Who are famous people born on March 26?

Famous people born on March 26 include: Jesús Fortea, Ella Anderson, Awra Briguela.

What famous people died on March 26?

Notable historical figures who died on March 26 include: Noelia Castillo, Mary Rand, Epeli Nailatikau.

March 26 in History

Q: What happened on March 26 in history?

On March 26, 2005: Around 200,000 to 300,000 Taiwanese demonstrate in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China.

2005 — Around 200,000 to 300,000 Taiwanese demonstrate in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China

March 26 spans 53 recorded events across recorded history — from 590 – 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · March 26 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 53 events 590 – 2024

Did you know

In 2005, Around 200,000 to 300,000 Taiwanese demonstrate in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

Taipei, officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of Taiwan. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of the northern port city of Keelung. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

Most of the city rests on the Taipei Basin, an ancient lakebed. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

The basin is bounded by the relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the city's western border. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Roman emperor from 582 to 602

Maurice was Eastern Roman emperor from 582 to 602 and the last member of the Justinian dynasty. A successful general, Maurice was chosen as heir and son-in-law by his predecessor Tiberius II.

590

First Eid al-Fitr celebration.

Islamic holiday on the first of Shawwal

Eid al-Fitr is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. The holiday falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. One of the most important Islamic celebrations, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide as it marks the end of the month-long, dawn-to-dusk fasting (sawm) during Ramadan. The holiday is known under various other names in different languages and countries around the world.

624

Election of Pope Stephen II following the death of Pope Zachary.

Head of the Catholic Church from 752 to 757

Pope Stephen II was the bishop of Rome from 752 until his death in 757. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy. During Stephen's pontificate, Rome was facing invasion by the Lombards when Stephen II went to Paris to seek assistance from Pepin the Short. Pepin defeated the Lombards and made a gift of land to the pope, eventually leading to the establishment of the Papal States.

752

The death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, is announced, along with the succession of his son, al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah.

Fourth Islamic caliphate (909–1171)

The Fatimid Caliphate, also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate that existed from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa and West Asia, it ranged from the western Mediterranean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The Fatimids traced their ancestry to the Islamic prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatima and her husband Ali, the first Shi'a imam. The Fatimids were acknowledged as the rightful imams by different Isma'ili communities as well as by denominations in many other Muslim lands and adjacent regions. Starting in Ifriqiya during the Abbasid Caliphate, the Fatimids overthrew the Aghlabids and extended their rule across the Mediterranean coast and ultimately made Egypt the centre of the caliphate. At its height, the caliphate included—in addition to Egypt—varying areas of the Maghreb, Sicily, the Levant, and the Hejaz.

1021

Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.

Head of the Catholic Church from 1024 to 1032

Pope John XIX, born Roman of Tusculum, was the Bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1024 to his death. He belonged to the family of the powerful Counts of Tusculum, succeeding his brother, Benedict VIII. Papal relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople soured during John XIX's pontificate. He was a supporter of Emperor Conrad II and patron of the musician Guido of Arezzo.

1027

Saladin becomes the emir of Egypt.

Founder of the Ayyubid dynasty (c. 1137–1193)

Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, commonly known as Saladin, was a Kurdish commander and political leader. He was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, he spearheaded the Muslim military effort against the Crusader states in the Levant. At the height of his power, the Ayyubid realm spanned Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen, and Nubia.

1169

The crown of Aragon and the crown of Castile agree in the Treaty of Almizra on the limits of their respective expansion into al-Andalus.

Composite monarchy (1162–1707/1715)

The Crown of Aragon was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona and ended as a consequence of the War of the Spanish Succession. At the height of its power in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Crown of Aragon was a thalassocracy controlling a large portion of present-day eastern Iberian Peninsula, parts of what is now southern France, and a Mediterranean empire which included the Balearic Islands, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta, Southern Italy, and parts of Greece.

1244

The Siege of Algeciras, one of the first European military engagements where gunpowder was used, comes to an end.

Castilian siege of the Marinid Empire capital

The siege of Algeciras (1342–1344) was undertaken during the Reconquest of Spain by the Castillian forces of Alfonso XI assisted by the fleets of the Crown of Aragon and the Republic of Genoa. The objective was to capture the city of Algeciras, called Al-Jazeera Al-Khadra by the Arabs who occupied it. The city was the capital and the main port of the European territory of the Marinid Empire.

