 1st Secretary of Homeland Security
• 1946 - Zhou Ji, Chinese engineer and politician, 14th Chinese Minister of Education
• 1946 - Valerie Simpson, American singer-songwriter
• 1946 - Alison Steadman, English actress
• 1947 - Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer and manager
• 1949 - Allahshukur Pashazadeh, Azerbaijani cleric
• 1949 - Leon Redbone, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1951 - Gerd Bonk, German weightlifter
• 1951 - Bill Whitaker, American journalist
• 1951 - Edward Witten, American physicist and academic
• 1952 - Bryon Baltimore, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1952 - Michael Jeter, American actor
• 1952 - Will Shortz, American journalist and puzzle creator
• 1953 - David Hurley, Australian general and politician, 27th Governor General of Australia
• 1953 - Pat Sharkey, Irish footballer
• 1954 - Howard Clark, English golfer and sportscaster
• 1954 - Tracy Krohn, American race car driver and businessman
• 1954 - Hugh Pelham, British academic and educator
• 1955 - Ian Dejardin, English historian and curator
• 1955 - Giuseppe Resnati, Italian chemist and educator
• 1956 - Sally Beamish, English viola player and composer
• 1956 - Brett Cullen, American actor
• 1956 - Mark Mangino, American football player and coach
• 1957 - Nikky Finney, American poet and academic
• 1958 - Jan Nevens, Belgian cyclist
• 1959 - Oliver Colvile, English lawyer and politician
• 1959 - Stan Van Gundy, American basketball player and coach
• 1960 - Branford Marsalis, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
• 1960 - Ola Ray, American model and actress
• 1961 - Daniel Lévi, Algerian-French singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1961 - Jeff Parrett, American baseball player
• 1962 - Roger Kingdom, American hurdler
• 1963 - David Byas, English cricketer and umpire
• 1963 - Stephen J. Dubner, American journalist and author
• 1963 - Patrice Oppliger, American author, critic, and academic
• 1964 - Allegra Huston, English-American author and screenwriter
• 1964 - Bobby Jurasin, American-Canadian football player and coach
• 1964 - Chad Kreuter, American baseball player and manager
• 1964 - Zadok Malka, Israeli footballer and manager
• 1964 - Torsten Schmitz, German boxer
• 1964 - Carsten Wolf, German cyclist
• 1964 - Mehriban Aliyeva, 1st Vice President of Azerbaijan, goodwill ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO.
• 1965 - Marcus du Sautoy, English mathematician and academic
• 1965 - Chris Burke, actor
• 1966 - Jacques Brinkman, Dutch field hockey player and coach
• 1966 - Shirley Manson, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
• 1967 - Michael Gove, Scottish journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Education
• 1968 - Chris Boardman, English cyclist
• 1969 - Adrian Young, American drummer and songwriter
• 1970 - Jason Little, Australian rugby player
• 1970 - Melissa McCarthy, American actress, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 - Brett Schultz, South African cricketer
• 1971 - Thalía, Mexican-American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1973 - Richard Evatt, English boxer
• 1974 - Kelvin Cato, American basketball player and coach
• 1974 - Meredith Eaton, American actress
• 1975 - Morgan Ensberg, American baseball player and coach
• 1976 - Mike Colter, American actor
• 1976 - Amaia Montero, Spanish singer-songwriter
• 1977 - Therese Alshammar, Swedish swimmer
• 1977 - Liam Botham, English rugby player and cricketer
• 1977 - Saeko Chiba, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1977 - Simone Motta, Italian footballer
• 1979 - Jamal Lewis, American football player
• 1979 - Cristian Mora, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1979 - Rubén Arriaza Pazos, Spanish footballer
• 1980 - Macaulay Culkin, American actor
• 1980 - Brendan Harris, American baseball player
• 1980 - Manolis Papamakarios, Greek basketball player
• 1980 - Chris Pine, American actor
