December, 26th in History

[Spiritus Temporis]

Events

Sunday 26, 2004:
A massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter magnitude scale creates a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, The Maldives and many other areas around the rim of the Indian Ocean. The death toll is currently estimated at more than 300,000. Officials say the true toll may never be known, due to rapid burials. Indonesia was worst affected with as many as 219,000 people killed.

Friday 26, 2003:
Major earthquake devastates southeast Iranian city of Bam, with up to 43,300 killed, and 90,000 homeless; the citadel of Arg-é Bam destroyed.

Thursday 26, 2002:
French Raelian scientist Brigitte Boisselier says Clonaid has delivered the first of a supposed five clone babies through cesarean section

Sunday 26, 1999:
1999 - On the 26-28th, France and countries to east hit by severe storms and rain. Over 100 people were killed, and the storm caused extensive damage to property and trees and the French national power grid.

Saturday 26, 1998:
1998 - Severe gales over Ireland, northern England, and southern Scotland. Widespread disruption, widespread power outages in Northern Ireland and southern Scotland

Thursday 26, 1996:
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification goes into force

Thursday 26, 1991:
Supreme Soviet meets and formally dissolves the USSR

Monday 26, 1988:
Start of the Nanjing Anti-African protests

Friday 26, 1986:
The first long-running American television soap opera, Search for Tomorrow, airs its final episode after thirty-five years on the air

Wednesday 26, 1984:
Princess Astrid of Belgium marries Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este

Sunday 26, 1982:
TIME magazine's Man of the Year was for the first time given to a non-human; the personal computer

Friday 26, 1980:
Aeroflot puts the Ilyushin Il-86 into service.

Wednesday 26, 1979:
Soviet Special forces troops take over presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan

Sunday 26, 1976:
Foundation of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist).

Friday 26, 1975:
Tupolev Tu-144 goes into service in Soviet Union

Thursday 26, 1974:
Salyut 4 launched

Wednesday 26, 1973:
Soyuz 13 lands

Monday 26, 1966:
The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach

Sunday 26, 1948:
Cardinal Mindszenty arrested in Hungary

Friday 26, 1947:
26 inches of snowfall in 16 hours in New York City

Thursday 26, 1946:
Flamingo Hotel opens in Las Vegas

Wednesday 26, 1945:
CFP franc and CFA franc are created

Tuesday 26, 1944:
American troops repulse German forces at Bastogne

Sunday 26, 1943:
The German warship Scharnhorst sinks off the coast of North Cape in Norway after being attacked by the British Royal Navy late the previous evening.

Tuesday 26, 1933:
FM radio is patented

Saturday 26, 1931:
Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity was founded

Saturday 26, 1925:
Turkey adopts Gregorian Calendar

Tuesday 26, 1916:
Joseph Joffre is made Marshal of France

Saturday 26, 1908:
Jack Johnson becomes the first African American heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia

Monday 26, 1898:
Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium

Friday 26, 1862:
American Civil War: Start of the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.

Thursday 26, 1861:
Confederate diplomatic envoys James Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and Britain

Monday 26, 1825:
The Erie Canal opens

Saturday 26, 1812:
Delaware and Chesapeake blockaded during the War of 1812

Friday 26, 1806:
indecisive battle between Napoleon and the Russians

Thursday 26, 1793:
Wedding of Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia and Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Wednesday 26, 1792:
Final trial of Louis XVI of France begins in Paris

Sunday 26, 1790:
Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution

Thursday 26, 1776:
American Revolutionary War: The British were defeated in the Battle of Trenton

Saturday 26, 1620:
Pilgrim Fathers land of what becomes New Plymouth in Massachusetts

Tuesday 26, 1606:
King Lear performed in the Court of England

Monday 26, 1481:
Holland defeats troops of Utrecht

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/26-december/on-this-day.html


People born on December 26

1976:
Lea De Mae, Czech actress (b: December 26, 1976 ; d: December 9, 2004) (Biography of Lea De Mae)

1971:
Jared Leto, American actor (b: December 26, 1971) (Biography of Jared Leto)

1963:
Lars Ulrich, American drummer (Metallica) (b: December 26, 1963) (Biography of Lars Ulrich)

