# What happened on October 26 in history?

**Date:** October 26  
**Events recorded:** 49  
**Years spanned:** 1185 – 2015  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/october/26/

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## Featured Event

**2003** — The Cedar Fire, the third-largest wildfire in California history, kills 15 people, consumes 250,000 acres (1,000 km2), and destroys 2,200 homes around San Diego.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Fire)

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## Events on this date

- **1185** — The Uprising of Asen and Peter begins on the feast day of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki and ends with the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uprising_of_Asen_and_Peter))
- **1341** — The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 formally begins with the proclamation of John VI Kantakouzenos as Byzantine Emperor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_civil_war_of_1341%E2%80%931347))
- **1377** — Tvrtko I is crowned the first king of Bosnia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tvrtko_I_of_Bosnia))
- **1520** — Charles V is crowned as Holy Roman Emperor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor))
- **1597** — Imjin War: Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin routs the Japanese Navy of 300 ships with only 13 ships at the Battle of Myeongnyang. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imjin_War))
- **1640** — The Treaty of Ripon is signed, restoring peace between Covenanter Scotland and King Charles I of England. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Ripon))
- **1689** — General Enea Silvio Piccolomini of Austria burns down Skopje to prevent the spread of cholera; he dies of the disease soon afterwards. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enea_Silvio_Piccolomini_(general)))
- **1774** — American Revolution: The First Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution))
- **1813** — War of 1812: A combined force of British regulars, Canadian militia and Mohawks defeat the United States Army in the Battle of the Chateauguay. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812))
- **1825** — The Erie Canal opens, allowing direct passage from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal))
- **1859** — The Royal Charter Storm kills at least eight hundred people in the British Isles. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Charter_Storm))
- **1860** — Unification of Italy: The Expedition of the Thousand ends when Giuseppe Garibaldi presents his conquests to King Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Italy))
- **1863** — The Football Association is founded. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Football_Association))
- **1871** — Liberian President Edward James Roye is deposed in a coup d'état. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_James_Roye))
- **1881** — Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday participate in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyatt_Earp))
- **1890** — Malleco Viaduct in Chile, at the time "the highest railroad bridge in the world", is inaugurated by President José Manuel Balmaceda. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleco_Viaduct))
- **1892** — Ida B. Wells publishes Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_B._Wells))
- **1905** — King Oscar II recognizes the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_II))
- **1909** — Japanese occupation of Korea: An Jung-geun assassinates Japan's Resident-General of Korea. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule))
- **1912** — First Balkan War: The Ottomans lose the cities of Thessaloniki and Skopje. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Balkan_War))
- **1917** — World War I: Brazil declares war on the Central Powers. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1918** — World War I: Erich Ludendorff, quartermaster-general of the Imperial German Army, is dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II for refusing to cooperate in peace negotiations. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Ludendorff))
- **1936** — The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_generator))
- **1937** — Nazi Germany begins expulsions of 18,000 Polish Jews. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany))
- **1942** — World War II: In the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the Guadalcanal Campaign, one U.S. aircraft carrier is sunk and another carrier is heavily damaged, while two Japanese carriers and one cruiser are heavily damaged. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1944** — World War II: The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends with an overwhelming American victory. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf))
- **1947** — Partition of India: The Maharaja of Kashmir and Jammu signs the Instrument of Accession with India, beginning the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 and the Kashmir conflict. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India))
- **1955** — After the last Allied troops have left the country, and following the provisions of the Austrian Independence Treaty, Austria declares that it will never join a military alliance. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_State_Treaty))
- **1955** — Ngô Đình Diệm proclaims himself as President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem))
- **1956** — Hungarian Revolution: In the towns of Mosonmagyaróvár and Esztergom, Hungarian secret police forces massacre civilians. As rebel strongholds in Budapest hold, fighting spreads throughout the country. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956))
- **1958** — Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am))
- **1967** — Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowns himself Emperor of Iran. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi))
- **1968** — Space Race: The Soyuz 3 mission achieves the first Soviet space rendezvous. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Race))
- **1977** — Ali Maow Maalin, the last natural case of smallpox, develops a rash in Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date to be the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Maow_Maalin))
- **1979** — Park Chung Hee, President of South Korea, is assassinated by Korean CIA head Kim Jae-gyu. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chung_Hee))
- **1985** — The Australian government returns ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aboriginals. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru))
- **1989** — China Airlines Flight 204 crashes after takeoff from Hualien Airport in Taiwan, killing all 54 people on board. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Airlines_Flight_204))
- **1991** — Three months after the end of the Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the Yugoslav People's Army leaves the territory of the Republic of Slovenia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-Day_War))
- **1994** — Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan))
- **1995** — Mossad agents assassinate Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shaqaqi in his hotel in Malta. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad))
- **1995** — An avalanche hits the Icelandic village of Flateyri, destroying 29 homes and burying 45 people, and killing 20. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flateyri))
- **1999** — The United Kingdom's House of Lords votes to end the right of most hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom))
- **2000** — A wave of protests forces Robert Guéï to step down as president after the Ivorian presidential election. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gu%C3%A9%C3%AF))
- **2001** — The United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act))
- **2002** — Approximately 50 Chechen terrorists and 150 hostages die when Russian special forces troops storm a theater building in Moscow, which had been occupied by the terrorists during a musical performance three days before. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis))
- **2003** — The Cedar Fire, the third-largest wildfire in California history, kills 15 people, consumes 250,000 acres (1,000 km2), and destroys 2,200 homes around San Diego. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Fire))
- **2004** — Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PlayStation 2 in North America, which sold 12 million units for the PS2, becoming the console's best-selling video game. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockstar_Games))
- **2012** — Microsoft made a public release of Windows 8 and made it available on new PCs. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft))
- **2015** — A 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes in the Hindu Kush mountain range in South Asia, killing 399 people and leaving 2,536 people injured. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2015_Hindu_Kush_earthquake))