• 1981 - Tino Best, Barbadian cricketer
• 1981 - Sebastian Bönig, German footballer
• 1981 - Andreas Glyniadakis, Greek basketball player
• 1981 - Vangelis Moras, Greek footballer
• 1981 - Petey Williams, Canadian wrestler
• 1982 - Angelo Iorio, Italian footballer
• 1982 - John Mulaney, American comedian, actor, writer, and producer
• 1982 - Jayson Nix, American baseball player
• 1982 - Noah Welch, American ice hockey player
• 1983 - Mattia Cassani, Italian footballer
• 1983 - Félix Porteiro, Spanish race car driver
• 1985 - Oleksiy Kasyanov, Ukrainian decathlete
• 1985 - Brandon McDonald, American football player
• 1985 - David Price, American baseball player
• 1986 - Vladislav Gussev, Estonian footballer
• 1986 - Colin Kazim-Richards, Turkish footballer
• 1986 - Cassie Ventura, American singer, dancer, actress and model
• 1987 - Juan Joseph, American football player and coach
• 1988 - Elvis Andrus, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1988 - Evan Ross, American actor
• 1988 - Danielle Savre, American actress
• 1988 - Wayne Simmonds, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 - Lars Stindl, German football player
• 1989 - James Harden, American basketball player
• 1990 - Mateo Musacchio, Argentinian footballer
• 1991 - Jessica Diggins, American cross-country skier

  Deaths

• 526 - Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths
• 787 - Arechis II, duke of Benevento
• 887 - Kōkō, emperor of Japan
• 1214 - Michael IV of Constantinople
• 1278 - Ottokar II of Bohemia
• 1346 - Charles II, Count of Alençon
• 1346 - Louis I, Count of Flanders
• 1346 - Louis II, Count of Blois
• 1346 - Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine
• 1346 - John of Bohemia
• 1349 - Thomas Bradwardine, English archbishop, mathematician, and physicist
• 1399 - Mikhail II, Grand Prince of Tver
• 1462 - Catherine Zaccaria, Despotess of the Morea
• 1486 - Ernest, Elector of Saxony
• 1500 - Philipp I, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg
• 1551 - Margaret Leijonhufvud, queen of Gustav I of Sweden
• 1572 - Petrus Ramus, French philosopher and logician
• 1595 - António, Prior of Crato
• 1666 - Frans Hals, Dutch painter and educator
• 1714 - Constantin Brâncoveanu, Ruler of Wallachia
• 1714 - Edward Fowler, English bishop and author
• 1723 - Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch microscopist and biologist
• 1785 - George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, English soldier and politician, 3rd Secretary of State for the Colonies
• 1810 - Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires, French-Spanish sailor and politician, 10th Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
• 1813 - Theodor Körner, German soldier and author
• 1850 - Louis Philippe I of France
• 1865 - Johann Franz Encke, German astronomer and academic
• 1878 - Mariam Baouardy, Syrian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized
• 1910 - William James, American psychologist and philosopher
• 1921 - Matthias Erzberger, German publicist and politician
• 1921 - Sándor Wekerle, Hungarian jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Hungary
• 1930 - Lon Chaney, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1943 - Bîmen Şen, Turkish composer and songwriter
• 1944 - Adam von Trott zu Solz, German lawyer and diplomat
• 1945 - Franz Werfel, Austrian author and playwright
• 1946 - Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter
• 1956 - Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American activist
• 1958 - Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer and educator
• 1966 - W. W. E. Ross, Canadian geophysicist and poet
• 1968 - Kay Francis, American actress
• 1972 - Francis Chichester, English pilot and sailor
• 1974 - Charles Lindbergh, American pilot and explorer
• 1975 - Olaf Holtedahl, Norwegian geologist and academic
• 1976 - Lotte Lehmann, German-American soprano
• 1977 - H. A. Rey, German-American author and illustrator, created Curious George
