June 26

Events

* 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by the troops on the battlefield.
*1284 - According to legend, the Pied Piper lures 130 children away from Hamelin.
*1409 - Western Schism: the Roman Catholic church is led into a double schism as Petros Philargos is crowned Pope Alexander V after the Council of Pisa, joining Pope Gregory XII in Rome and Pope Benedict XII in Avignon.
*1483 - Richard III is crowned king of England.
*1541 - Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima by the son of his former companion and later antagonist, Diego Almagro the younger. Almagro is later caught and executed.
*1718 - Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia, Peter the Great's son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him.
*1723 - After a lasting siege and bombardment by cannons, Baku surrenders to the Russians.
*1848 - End of the June Days Uprising in Paris.
*1857 - The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.
*1870 - The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
*1917 - the first U.S. troops arrive in France to fight alongside Britain, France, Italy, and Russia against Germany, and Austria-Hungary in World War I.
*1918 - World War I, Western Front: Battle for Belleau Wood - Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.
*1924 - American occupying forces leave the Dominican Republic.
*1927 - The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island
*1934 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.
* 1936 - Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.
*1940 - World War II: under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.
*1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco.
*1948 - The Western allies begin an airlift to Berlin after the Soviet Union blockades West Berlin.
* 1948 - William Shockley filed the original patent for the grown junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.
*1959 - The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America's Great Lakes to ocean-going ships.
*1960 - The former British Protectorate of Somaliland British Somaliland gains its independence.
*1963 - John F. Kennedy speaks the famous words "Ich bin ein Berliner" on a visit to West Berlin.
*1973 - On Plesetsk Cosmodrome 9 people are killed in an explosion of a Cosmos 3-M rocket.
*1974 - The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio
*1975 - Indira Gandhi establishes emergency rule in India.
* 1975 - Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.
*1976 - The CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing structure on land, is opened.
*1977 - The Yorkshire Ripper kills 16 year old shop assistant Jayne MacDonald in Leeds, changing public perception of the killer as she was the first victim who was not a prostitute.
*1978 - Air Canada Flight 189 to Toronto overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of 107 passengers on board perish.
*1991 - Ten-Day War- the Yugoslav people's army begins the Ten-Day War in Slovenia.
*1993 - The U.S. launches a missile attack targeting Baghdad intelligence headquarters in retaliation for a thwarted assassination attempt against former President George H.W. Bush in April in Kuwait.
*1995 - Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani deposes his father Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in a bloodless coup.
*1996 - Irish Journalist Veronica Guerin is shot in her car while in traffic in the outskirts of Dublin
*1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment
*2003 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in "Lawrence v. Texas" that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
*2008 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in "District of Columbia v. Heller" that the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.