1959:
Koji Morimoto, Japanese animated film director (b: December 26, 1959) (Biography of Koji Morimoto)

1956:
David Sedaris, American essayist (b: December 26, 1956) (Biography of David Sedaris)

1954:
Ozzie Smith, baseball player (b: December 26, 1954) (Biography of Ozzie Smith)

1949:
José Ramos Horta, East Timorean human rights activist (b: December 26, 1949) (Biography of José Ramos Horta)

1947:
Carlton Fisk, baseball player (b: December 26, 1947) (Biography of Carlton Fisk)

1945:
John Walsh, American talk show host (b: December 26, 1945) (Biography of John Walsh)

1942:
Gray Davis, Governor of California (b: December 26, 1942) (Biography of Gray Davis)

1940:
Phil Spector, American music producer (b: December 26, 1940) (Biography of Phil Spector)

1933:
Ugly Dave Grey, Australian television personality (b: December 26, 1933) (Biography of Ugly Dave Grey)

1927:
Alan King, American comedian and actor (b: December 26, 1927 ; d: May 9, 2004) (Biography of Alan King)
Denis Quilley, British actor (b: December 26, 1927 ; d: October 5, 2003) (Biography of Denis Quilley)

1921:
Steve Allen, American actor, comedian, composer, and author (b: December 26, 1921 ; d: October 30, 2000) (Biography of Steve Allen)

1914:
Richard Widmark, American actor (b: December 26, 1914) (Biography of Richard Widmark)

1904:
Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (b: December 26, 1904 ; d: April 24, 1980) (Biography of Alejo Carpentier)

1903:
Elisha Cook Jr., American actor (b: December 26, 1903 ; d: May 18, 1995) (Biography of Elisha Cook Jr.)

1893:
Mao Zedong, Chinese military leader and politician (b: December 26, 1893 ; d: September 9, 1976) (Biography of Mao Zedong)

1891:
Henry Miller, American writer (b: December 26, 1891 ; d: June 7, 1980) (Biography of Henry Miller)

1890:
Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b: December 26, 1890 ; d: May 27, 1992) (Biography of Uncle Charlie Osborne)

1883:
Maurice Utrillo, French painter (b: December 26, 1883 ; d: November 5, 1955) (Biography of Maurice Utrillo)

1873:
Thomas Wass, English cricketer (b: December 26, 1873 ; d: October 27, 1953) (Biography of Thomas Wass)

1872:
Norman Angell, British politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b: December 26, 1872 ; d: October 7, 1967) (Biography of Norman Angell)

1853:
René Bazin, French novelist (b: December 26, 1853) (Biography of René Bazin)

1837:
George Dewey, U. S. admiral (b: December 26, 1837 ; d: January 16, 1917) (Biography of George Dewey)

1822:
Dion Boucicault, Irish actor and playwright (b: December 26, 1822) (Biography of Dion Boucicault)

1819:
E. D. E. N. Southworth, American novelist (b: December 26, 1819) (Biography of E. D. E. N. Southworth)

1791:
Charles Babbage, English mathematician and inventor (b: December 26, 1791 ; d: October 18, 1871) (Biography of Charles Babbage)

1780:
Mary Fairfax Somerville, British mathematician (b: December 26, 1780 ; d: November 28, 1872) (Biography of Mary Somerville)

1751:
Clement Hofbauer, Austrian missionary and saint (b: December 26, 1751) (Biography of Clement Hofbauer)

1737:
Prince Josias of Coburg, Austrian general (b: December 26, 1737 ; d: February 26, 1815) (Biography of Prince Josias of Coburg)

1716:
Thomas Gray, English poet and letter-writer (b: December 26, 1716 ; d: July 30, 1771) (Biography of Thomas Gray)

1687:
Johann Georg Pisendel, German musician (b: December 26, 1687 ; d: November 25, 1755) (Biography of Johann Georg Pisendel)

1646:
Robert Bolling, English settler in Virginia (b: December 26, 1646 ; d: July 17, 1709) (Biography of Robert Bolling)

1536:
Yi I, Korean Confucian scholar (b: December 26, 1536) (Biography of Yi I)

