26 May on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born

Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.

Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Sasanids defeat the Armenians militarily but guarantee them freedom to openly practice Christianity.

Basil I is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire by Michael III.

England is left temporarily without a monarch after the death of King Edmund I in a street fight, resulting in Edmund's brother Eadred assuming the throne for the minority of Edmund's two sons.

King Otto I elects his six-year-old son Otto II as heir apparent and co-ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom. He is crowned at Aachen, and placed under the tutelage of his grandmother Matilda.

Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in León Cathedral as Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of all of Spain).

An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 23,000.

William of Ockham, the Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena, and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.

Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.

The Battle of Haarlemmermeer, a naval engagement in the Eighty Years' War.

Pequot War: A combined English and Mohegan force under John Mason attacks a village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Pequots.

Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory in the Battle of Montijo.

The Battle of Ackia is fought near the present site of Tupelo, Mississippi. British and Chickasaw soldiers repel a French and Choctaw attack on the then-Chickasaw village of Ackia.

A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut, celebrates the end of fighting in the American Revolutionary War.

Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan Cathedral, the gothic cathedral in Milan.

Establishment of the Peloponnesian Senate by the Greek rebels.

At least 113 people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway's history.

President Abraham Lincoln signs legislation organizing the Montana Territory.

Conclusion of the American Civil War: The Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi division, is the last full general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: President Andrew Johnson is acquitted by one vote in the United States Senate.

Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.

The comic novel The Diary of a Nobody by brothers George and Weedon Grossmith first appeared in serial form in Punch.

Germany's Emanuel Lasker defeated Wilhelm Steinitz to become the world chess champion, beginning a record 27-year reign.

Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Nicholas II is crowned as the last Tsar of Imperial Russia.

The Church of England returned the original manuscript of William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, an account of the Pilgrims and the early years of the Plymouth Colony, to the state of Massachusetts.

Thousand Days' War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colombian Liberal Party in the Battle of Palonegro.

Românul de la Pind, the longest-running newspaper by and about Aromanians until World War II, is founded.

Vauxhall Bridge in London opened, crossing the River Thames between Vauxhall and Westminster.

The first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made at Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia. The rights to the resource were quickly acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.

The first 24 Hours of Le Mans is held in France. Run annually in June thereafter, it became the oldest endurance racing event in the world.

Abd el-Krim ends surrenders to the French, bringing an end to the Rif War.

The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.

Donoghue v Stevenson is decided, ultimately establishing the foundation for negligence in common law jurisdictions worldwide.

American singer Jimmie Rodgers died at the Taft Hotel in New York City.

In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for ten hours.

Walter Reuther and members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) clash with Ford Motor Company security guards at the River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan, during the Battle of the Overpass.

In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.

World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France. The Battle of Dunkirk begins simultaneously as Allied defenders fight to slow down the German offensive.

World War II: The Siege of Calais ends with the surrender of the British and French garrison.

World War II: The Battle of Gazala begins, in present-day Libya.

The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 80-557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.

British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.

The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.

H-dagurinn in Iceland: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight.

Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first crewed Moon landing.

The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.

Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army slaughters at least 71 Hindus in Burunga, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Cold War: The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

An EA-6B Prowler crashes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.

Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).

The 7.8 Mw Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.

The European Community adopts the European flag.

Tropical Storm Cecil dissipated over Laos after devastating Quảng Nam province, Vietnam, and causing the deaths of 751 people.

Lauda Air Flight 004 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes in the Phu Toei National Park in the Suphan Buri province of Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.

Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.

A MIAT Mongolian Airlines Harbin Y-12 crashes near Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia, resulting in 28 deaths.

The Supreme Court of the United States rules in New Jersey v. New York that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.

The first "National Sorry Day" is held in Australia. Reconciliation events are held nationally, and attended by over a million people.

Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League final to become the first English football club to win three major championships in the same season.

The tugboat Robert Y. Love collides with a support pier of Interstate 40 on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 others injured.

Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines Flight 4230 crashes in the Turkish town of Maçka, killing 75.

Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.

Narendra Modi takes oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India.

Protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd erupt in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, later becoming widespread across the United States and around the world.

Ten people are killed in a shooting at a VTA rail yard in San Jose, California, United States.

65 people are injured when a car rams into a crowd on Water Street, near Liverpool F.C.'s Premier League trophy parade.

John Wayne, American actor, director, and producer (died 1979)

Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (died 1991)

Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut, founded Sally Ride Science (died 2012)

Helena Bonham Carter, English actress

Clement VII, pope of the Catholic Church (died 1534)

Jeremy Corbyn, British journalist and politician

Frederik X, King of Denmark

Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (died 1603)

Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor

János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, 46th Prime Minister of Hungary (died 1989)

Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer, developed the first wiki

Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of George V of the United Kingdom, Empress Consort of India (died 1953)

Abraham de Moivre, French-English mathematician and theorist (died 1754)

Dorothea Lange, American photographer and journalist (died 1965)

Stevie Nicks, American singer-songwriter

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (died 1722)

Luca Toni, Italian footballer

Peter Cushing, English actor (died 1994)

Lauryn Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

Juan Cuadrado, Colombian footballer

Edmond de Goncourt, French author and critic, founded the Académie Goncourt (died 1896)

Peggy Lee, American singer-songwriter and actress (died 2002)

Matt Stone, American actor, animator, screenwriter, producer, and composer

William Petty, English economist and philosopher (died 1687)

Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor and singer (died 1971)

Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and manager (died 1994)

Pam Grier, American actress

Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and assisted suicide activist (died 2011)

Adolfo López Mateos, Mexican politician, 48th President of Mexico (died 1969)

Philippe de Champaigne, Dutch-French painter (died 1674)

Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (died 1760)

Al Jolson, American singer and actor (died 1950)

Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer

Adolfo de la Huerta, Mexican politician and provisional president, 1920 (died 1955)

Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian author and playwright

Aldrich Ames, American CIA officer and criminal (died 2026)

Robert Morley, English actor (died 1992)

Black, English singer-songwriter (died 2016)

Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player

James Arness, American actor (died 2011)

Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, producer, and actor (died 2012)

Alan Hollinghurst, English novelist, poet, short story writer, and translator

Dani Samuels, Australian discus thrower

Muhammed Faris, Syrian military aviator and cosmonaut (died 2024)

Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (died 1983)

Pierre Daninos, French author (died 2005)

Natalya Gorbanevskaya, Russian-Polish poet and activist (died 2013)

Margaret Colin, American actress

Zola Budd, South African runner

Philip Michael Thomas, American actor

Romas Ubartas, Lithuanian discus thrower

Tarsem Singh, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter

Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese illustrator

Robert W. Chambers, American author and illustrator (died 1933)

Peter Kürten, German serial killer (died 1931)

Ramón Calderón, Spanish lawyer and businessman

Kay Hagan, American lawyer and politician (died 2019)

Michael Portillo, English journalist, politician and TV presenter

Bob Fitzsimmons, English-New Zealand boxer (died 1917)

Ashley Massaro, American wrestler and model (died 2019)