March 26

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March 26 in recent years   2024 (Tuesday)   2023 (Sunday)   2022 (Saturday)   2021 (Friday)   2020 (Thursday)   2019 (Tuesday)   2018 (Monday)   2017 (Sunday)   2016 (Saturday)   2015 (Thursday)

March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 280 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1199 - Richard the Lionheart is fatally wounded by a crossbow bolt during a siege in France, he dies eleven days later. The marksman, a french noble named Pierre Basile, is executed.
• 1484 - William Caxton printed his translation of Aesop's Fables.
• 1552 - Guru Amar Das becomes the Third Sikh Guru.
• 1636 - Utrecht University is founded in The Netherlands.
• 1808 - Charles IV of Spain abdicates in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII.
• 1812 - An earthquake destroys Caracas, Venezuela.
• 1839 - The first Henley Royal Regatta is held.
• 1881 - Thessaly is freed and becomes part of Greece again.
• 1913 - Balkan War: Bulgarian forces take Adrianople.
• 1910 - Football: Norwegian football club Bærum SK is founded.
• 1917 - World War I: First Battle of Gaza - British troops are halted after 17,000 Turks block their advance.
• 1934 - Driving test introduced in the United Kingdom.
• 1942 - World War II: In Poland, Auschwitz receives its first female prisoners.
• 1945 - World War II: the third and final Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.
• 1953 - Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine.
• 1958 - The United States Army launches Explorer III.
• 1958 - The African Regroupment Party (PRA) is launched at a meeting in Paris.
• 1967 - Ten thousand people gather for the Central Park Be-In.
• 1971 - East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form People's Republic of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Liberation War begins.
• 1975 - The Biological Weapons Convention enters into force.
• 1976 - Queen Elizabeth II sent out the first royal email, from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment.
• 1979 - Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington, DC.
• 1982 - A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, DC.
• 1983 - Liverpool F.C. win the Football League Cup, beating Manchester United F.C. 2-1 at Wembley Stadium, despite Norman Whiteside becoming the youngest scorer in a major English final aged 17.
• 1991 - PAOK BC beats Saragosa BC in Geneva winning the basketball Cup Winners Cup.
• 1995 - The Schengen Treaty goes into effect.
• 1996 - The International Monetary Fund approves a $10.2 billion loan for Russia.
• 1997 - Thirty-nine bodies found in the Heaven's Gate cult suicides.
• 1997 - Brawl in Hockeytown in the NHL.
• 1998 - Oued Bouaicha massacre in Algeria; 52 people killed with axes and knives, 32 of them babies under the age of 2.
• 1999 - The "Melissa worm" infects Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world.
• 1999 - A jury in Michigan finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man.
• 2000 - Presidential elections are held in Russia, and Vladimir Putin is elected President.
• 2001 - World Championship Wrestlings final broadcast on TNT after the World Wrestling Federation bought the rival company.
• 2005 - The Taiwanese government calls on 1 million Taiwanese to demonstrate in Taipei, in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China. Around 200,000 to 300,000 attend the walk.
• 2006 - In Scotland the prohibition of smoking in all substantially enclosed public places comes into force.
• 2007 - In Northern Ireland Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley reach an agreement.