1344

Combat of the Thirty: Thirty Breton knights call out and defeat thirty English knights.

Part of the Breton War of Succession (1351)

The Combat of the Thirty, occurring on 26 March 1351, was an episode in the Breton War of Succession fought to determine who would rule the Duchy of Brittany. It was an arranged fight between selected combatants from both sides of the conflict, fought at a site midway between the Breton castles of Josselin and Ploërmel among 30 champions, knights, and squires on each side. The challenge was issued by Jean de Beaumanoir, a captain of Charles of Blois supported by King Philip VI of France, to Robert Bemborough, a captain of Jean de Montfort supported by Edward III of England.

1351

William Caxton prints his translation of Aesop's Fables.

English merchant and printer (c. 1422–c. 1491)

William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England in 1476, and as a printer to be the first English retailer of printed books.

1484

Guru Amar Das becomes the Third Sikh guru.

Third Sikh guru from 1552 to 1574

Guru Amar Das, sometimes spelled as Guru Amardas, was the third guru of Sikhism and became Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at age 73.

1552

Utrecht University is founded in the Netherlands.

Public research university in the Netherlands

Utrecht University is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established 26 March 1636, it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2024, it had an enrollment of 39,008 students, and employed 8,929 faculty members and staff. More than 600 PhD degrees were awarded and 8,314 scientific articles were published. The university's 2024 budget was €2.9 billion, consisting of €1.258 billion for the university and €1.643 billion for the University Medical Center Utrecht.

1636

The Royal Academy of Turku, the first university of Finland, is founded in the city of Turku by Queen Christina of Sweden at the proposal of Count Per Brahe.

University in Finland (1640 to 1828); now the University of Helsinki

The Royal Academy of Turku or the Royal Academy of Åbo was the first university in Finland, and the only Finnish university that was founded when the country still was a part of Sweden. It was founded in 1640. In 1809, after Finland became a grand duchy within the Russian Empire, it was renamed the Imperial Academy of Turku. In 1828, after the Great Fire of Turku, the institution was moved to Helsinki, in line with the relocation of the capital of the grand duchy. It was finally renamed the University of Helsinki when Finland declared independence in 1917.

1640

The silver-loaded Spanish ship San José, pushed south by strong winds, is wrecked on the coast of southern Chile and its surviving crew members are killed by indigenous Cuncos.

Revenues within the Spanish Empire for financing colonial defenses

The real situado was the Spanish term for revenues that the viceroyalties of Peru, New Spain, New Granada, and Rio de la Plata sent to finance colonial frontier defenses against internal and external enemies.

1651

Safavid government troops take control of Basra.

Iran under the Safavid dynasty from 1501 to 1736

The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled by the Safavid dynasty from 1501 to 1736, albeit others place the end on the year 1722, when Isfahan fell to the Afghans. It is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires.

1697

William Dampier is the first European to circumnavigate New Britain, discovering it is an island (which he names Nova Britannia) rather than part of New Guinea.

English explorer, pirate, privateer and naturalist (1651–1715)

William Dampier was an English explorer, pirate, privateer and naturalist who became the first Englishman to explore parts of what is today Australia, and the first person to circumnavigate the world three times. He has also been described as Australia's first natural historian, as well as one of the most important British explorers of the period between the 16th-century explorer Sir Francis Drake and the 18th-century explorer James Cook; he "bridged those two eras" with a mix of piratical derring-do of the former and scientific inquiry of the latter.

1700

An earthquake devastates Caracas, Venezuela.

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Venezuela

The 1812 Caracas earthquake took place in Venezuela on March 26 at 4:37 p.m. It measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. It caused extensive damage in Caracas, La Guaira, Barquisimeto, San Felipe, and Mérida. An estimated 15,000–20,000 people perished as a result, in addition to incalculable material damage.

1812

A political cartoon in the Boston-Gazette coins the term "gerrymander" to describe oddly shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelection.

Form of political manipulation

Gerrymandering, defined in the contexts of representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency.

1812

The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.

Sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement

The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.

1830

The first Henley Royal Regatta is held.

Recurring rowing event in Henley-on-Thames, England

Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the three other regattas rowed over approximately the same course, Henley Women's Regatta, Henley Masters Regatta, and Henley Town and Visitors' Regatta, each of which is an entirely separate event.

1839

The elections of Commune council of the Paris Commune are held.

1871 revolutionary city council

The Paris Commune was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended Paris, and working class radicalism grew among its soldiers. Following the establishment of the French Third Republic in September 1870 and the complete defeat of the French Army by the Germans by March 1871, soldiers of the National Guard seized control of the city on 18 March. The Communards killed two French Army generals and refused to accept the authority of the Third Republic; instead, the radicals set about establishing their own independent government.

1871

The Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel begin the North-West Rebellion against Canada.

Mixed Indigenous ethnic group of Canada and the US

The Métis are a mixed-ancestry Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They have a shared history and culture, deriving from specific mixed European and Indigenous ancestry, which became distinct through ethnogenesis by the mid-18th century, during the early years of the North American fur trade.

1885

An explosion at the Brunner Mine near Greymouth, New Zealand, kills 65 coal miners in the country's worst industrial accident.

1896 mining accident in New Zealand

On 26 March 1896, an explosion deep in the Brunner Mine, New Zealand, killed all 65 miners below ground. The Brunner Mine disaster is the deadliest mining disaster in New Zealand's history.

1896

First Balkan War: Bulgarian forces capture Adrianople.

1912–1913 war between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire

The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the initially numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, achieving rapid success.

1913

The Vancouver Millionaires win the 1915 Stanley Cup Final, the first championship played between the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the National Hockey Association.

Former ice hockey team

The Vancouver Millionaires were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, they played in Denman Arena, the first artificial ice surface in Canada and the largest indoor ice rink in the world at the time it opened.

1915

World War I: First Battle of Gaza: British troops are halted after 17,000 Turks block their advance.

1914–1918 global conflict

World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 15 to 22 million military and civilian casualties and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.

1917

The German Social Democratic Party is founded in Poland.

Political party in Poland

German Social Democratic Party was a political party in Poland, founded on March 26, 1922.

1922

Swissair is founded as the national airline of Switzerland.

National airline of Switzerland (1931–2002)

Swissair was the flag carrier of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and bankruptcy in 2002.

1931

Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union is founded in Vietnam.

Social-political organisation in Vietnam

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, simply recognized as the Union, is the largest socio-political organisation of Vietnamese youth. The union is under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The organization was founded on March 26, 1931, and was led and trained by Ho Chi Minh.

1931

The United Kingdom driving test is introduced.

Test of driving competence

The United Kingdom driving test is a test of competence that UK residents take in order to obtain a full Great Britain or Northern Ireland (car) driving licence or to add additional full entitlements to an existing one. Tests vary depending on the class of vehicle to be driven. In Great Britain it is administered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and in Northern Ireland by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).

1934

Spanish Civil War: Nationalists begin their final offensive of the war.

1936–1939 civil war in Spain

The Spanish Civil War was fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans and the Nationalist rebels. Republicans loyal to the left-leaning Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic included socialists, anarchists, communists, and separatists, supported by the Soviet Union. The opposing Nationalists were an alliance of fascist Falangists, monarchists, conservatives, and traditionalists, supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Initially led by a military junta, until General Francisco Franco was appointed supreme leader on 1 October 1936 of what he called the Spanish State. Due to the international political climate at the time, the war was variously viewed as class struggle, religious struggle, or struggle between republican democracy and dictatorship, revolution and counterrevolution, or between fascism and communism. The Nationalists won the war in early 1939, and ruled Spain until Franco's death in November 1975.

1939

The Holocaust: The first female prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.

Genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered around six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, approximately two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. The murders were committed primarily through mass shootings across Eastern Europe and poison gas chambers in extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno and Majdanek death camps in occupied Poland. Concurrent Nazi persecutions killed millions of other non-Jewish civilians and prisoners of war (POWs); the term Holocaust is sometimes used to include the murder and persecution of non-Jewish groups, such as the Romani and Soviet POWs.