Births

*1575 - Anne Catherine of Brandenburg, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1612)
*1681 - Hedwig Sophia, duchess of Holstein-Gottorp, Swedish writer (d. 1708)
*1689 - Edward Holyoke, American academic (d. 1769)
*1694 - Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1768)
*1702 - Philip Doddridge, English religious leader (d. 1751)
*1703 - Thomas Clap, American academic (d. 1767)
*1730 - Charles Messier, French Astronomer (d. 1817)
*1817 - Branwell Bronte, British painter and poet (d. 1848)
*1819 - Abner Doubleday, American Major General (d. 1893)
*1824 - Lord Kelvin, Irish-born physicist (d. 1907)
*1838 - Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Bengali Novelist (d. 1894)
*1854 - Robert Laird Borden, Canadian politician (d. 1937)
*1865 - Bernard Berenson, American art historian (d. 1959)
*1866 - George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English financier of Egyptian excavations (d. 1923)
*1869 - Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish writer (d. 1954)
*1880 - Natalia, Princess Brassova (d. 1952)
*1892 - Pearl S. Buck, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)
*1895 - George Hainsworth, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1950)
*1898 - Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer (d. 1978)
* 1898 - Chesty Puller, the most decorated Marine in history (d. 1971)
*1899 - Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
*1902 - Hugues Cuénod, Swiss Tenor
*1904 - Frank Scott Hogg, Canadian astronomer (d. 1951)
* 1904 - Peter Lorre, Hungarian-born actor (d. 1964)
*1906 - Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer (d. 1974)
* 1906 - Viktor Schreckengost, American industrial designer (d. 2008)
*1907 - Debs Garms, American baseball player (d. 1984)
*1908 - Salvador Allende, Former President of Chile (1970-1973) (d. 1973)
*1909 - Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager (d. 1997)
*1911 - Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete (d. 1956)
*1913 - Aimé Césaire, French Martinican poet and politician (d. 2008)
*1914 - Laurie Lee, British writer (d. 1997)
*1915 - Paul Castellano, American mafia boss (d. 1985)
* 1915 - Charlotte Zolotow, American author
*1919 - Richard Neustadt, American political historian (d. 2003)
*1921 - Violette Szabo, French WWII secret agent (d. 1945)
*1922 - Eleanor Parker, American actress
*1923 - Barbara Graham, American murderer (d. 1955)
*1924 - Costas Axelos, Greek philosopher
*1925 - Pavel Belyayev, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1970)
*1928 - Jacob Druckman, American composer (d. 1996)
* 1928 - Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Japanese inventor
*1929 - Milton Glaser, American Designer
*1933 - Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor
* 1933 - Gene Green, American baseball player (d. 1981)
*1934 - Jeremy Wolfenden, British journalist (d. 1965)
* 1934 - Dave Grusin, American jazz pianist
*1936 - Robert Maclennan, British politician
* 1936 - Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, Archbishop of Montreal
*1937 - Sombat Metanee, Thai film actor
* 1937 - Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist, Nobel laureate
*1938 - Gerald North, American climatologist
*1940 - Billy Davis, Jr., American singer (The Fifth Dimension)
*1941 - Yves Beauchemin, Canadian novelist
*1942 - Gilberto Gil, Brazilian singer and Minister of Culture
* 1942 - James J. Dillon, American professional wrestling manager
*1943 - John Beasley, American actor
* 1943 - Georgie Fame, British singer
*1945 - Malachi York, Nuwaubian leader
*1951 - Gary Gilmour, Australian cricketer
*1953 - Robert Davi, American actor
*1954 - Steve Barton, American actor (d. 2001)
*1955 - Mick Jones, British guitarist (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite)
*1956 - Chris Isaak, American singer
*1957 - Patty Smyth, American singer (Scandal)
* 1957 - Philippe Couillard, Quebec neurosurgeon and politician
*1959 - Mark McKinney, Canadian actor
*1960 - Zachary Breaux, American jazz guitarist
*1961 - Greg LeMond, American cyclist
* 1961 - Terri Nunn, American singer (Berlin)
* 1962 - Preston A. Whitmore II, American screenwriter and film director
*1963 - Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, Russian businessman
* 1963 - Richard Garfield, American game designer
*1966 - Minaguchi Yuko, japanese voice actress
*1967 - Todd Pletcher, American horse trainer
*1968 - Paolo Maldini, Italian footballer
* 1968 - Shannon Sharpe, American football player
*1969 - Colin Greenwood, British musician (Radiohead)
* 1969 - Ingrid Lempereur, Belgian swimmer
* 1969 - Mike Myers, American baseball player
*1970 - Paul Thomas Anderson, American filmmaker
* 1970 - Irv Gotti, American record producer
* 1970 - Sean Hayes, American actor
* 1970 - Matt Letscher, American actor
* 1970 - Chris O'Donnell, American actor
* 1970 - Nick Offerman, American actor
*1971 - Max Biaggi, Italian motorcycle racer
*1972 - Garou, Canadian singer
* 1972 - Jai Taurima, Australian long jumper
*1973 - Gretchen Wilson, American singer
* 1973 - Paweł Małaszyński, Polish actor
* 1973 - Jussi Sydänmaa, Finnish musician (Lordi)
*1974 - Matt Striker, American professional wrestler
* 1974 - Derek Jeter, American baseball player
* 1974 - Jeff Frankenstein, American musician (Newsboys)
* 1974 - Jason Kendall, American baseball player
* 1974 - Nicole Saba, Lebanese singer
*1975 - Jonah Sorrentino, American hip hop artist
* 1975 - Terry Skiverton, English football player
*1976 - Ed Jovanovski, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1976 - Chad Pennington, American football player
* 1976 - Joe Landon, American pornographic actor
*1977 - Kubo Tite, Japanese cartoonist
*1977 - Mark Jindrak,American Professional Wrestler
*1978 - Alexandra, French singer, L5's singer
* 1979 - Wálter Herrmann, Argentinian basketball player
* 1979 - Andy O'Brien, English footballer
* 1979 - Ryo Fukuda, Japanese racing driver
*1980 - Jason Schwartzman, American actor
* 1980 - Michael Vick, American football player
* 1980 - Chris Shelton, American baseball player
*1980 - Sinik, French singer and rapper
*1984 - Elijah Dukes, American baseball player
* 1984 - Raymond Felton, American basketball player
* 1984 - Deron Williams, American basketball player
* 1984 - Jose Juan Barea, American basketball player
*1985 - Urgyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan spiritual leader
*1986 - Drake Bell, American actor, musician
*1986 - Casey Desmond, American singer
*1987 - Carlos Iaconelli, Brazilian racing driver
*1987 - Samir Nasri, French footballer
*1991 - Jamie Brown, American novelist
*1992 - Jennette McCurdy, American actress
*2005 - Princess Alexia of the Netherlands

