Historical Events on July 26

  • 1758: British troops defeat the French and take possession of the Gulf Of Saint Lawrence at the conclusion of the Siege of Louisbourg during the French and Indian War.
  • 1775: The Second Continental Congress creates the forerunner to the modern U.S Post Office. Benjamin Franklin becomes Postmaster General.
  • 1788: The U.S Constitution is ratified by New York, who also becomes the 11th state of the U.S.
  • 1803: One of the first public railways in the world, the Surrey Iron Railway, is opened in South London.
  • 1861: After a terrible Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War, George B. McClellan becomes commander of the Army of the Potomac.
  • 1863: Union forces capture John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate volunteers as Morgan’s Raid comes to a conclusion in Salineville, Ohio during the American Civil War.
  • 1941: After French Indochina is occupied by Japanese forces, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the seizure of all Japanese assets that exist in the U.S.
  • 1944: The city of Lviv in the Western part of the Ukraine is invaded by the Red Army.
  • 1945: Winston Churchill is removed from power when the Labour Party wins the U.K general election.
  • 1945: In Potsdam, Germany, the Potsdam Declaration is signed into law.
  • 1945: The HMS Vestal is sunk. It’s the last British Royal Navy vessel to be sunk during World War 2.
  • 1945: The USS Indianapolis arrives at Tinian. It was carrying parts for the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Famous Birthdays on July 26

  • Belgian politician and Nobel Prize laureate, Auguste Beernaert is born in 1829.
  • Irish playwright, critic and Nobel Prize laureate, George Bernard Shaw is born in 1856.
  • Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Carl Jung is born in 1875.
  • American author and journalist, Rick Bragg is born in 1959.
  • American actor and director, Kevin Spacey is born in 1959.
  • American actress and producer, Sandra Bullock is born in 1964.
  • American actor and producer, Jeremy Piven is born in 1965.
  • English actor Jason Statham is born in 1967.
  • English actress Kate Beckinsale is born in 1973.