1942

World War II: The Battle of Iwo Jima ends as the island is officially secured by American forces.

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1945

Nuclear weapons testing: The Romeo shot of Operation Castle is detonated at Bikini Atoll.

Yield: 11 megatons.

Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of their explosion. Over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests have been carried out since 1945. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to signal strength. Because of their destruction and fallout, testing has seen opposition by civilians as well as governments, with international bans having been agreed on. Thousands of tests have been performed, with most in the second half of the 20th century.

1954

Pan Am Flight 845/26 ditches in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oregon, killing four.

1955 aircraft accident in the Pacific Ocean

Pan Am Flight 845/26 was a four-engined Boeing 377 Stratocruiser named Clipper United States and registered as N1032V. It departed Portland International Airport in Oregon on a flight to Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii on 26 March 1955. The aircraft was en route and about 35 miles (56 km) off the Oregon coast when at 11:12 Pacific Standard Time the No. 3 engine and propeller tore loose from the wing causing a loss of control. The aircraft was ditched.

1955

The United States Army launches Explorer 3.

Satellite launched by the United States (1958)

Explorer 3 was an American artificial satellite launched into medium Earth orbit in 1958. It was the second successful launch in the Explorer program, and was nearly identical to the first U.S. satellite Explorer 1 in its design and mission.

1958

The African Regroupment Party is launched at a meeting in Paris.

Political party in the French African colonies

The African Regroupment Party was a political party in the French African colonies.

1958

Ten thousand people gather for one of many Central Park be-ins in New York City.

1967–1970 demonstrations in New York City

In the 1960s, several "be-ins" were held in Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, to protest against various issues such as U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and racism.

1967

South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu implements a land reform program to solve the problem of land tenancy.

Country in Southeast Asia (1955–1975)

South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam, was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered recognition in 1949 as the associated State of Vietnam within the French Union, with its capital at Saigon. Since 1950, it was a member of the Western Bloc during the Cold War. Following the 1954 partition of Vietnam, it became known as South Vietnam and was established as a republic in 1955. Although South Vietnam failed to gain admission into the United Nations as a result of a Soviet veto in 1957, its sovereignty was recognized by 95 countries as of January 1975. It was succeeded by the communist-controlled Republic of South Vietnam in 1975. In 1976, North Vietnam and the Republic of South Vietnam merged to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

1970

East Pakistan, then a province of Pakistan, declares its independence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh; the Bangladesh War of Independence begins.

Former provincial wing of Pakistan (1956–1971)

East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1956 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. To distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal, East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" or "country of Bengalis" or "land of Bengalis" in the Bengali language.

1971

The Biological Weapons Convention comes into force.

1975 treaty that comprehensively bans biological weapons

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), or Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), is a disarmament treaty that effectively bans biological and toxin weapons by prohibiting their development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use. The treaty's full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction.

1975

Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Egypt–Israel peace treaty in Washington, D.C.

President of Egypt from 1970 to 1981

Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the 3rd president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination in 1981. Sadat was a senior member of the Free Officers who overthrew King Farouk I in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and a close confidant of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, under whom he served as the vice president twice and whom he succeeded as president in 1970. He led Egypt in the October war of 1973. In 1978, Sadat and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, signed a peace treaty in cooperation with United States President Jimmy Carter, for which they were recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.

1979

An Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crashes at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport during a rejected takeoff, killing 10.

National airline of East Germany (1958–1991)

Interflug GmbH was the national airline of East Germany from 1963 to 1991. Based in East Berlin, it operated scheduled and chartered flights to European and intercontinental destinations out of its hub at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, focusing on Comecon countries. Interflug also had significant crop dusting operations. Following German reunification, the company was liquidated.

1979

Social Democratic Party (UK) is founded as a party.

Political party in the United Kingdom (1981–88)

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a centrist to centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. The party supported a mixed economy, electoral reform, European integration and a decentralised state while rejecting the possibility of trade unions being overly influential within industrial relations. The SDP officially advocated social democracy, and unofficially for social liberalism as well.

1981

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, D.C.