Births

• 1516 - Conrad Gessner, Swiss naturalist (d. 1565)
• 1554 - Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, French military leader (d. 1611)
• 1698 - Václav Prokop Diviš, Czech theologian and natural scientist (d. 1765)
• 1753 - Benjamin Thompson, American physicist and inventor (d. 1814)
• 1794 - Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (d. 1872)
• 1859 - Alfred Edward Housman, English poet (d. 1936)
• 1859 - Adolf Hurwitz, German mathematician (d. 1919)
• 1868 - King Fuad I of Egypt (d. 1936)
• 1875 - Robert Frost, American poet (d. 1963)
• 1875 - Max Abraham, German physicist (d. 1922)
• 1875 - Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea (d. 1965)
• 1879 - Othmar Ammann, Swiss-born bridge engineer (d. 1965)
• 1882 - Hermann Obrecht, member of the Swiss Federal Council (d. 1940)
• 1884 - Wilhelm Backhaus, German pianist (d. 1969)
• 1886 - Hugh Mulzac, First African-America captain of the Merchant Marine (d. 1971)
• 1896 - Rudolf Dassler, Founder of PUMA AG (d. 1974)
• 1888 - Elsa Brändström, Swedish nurse (d. 1948)
• 1893 - Palmiro Togliatti, Italian communist leader (d. 1964)
• 1904 - Joseph Campbell, American author (d. 1987)
• 1904 - Emilio Fernández, Mexican actor, screenwriter and film director (d. 1986)
• 1904 - Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004)
• 1905 - Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (d. 1997)
• 1906 - Rafael Mendez, Mexican trumpetist (d. 1981)
• 1908 - Franz Stangl, commandant of Nazi concentration camps (d. 1971)
• 1911 - Bernard Katz, German-born biophysicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2003)
• 1911 - Tennessee Williams, American dramatist (d. 1983)
• 1911 - T. Hee, American animator (d. 1988)
• 1913 - Paul Erdős, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1996)
• 1914 - Toru Kumon, Japanese educator (d. 1995)
• 1914 - William Westmoreland, U.S. general (d. 2005)
• 1916 - Christian B. Anfinsen, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1995)
• 1916 - Bill Edrich, English cricketer (d. 1986)
• 1916 - Sterling Hayden, American actor (d. 1986)
• 1917 - Rufus Thomas, American musician (d. 2001)
• 1919 - Strother Martin, American actor (d. 1980)
• 1922 - Oscar Sala, Italian-born physicist
• 1923 - Gert Bastian, German politician (d. 1992)
• 1923 - Bob Elliott, American comedian
• 1925 - Pierre Boulez, French composer and conductor
• 1925 - James Moody, American jazz musician, composer, and actor
• 1930 - Gregory Corso, American poet (d. 2001)
• 1930 - Sandra Day O'Connor, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
• 1931 - Leonard Nimoy, American actor and director
• 1934 - Alan Arkin, American actor
• 1935 - Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestine National Authority
• 1937 - Wayne Embry, American basketball player
• 1938 - Anthony James Leggett, American physicist, Nobel laureate
• 1940 - James Caan, American actor
• 1940 - Nancy Pelosi, American politician
• 1941 - Richard Dawkins, British evolutionary biologist
• 1941 - Yvon Marcoux, Quebec politician
• 1942 - Erica Jong, American author
• 1943 - Bob Woodward, American journalist
• 1944 - Diana Ross, American singer (Supremes)
• 1945 - Mikhail Voronin, Soviet gymnast (d. 2004)
• 1946 - Johnny Crawford, American actor
• 1946 - Alain Madelin, French politician
• 1947 - Dar Robinson, American stuntman (d. 1986)
• 1948 - Richard Tandy, British keyboardist (Electric Light Orchestra)
• 1948 - Steven Tyler, American singer (Aerosmith)
• 1949 - Vicki Lawrence, American actress and singer
• 1949 - Patrick Süskind, German writer
• 1950 - Teddy Pendergrass, American singer
• 1950 - Martin Short, Canadian comedian
• 1950 - Ernest Thomas, American actor
• 1951 - Carl Wieman, American physicist, Nobel laureate
• 1952 - Didier Pironi, French Formula One driver (d. 1987)
• 1953 - Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor
• 1953 - Lincoln Chafee, American Senator from Rhode Island
• 1953 - Youssouf Togoïmi, Chadian rebel (d. 2002)
• 1954 - Kazuhiko Inoue, Japanese seiyu (voice actor)
• 1954 - Curtis Sliwa, American founder of the Guardian Angels
• 1956 - Charly McClain, American singer
• 1957 - Leeza Gibbons, American television host
• 1958 - Chris Codiroli, American baseballer
• 1958 - Elio de Angelis, Italian racing driver (d. 1986)
• 1960 - Catherine Keener, American actress
• 1960 - Marcus Allen, American football player
• 1960 - Jennifer Grey, American actress
• 1961 - William Hague, British politician
• 1962 - John Stockton, American basketball player
• 1962 - Paul de Leeuw, Dutch television host
• 1963 - Natsuhiko Kyogoku, Japanese writer
• 1963 - Roch Voisine, Canadian singer and songwriter
• 1964 - Martin Donnelly, Irish racecar driver
• 1964 - Marc Pichette, Canadian television communication planner
• 1964 - Ulf Samuelsson, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1966 - Nick Wirth, British engineer
• 1968 - Kenny Chesney, American singer
• 1968 - James Iha, American musician (The Smashing Pumpkins and A Perfect Circle)
• 1968 - Laurent Brochard, French cyclist
• 1971 - Behzad Ghorbani, Iranian zoologist and sociobiologist
• 1973 - Heather Goldenhersh, American actress
• 1973 - Lawrence E. Page, American search engine pioneer
• 1973 - T.R. Knight, American actor
• 1974 - Mike Peca, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1976 - Amy Smart, American actress
• 1976 - Nurgül Yeşilçay, Turkish actress
• 1976 - Ufuk Talay, Australian soccer player
• 1977 - Kevin Davies, English footballer
• 1977 - Sylvain Grenier, Canadian professional wrestler
• 1978 - Anastasia Kostaki, Greek basketball player
• 1979 - Hiromi Uehara, Japanese jazz pianist
• 1979 - Pierre Wome, Cameroonian footballer
• 1981 - Baruch Dego, Israeli football player
• 1981 - Josh Wilson, American baseball player
• 1982 - Mikel Arteta, Spanish footballer
• 1983 - Michael Brendli, American professional wrestler
• 1984 - Gregory Strydom, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1984 - Stéphanie Lapointe, Canadian artist and singer, 2004 Star Académie winner
• 1984 - Sara Jean Underwood, American model
• 1985 - Keira Knightley, English actress
• 1985 - Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwean cricket captain
• 1987 - Yui, Japanese musician
• 1991 - Brittney Wilson, Canadian actress