Deaths

* 363 - Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor (b. 331)
*1291 - Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III of England
*1541 - Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conqueror of Peru
*1688 - Ralph Cudworth, English philosopher (b. 1617)
*1784 - Caesar Rodney, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1728)
*1793 - Gilbert White, English ornithologist (b. 1720)
*1810 - Joseph Michel Montgolfier, French inventor (b. 1740)
*1836 - Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French composer (La Marseillaise) (b. 1760)
*1878 - Mercedes of Orleans, queen of Spain (b. 1860)
*1918 - Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
*1922 - Albert I, Prince of Monaco (b. 1848)
*1939 - Ford Madox Ford, English writer (b. 1873)
*1943 - Karl Landsteiner, Austrian biologist and physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1868)
*1946 - Yosuke Matsuoka, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (b. 1880)
* 1946 - Max Kögel, SS officer (b. 1895)
*1947 - Richard Bedford Bennett, eleventh Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1870)
*1948 - Lilian Velez, Filipino actress (b. 1924)
*1949 - Kim Gu, President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (b. 1876)
*1956 - Clifford Brown, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1930)
*1957 - Alfred Döblin, German writer (b. 1878)
*1958 - George Orton, Canadian athlete (b. 1873)
* 1958 - Andrija Štampar, Croatian physician and United Nations diplomat (b. 1888)
*1964 - Leo Dandurand, American-born Canadian sports executive (b. 1889)
* 1964 - Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect (b. 1888)
*1967 - Françoise Dorléac, French actress (b. 1942)
*1975 - St. Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish Catholic priest (b. 1902)
*1990 - Anni Blomqvist, Finnish novelist (b. 1909)
*1992 - Herman Rohde, professional wrestler (b. 1921)
*1993 - William H. Riker, American political scientist (b. 1920)
* 1993 - Roy Campanella, American baseball player (b. 1921)
* 1994 - Jahanara Imam, Bangladeshi writer and activist (b. 1929)
*1996 - Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (b. 1958)
*1997 - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Hawaiian singer (b. 1959)
*2001 - Soccer (dog actor) (b. 1988)
*2002 - Arnold Brown, the 11th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1913)
* 2002 - Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
*2003 - Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroon footballer (b. 1975)
* 2003 - Denver Randleman, U.S. Army Seargent (b. 1920)
* 2003 - Strom Thurmond, U.S. Senator (b. 1902)
* 2003 - Sir Dennis Thatcher MBE, husband of Margaret Thatcher (b. 1915)
*2004 - Yash Johar, Indian film producer (b. 1929)
* 2004 - Naomi Shemer, Israeli singer and song-writer (b. 1930)
*2005 - Richard Whiteley, British television game show host (b. 1943)
*2007 - Liz Claiborne, Belgian-born American fashion designer (b. 1929)
* 2007 - Joey Sadler, All Black rugby player (b. 1914)
* 2007 - Natasja Saad, Danish Reggae singer (b. 1974)

Holidays and observances

* International Day in Support of Torture Victims
* International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
* Madagascar: Independence Day
* Thailand: Sunthorn Phu Day
* Romania: Flag Day
* Mar Abhai
* Anthelm of Belley
* Saints John and Paul
* Saint Josemaría Escrivá (d. 1975)

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/26 BBC: On This Day]
*
* [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Jun&day=26 On This Day in Canada] ----