1532:
Guilielmus Xylander, German classical scholar (b: December 26, 1532 ; d: February 10, 1576) (Biography of Guilielmus Xylander)

1194:
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (b: December 26, 1194 ; d: December 13, 1250) (Biography of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/26-december/births.html

[Spiritus Temporis]

They left us on December 26

2004:
Reggie White, American football player (b: December 19, 1961 ; d: December 26, 2004) (Biography of Reggie White)
Marianne Heiberg (d: December 26, 2004) (Biography of Marianne Heiberg)
Aki Sirkesalo (d: December 26, 2004) (Biography of Aki Sirkesalo)

2003:
Hope Lange, American actress (b: November 28, 1931 ; d: December 26, 2003) (Biography of Hope Lange)

2002:
Herb Ritts, American photographer (b: August 13, 1952 ; d: December 26, 2002) (Biography of Herb Ritts)
Armand Zildjian (d: December 26, 2002) (Biography of Armand Zildjian)

2001:
Nigel Hawthorne, British actor (b: April 5, 1929 ; d: December 26, 2001) (Biography of Nigel Hawthorne)

2000:
Jason Robards, American actor (b: July 26, 1922 ; d: December 26, 2000) (Biography of Jason Robards)

1999:
Curtis Mayfield, American songwriter and musician (b: June 3, 1942 ; d: December 26, 1999) (Biography of Curtis Mayfield)

1986:
Elsa Lanchester, British-born actress (b: October 28, 1902 ; d: December 26, 1986) (Biography of Elsa Lanchester)

1985:
Dian Fossey, American zoologist (b: January 16, 1932 ; d: December 26, 1985) (Biography of Dian Fossey)

1977:
Howard Hawks, American film director (b: May 30, 1896 ; d: December 26, 1977) (Biography of Howard Hawks)

1974:
Jack Benny, American actor and comedian (b: February 14, 1894 ; d: December 26, 1974) (Biography of Jack Benny)

1973:
Harold B. Lee, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b: March 28, 1899 ; d: December 26, 1973) (Biography of Harold B. Lee)

1972:
Harry S. Truman, President of the United States (b: May 8, 1884 ; d: December 26, 1972) (Biography of Harry S. Truman)

1963:
Gorgeous George, American professional wrestler (b: March 24, 1915 ; d: December 26, 1963) (Biography of George Wagner)

1960:
Watsuji Tetsuro, Japanese ethicist and philosopher (b: March 1, 1889 ; d: December 26, 1960) (Biography of Watsuji Tetsuro)

1909:
Frederic Remington, painter (b: October 4, 1861 ; d: December 26, 1909) (Biography of Frederic Remington)

1890:
Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (b: January 6, 1822 ; d: December 26, 1890) (Biography of Heinrich Schliemann)

1869:
Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (d: December 26, 1869) (Biography of Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille)

1784:
Seth Warner, American revolutionary leader (b: May 17, 1743 ; d: December 26, 1784) (Biography of Seth Warner)

1771:
Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (b: February 26, 1715 ; d: December 26, 1771) (Biography of Claude Adrien Helvétius)

1731:
Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French writer (b: January 18, 1672 ; d: December 26, 1731) (Biography of Antoine Houdar de la Motte)

1624:
Simon Marius, German astronomer (b: January 10, 1573 ; d: December 26, 1624) (Biography of Simon Marius)

1574:
Charles of Guise, French cardinal (b: February 17, 1524 ; d: December 26, 1574) (Biography of Charles of Guise)

1530:
Zahir al-Din Mohammed Babur Shah, founder of the Moghul dynasty (b: February 14, 1483 ; d: December 26, 1530) (Biography of Babur)

1476:
Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (b: January 24, 1444 ; d: December 26, 1476) (Biography of Galeazzo Maria Sforza)

1458:
Arthur III, Duke of Brittany (b: August 24, 1393 ; d: December 26, 1458) (Biography of Arthur III, Duke of Brittany)

418:
Pope Zosimus (d: December 26, 418) (Biography of Pope Zosimus)

268:
Pope Dionysius (d: December 26, 268) (Biography of Pope Dionysius)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/26-december/deaths.html