• 1978 - Charles Boyer, French-American actor, singer, and producer
• 1978 - José Manuel Moreno, Argentinian footballer and manager
• 1979 - Mika Waltari, Finnish author, translator, and academic
• 1980 - Rosa Albach-Retty, German-Austrian actress
• 1980 - Tex Avery, American animator, director, and voice actor
• 1981 - Roger Nash Baldwin, American trade union leader, co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union
• 1981 - Lee Hays, American singer-songwriter
• 1986 - Ted Knight, American actor
• 1987 - John Goddard, Barbadian-English cricketer and manager
• 1987 - Georg Wittig, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1988 - Carlos Paião, Portuguese singer-songwriter
• 1989 - Irving Stone, American author
• 1990 - Tang Chang, Thai artist
• 1991 - Mildred Albert, American fashion commentator, TV and radio personality, and fashion show producer
• 1992 - Bob de Moor, Belgian author and illustrator
• 1993 - Reima Pietilä, Finnish architect, co-designed the Kaleva Church
• 1995 - John Brunner, English-Scottish author and poet
• 1998 - Frederick Reines, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 2000 - Akbar Adibi, Iranian engineer and academic
• 2000 - Bunny Austin, English tennis player
• 2001 - Louis Muhlstock, Polish-Canadian painter and educator
• 2001 - Marita Petersen, Faroese educator and politician, 8th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
• 2003 - Jim Wacker, American football player and coach
• 2004 - Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 2005 - Denis D'Amour, Canadian guitarist and songwriter
• 2005 - Robert Denning, American art collector and interior designer
• 2005 - Moondog King, Canadian wrestler and politician
• 2006 - Rainer Barzel, Polish-German lawyer and politician, Minister of Intra-German Relations
• 2006 - Clyde Walcott, Barbadian cricketer and coach
• 2007 - Gaston Thorn, Luxembourger jurist and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Luxembourg
• 2009 - Dominick Dunne, American journalist and novelist
• 2010 - Raimon Panikkar, Catalan priest and scholar
• 2011 - George Band, Taiwanese-English mountaineer and author
• 2011 - Patrick C. Fischer, American computer scientist and academic
• 2011 - John McAleese, Scottish sergeant
• 2012 - Russ Alben, American composer and businessman
• 2012 - Reginald Bartholomew, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy
• 2012 - Jacques Bensimon, Canadian director and producer
• 2012 - Krzysztof Wilmanski, Polish-German physicist and academic
• 2013 - Hélie de Saint Marc, French soldier
• 2013 - John J. Gilligan, American soldier and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio
• 2013 - Bill Schmitz, American football player and coach
• 2013 - Jack Sinagra, American lawyer and politician
• 2013 - Clyde A. Wheeler, American soldier and politician
• 2014 - Christian Bourquin, French lawyer and politician
• 2014 - Peter Bacon Hales, American historian, photographer, and author
• 2014 - Caroline Kellett, English journalist
• 2014 - Chūsei Sone, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter
• 2015 - Amelia Boynton Robinson, American activist
• 2015 - Donald Eric Capps, American theologian, author, and academic
• 2015 - P. J. Kavanagh, English poet and author
• 2015 - Stefanos Manikas, Greek politician
• 2015 - Francisco San Diego, Filipino bishop
• 2017 - Tobe Hooper, American film director
• 2018 - Neil Simon, American playwright and author

  Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
• * Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia
• * Alexander of Bergamo
• * Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá
• * David Lewis
• * Jeanne-Elisabeth Bichier des Ages
• * Mariam Baouardy
• * Melchizedek
• * Our Lady of Częstochowa
• * Simplicius, Constantius and Victorinus
• * Teresa Jornet Ibars
• * Zephyrinus
• * August 26
• The Sunday nearest to this date is Go Topless Day
• Herero Day
• Heroes' Day
• Repentance Day
• Women's Equality Day