US national memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly called the Vietnam Memorial, is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Vietnam War. The two-acre (8,100 m2) site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those service members who died or remain missing as a result of their service in Vietnam and South East Asia during the war. The Memorial Wall was designed by American architect Maya Lin and is an example of minimalist architecture. The Wall, completed in 1982, has since been supplemented with the statue Three Soldiers in 1984 and the Vietnam Women's Memorial in 1993.

1982

Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay sign the Treaty of Asunción, establishing Mercosur, the South Common Market.

Country in South America

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern cone of South America. It covers an area of 2,780,085 km2 (1,073,397 mi2), making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world. Argentina shares the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, and is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. Argentina is a federal state subdivided into twenty-three provinces, and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and a part of Antarctica.

1991

Singapore Airlines Flight 117 is hijacked by four Pakistani terrorists and diverted to Changi Airport.

1991 aircraft hijacking in Singapore

Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was a regularly-scheduled Singapore Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. On 26 March 1991 the Airbus A310-324 serving the flight was hijacked en route by four Pakistani terrorists. The aircraft landed in Singapore. The hijackers, who were members of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), demanded the release from jail of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who later became President of Pakistan, as well as other PPP members.

1991

Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven's Gate mass suicides.

American UFO religion (1974–1997)

Heaven's Gate was an American new religious movement known primarily for the mass suicides of its members in 1997. Often described as a cult, it was founded in 1974 and led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985), known within the movement as Do and Ti, respectively. Nettles and Applewhite first met in 1972 and went on a journey of spiritual discovery, identifying themselves as the two witnesses of the Book of Revelation, attracting a following of several hundred people in the mid-1970s. In 1976, a core group of a few dozen members stopped recruiting and instituted a monastic lifestyle.

1997

During the Algerian Civil War, the Oued Bouaicha massacre sees fifty-two people, mostly infants, killed with axes and knives.

1992–2002 conflict between the Algerian government and Islamist rebels

The Algerian Civil War, known in Algeria as the Black Decade, was a civil war fought between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel groups from 11 January 1992 to 8 February 2002. The war began slowly, as it initially appeared the government had successfully crushed the Islamist movement, but armed groups emerged to declare violent jihad, and by 1994, violence had reached such a level that it appeared the government might not be able to withstand it. By 1996–97, it had become clear that the Islamist resistance had lost its popular support, although fighting continued for several years after.

1998

The South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan is torpedoed, killing 46 sailors.

After an international investigation, the President of the United Nations Security Council blames North Korea.

ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772) was a Pohang-class corvette of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), commissioned in 1989. On 26 March 2010, she broke in two following an explosion and sank near the sea border with North Korea, killing 46 sailors. An investigation conducted by an international team of experts from South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Sweden concluded that Cheonan was sunk by a torpedo launched by a North Korean Yeono-class midget submarine.

2010

Russia-wide anti-corruption protests in 99 cities.

The Levada Center survey showed that 38% of surveyed Russians supported protests and that 67 percent held Putin personally responsible for high-level corruption.

The 2017–2018 Russian protests were a long series of countrywide street protest actions and demonstrations in the Russian Federation, which were primarily concerned with suppressing corruption in the Russian government and abandoning the planned increase of retirement age.

2017

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses following a collision between the MV Dali container ship and one of the bridge's support pillars, killing six people.

Bridge in Maryland, U.S. (1977–2024)

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was a highway bridge that crossed the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor/Port. It was opened on March 23, 1977, to carry the Baltimore Beltway between Dundalk and Hawkins Point.

2024

Born on March 26

20 people 1991 – 2007

Jesús Fortea

Spanish footballer

Jesús Fortea Tejedo is a Spanish footballer who plays as a right-back for Real Madrid Castilla.

2007

Ella Anderson

American actress

Ella Aiko Anderson is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress, starring in roles such as Piper Hart on the Nickelodeon television series Henry Danger, and is also known for playing the…

2005

Awra Briguela

Filipino actor and comedian

Awra Briguela, is a Filipino actress and comedian who gained recognition after starring in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano (2016–2019), personally chosen for the role by the show's lead actor Coco Martin. Briguela's life was…

2004

Bhad Bhabie

American rapper and social media personality

Danielle Marie Bregoli, better known by her stage name Bhad Bhabie, is an American rapper, songwriter, and media personality. She gained viral recognition after appearing on the talk show Dr. Phil in 2016, when her…