Deaths

• 304 - Saint Emmanuel, Christian martyr killed under Diocletian
• 922 - Al-Hallaj, Persian Sufi teacher and writer
• 1130 - King Sigurd I of Norway (b. ca. 1090)
• 1212 - King Sancho I of Portugal (b. 1154)
• 1517 - Heinrich Isaac, Flemish composer
• 1535 - Georg Tannstetter, Austrian scientist (b. 1482)
• 1546 - Thomas Elyot, English diplomat
• 1566 - Antonio de Cabezón, Spanish composer (b. 1510)
• 1649 – John Winthrop, second governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
• 1679 - Johannes Schefferus, Alsatian-born humanist (b. 1621)
• 1697 - Godfrey McCulloch, Scottish politician and murderer (executed) (b. 1640)
• 1726 - Sir John Vanbrugh, English dramatist (b. 1664)
• 1772 - Charles Pinot Duclos, French writer (b. 1704)
• 1776 - Samuel Ward, American politician (b. 1725)
• 1780 - Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (b. 1713)
• 1793 - John Mudge, English physician (b. 1721)
• 1797 - James Hutton, Scottish geologist (b. 1726)
• 1814 - Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, namesake of the guillotine (b. 1738)
• 1827 - Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer (b. 1770)
• 1858 - John Addison Thomas, American soldier (b. 1811)
• 1881 - Roman Sanguszko, Polish aristocrat (b. 1800)
• 1892 - Walt Whitman, American poet (b. 1819)
• 1902 - Cecil Rhodes, English explorer (b. 1853)
• 1905 - Maurice Barrymore, actor; patriarch of the Barrymore family (b. 1849)
• 1910 - Auguste Charlois, French astronomer (b. 1864)
• 1910 - An Jung-geun, Japanese assassin of Ito Hirobumi (executed) (b. 1879)
• 1920 - William Chester Minor, American surgeon and contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary (b. 1834)
• 1923 - Sarah Bernhardt, French actress (b. 1844)
• 1926 - Konstantin Fehrenbach, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1852)
• 1929 - Katharine Lee Bates, American poet (b. 1859)
• 1933 - Eddie Lang, American musician (b. 1902)
• 1940 - Spiridon Louis, Greek runner, winner of the first modern Olympics marathon (b. 1873)
• 1942 - Jimmy Burke, American baseball player (b. 1874)
• 1945 - David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1863)
• 1957 - Édouard Herriot, French politician (b. 1872)
• 1958 - Phil Mead, English cricketer (b. 1887)
• 1959 - Raymond Chandler, American-born novelist (b. 1888)
• 1969 - John Kennedy Toole, American author (b. 1937)
• 1973 - Noel Coward, English composer and playwright (b. 1899)
• 1973 - Johnny Drake, American football player (b. 1916)
• 1973 - Don Messer, Canadian fiddler (b. 1909)
• 1973 - George Sisler, American baseball player (b. 1893)
• 1976 - Josef Albers, German artist (b. 1888)
• 1976 - Lin Yutang, Chinese writer (b. 1895)
• 1983 - Anthony Blunt, British art historian and spy (b. 1907)
• 1984 - Ahmed Sékou Touré, President of Guinea (b. 1922)
• 1987 - Eugen Jochum, German conductor (b. 1902)
• 1990 - Halston, American fashion designer (b. 1932)
• 1992 - Barbara Frum, Canadian journalist (b. 1937)
• 1995 - Eazy-E, American rapper (b. 1963)
• 1996 - Edmund Muskie, American politician (b. 1914)
• 1996 - David Packard, American engineer and businessman (b. 1912)
• 1997 - Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader (b. 1931)
• 2000 - Alex Comfort, American author (b. 1920)
• 2002 - Randy Castillo, American drummer (Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe) (b. 1950)
• 2003 - Daniel Patrick Moynihan, U.S. Senator (b. 1927)
• 2004 - Jan Berry, American musician (Jan and Dean) (b. 1941)
• 2004 - Jan Sterling, American actress (b. 1921)
• 2005 - James Callaghan, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1912)
• 2005 - Paul Hester, Australian drummer (Split Enz and Crowded House) (b. 1959)
• 2005 - Marius Russo, American baseball player (b. 1914)
• 2006 - Anil Biswas, Indian politician (b. 1944)
• 2006 - Paul Dana, American race car driver (b. 1975)
• 2006 - Nikki Sudden, British singer/songwriter (b. 1956)
• 2007 - Sylvia Straus, American classical pianist, wife of Jewish Theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel

Holidays and observances

• Independence Day - Bangladesh
• Zoroastrianism - Prophet Zoroaster's Birthday.
• Prince Kuhio Day in Hawaii

Liturgical feasts

Catholic:

• Saint Emmanuel (died 304)
• Saint Ludger
• Saint Larissa
• Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church: Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
• Orthodox Christian liturgical calendar - Synaxis of St. Gabriel the Archangel

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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