MARCH 26

Contents

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

Liturgical feasts

External links

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: In Iwo Jima, US forces declare Iwo Jima as "secure."

★ 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.

★ 1965 - Alice Herz sets herself on fire in protest for the Vietnam War

★ 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.

★ 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.

★ 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 - Kingdome is imploded. First live event to be covered by ESPN Classic.

★ 2000 - Presidential elections are held in Russia, and Vladimir Putin is elected President.

★ 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.

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)

★ 1874 - 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

★ 1955 - Danny Arndt, Canadian ice hockey player

★ 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

★ 1966 - Michael Imperioli Actor on The Sopranos

★ 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

★ 1985 - Jonathan Groff, American stage actor

★ 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)

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

★

★ On This Day in Canada
----