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## Notable births on October 26

- **2002** — **Lee Eunsang** — South Korean singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Eun-sang_(singer)))
- **1997** — **Rhenzy Feliz** — American actor and singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhenzy_Feliz))
- **1996** — **Rebecca Tunney** — English gymnast ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Tunney))
- **1995** — **Yuta** — Japanese singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuta_(Japanese_singer)))
- **1994** — **Waqa Blake** — Fijian rugby league player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waqa_Blake))
- **1994** — **Allie DeBerry** — American model and actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allie_DeBerry))
- **1993** — **Sergey Karasev** — Russian basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Karasev))
- **1992** — **Joseph Cramarossa** — Canadian hockey player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cramarossa))
- **1991** — **Riho Iida** — Japanese model and actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riho_Iida))
- **1990** — **Mark Swanepoel** — South African rugby player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Swanepoel))

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## Notable deaths on October 26

- **2025** — **Bjorn Andresen** — Swedish actor and musician (born 1955) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bj%C3%B6rn_Andr%C3%A9sen))
- **2021** — **Roh Tae-woo** — South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (born 1932) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roh_Tae-woo))
- **2017** — **Ali Ashraf Darvishian** — Iranian novelist, short story writer and academic. (born 1941) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Ashraf_Darvishian))
- **2015** — **Willis Carto** — American activist and theorist (born 1926) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Carto))
- **2015** — **Leo Kadanoff** — American physicist and academic (born 1937) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Kadanoff))
- **2015** — **Giuseppe Nazzaro** — Italian-Syrian bishop and theologian (born 1937) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Nazzaro))
- **2014** — **Vic Allen** — English sociologist, economist, and historian (born 1923) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Allen))
- **2014** — **Mo Collins** — American football player and coach (born 1976) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Collins_(American_football)))
- **2014** — **Germain Gagnon** — Canadian ice hockey player (born 1942) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germain_Gagnon))
- **2014** — **Senzo Meyiwa** — South African footballer (born 1987) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senzo_Meyiwa))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/october/26/](https://thisday.info/events/october/26/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.