2003

Jameson Williams

American football player

Jameson Demetri Williams, nicknamed "Jamo", is an American professional football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes before…

2001

Gefen Primo

Israeli judoka

Gefen Primo is an Israeli judoka. She competes in the under 52 kg weight category. She won a gold medal at the 2017 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. She won individual bronze medals in the 2018 European…

2000

Andrei Svechnikov

Russian ice hockey player

Andrei Igorevich Svechnikov is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Hurricanes selected him second overall in the 2018 NHL entry…

2000

Satoko Miyahara

Japanese figure skater

Satoko Miyahara is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2015 World silver medalist, the 2018 World bronze medalist, the 2016 Four Continents champion, a two-time Four Continents silver medalist, a two-time…

1998

Zane Musgrove

New Zealand rugby league player

Zane Musgrove is a Samoan international rugby league footballer who most recently played as a prop for the Bradford Bulls in the RFL Championship via Warrington Wolves & Oldham.

1996

Kathryn Bernardo

Filipino actress

Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo is a Filipino actress. Known for her work in mainstream productions, she has starred in three of the highest-grossing Filipino films of all time; The Hows of Us (2018), Hello, Love,…

1996

Ibai Llanos

Spanish internet personality

Ibai Llanos Garatea, better known mononymously as Ibai, is a Spanish internet celebrity, streamer, and esports commentator. He was a content creator for G2 Esports from 2020 to 2021. He is the co-founder of the esports…

1995

Ryan Arcidiacono

American basketball player

Ryan Curran Arcidiacono is an American professional basketball player for the Osos de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Nicknamed "the Arch of Dimes", he is widely considered among the greatest players…

1994

Alison Van Uytvanck

Belgian tennis player

Alison Van Uytvanck is a Belgian former professional tennis player. In August 2018, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 37.

1994

Paige VanZant

American mixed martial artist and model

Paige Michelle VanZant is an American mixed martial artist, bare knuckle boxer, professional wrestler, professional boxer, slap fighter, author, model, and OnlyFans content creator. VanZant was previously signed to the…

1994

Jed Wallace

English footballer

Jed Fernley Wallace is an English professional footballer who plays as a right winger for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

1994

Marcela Zacarías

Mexican tennis player

Marcela Zacarías Valle, known as Marcela Zacarías, is a former Mexican tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of 159, and a best doubles ranking of world No. 119, achieved on 24 October 2022.

1994

Nina Agdal

Danish model

Nina Brohus Agdal Paul is a Danish model. She is known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 2014, she appeared on the magazine's 50th anniversary cover alongside Chrissy Teigen and Lily…

1992

Stoffel Vandoorne

Belgian racing driver

Stoffel Jacques Luc Vandoorne is a Belgian racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot and serves as a test and reserve driver for Aston Martin in Formula One. In formula racing,…

1992

Matt Davidson

American baseball player

Matthew Glen Davidson is an American professional baseball infielder for the NC Dinos of the KBO League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox,…

1991

Ramy Youssef

American actor and comedian

Ramy Youssef is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known for his role as Ramy Hassan on the Hulu comedy series Ramy (2019–2022), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television…

1991

See all birthdays on March 26

Died on March 26

20 people 2013 – 2026

Noelia Castillo

Spanish woman who died after receiving euthanasia (born 2000)

Noelia Castillo Ramos was a Spanish woman who died after receiving euthanasia. Her request for euthanasia became a landmark case in Spain on the application of the Organic Law Regulating Euthanasia in the country. At…

2026

Mary Rand

English sprinter and long jumper (born 1940)

Mary Denise Rand was an English athlete who excelled at jumping, hurdles and the pentathlon. She won the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics by breaking the world record, the first British female to win an Olympic…

2026

Epeli Nailatikau

Fijian chief, President of Fiji (born 1941)

Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau,, often referred to as Na Turaga Mai Naisogolaca, was a Fijian chief who was President of Fiji from 2009 to 2015. He had a long career in the Military, diplomatic service, and…

2026

James Tolkan

American actor (born 1931)

James Stewart Tolkan was an American character actor. He was best known for portraying the strict high school vice‑principal Mr. Strickland in Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future Part II (1989), and the…

2026

Esther Coopersmith

American diplomat, UNESCO goodwill ambassador (born 1930)

Esther Lipsen Coopersmith was an American diplomat, philanthropist, political lobbyist, and a champion for women's equality. For over 70 years, she organized gatherings, from small dinners to grand formal ones, across…

2024

María Kodama

Argentine writer and translator (born 1937)

María Kodama Schweizer was an Argentine writer and translator. The widow of author Jorge Luis Borges, she was the sole owner of his estate after his death in 1986. Borges had bequeathed to Kodama his rights as author in…

2023

Innocent Vareed Thekkethala

Indian actor and politician (born 1948)

Innocent Vareed Thekkethala, known mononymously as Innocent, was an Indian actor, film producer, writer and politician, who in a career spanning almost five decades has appeared in over 700 films predominantly in…

2023

Jacob Ziv

Israeli electrical engineer, developed the LZ family of compression algorithms (born 1931)

Jacob Ziv was an Israeli electrical engineer and information theorist who developed the LZ family of lossless data compression algorithms alongside Abraham Lempel. He is also a namesake of the Ziv–Zakai bound in…

2023

Fabrizio Frizzi

Italian television presenter (born 1958)

Fabrizio Frizzi was an Italian television presenter and voice actor. He often presented a mixture of variety shows, talent shows and game shows across Italy and he was also known as the Italian voice of Woody from the…

2018

Jim Harrison

American novelist, essayist, and poet (born 1937)

James Harrison was an American poet, novelist, and essayist. He was a prolific and versatile writer publishing over three dozen books in several genres including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, children's literature, and…

2016

Dinkha IV

Iraqi patriarch (born 1935)

Mar Dinkha IV, born Dinkha Khanania was an Eastern Christian prelate who served as the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. He was born in the village of Darbandokeh (Derbendoki), Iraq, and led the…

2015

Friedrich L. Bauer

German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (born 1924)

Friedrich Ludwig "Fritz" Bauer was a German pioneer of computer science and professor at the Technical University of Munich.

2015

Tomas Tranströmer

Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (born 1931)

Tomas Gösta Tranströmer was a Swedish poet, psychologist and translator. His poems captured the long winters in Sweden, the rhythm of the seasons and the palpable, atmospheric beauty of nature. Tranströmer's work is…

2015

Roger Birkman

American psychologist and author (born 1919)

Roger Winfred Birkman was an American organizational psychologist. He was the creator of The Birkman Method, a workplace psychological assessment. Birkman received his Ph.D. in psychology in 1961 from the University of…

2014

Dick Guidry

American businessman and politician (born 1929)

Richard P. Guidry, known as Dick Guidry was an American politician and businessman, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

2014

Marcus Kimball

Baron Kimball, English politician (born 1928)

Marcus Richard Kimball, Baron Kimball was a British Conservative politician.

2014

Tom Boerwinkle

American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1945)

Thomas F. Boerwinkle was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) center who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bulls.

2013

Krzysztof Kozłowski

Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Interior (born 1931)

Krzysztof Jan Kozlowski was a Polish journalist and politician. He served as Poland's Minister of the former Interior and Administration with the Cabinet of Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki from 1990 until 1991..…

2013

Dave Leggett

American football player (born 1933)

William David Leggett was a National Football League (NFL) quarterback. He played collegiately at Ohio State University from 1952–1954. In 1954, he led Ohio State to an undefeated 10–0 season and a berth in the Rose…

2013

Don Payne

American screenwriter and producer (born 1964)

William Donald Payne was an American writer and producer. He wrote several episodes of The Simpsons after 2000, many of these with John Frink, whom he met while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. The…

2013

See all deaths on March 26

What happened on March 26 in history?

On March 26, one notable event in history was 2005: Around 200,000 to 300,000 Taiwanese demonstrate in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China..

This date currently highlights 53 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 590 – 2024.

DateMarch 26

Featured year2005

LocationTaipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China

Events listed53

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March 26 in History

2005 — Around 200,000 to 300,000 Taiwanese demonstrate in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China

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March 26 in History

2005 — Around 200,000 to 300,000 Taiwanese demonstrate in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of China

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Died on March 26

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