History of 26 March
1909 – Russian troops invaded Persia to support Muhammad Ali as shah in place of the constitutional government.
1910 – The U.S. Congress passed an amendment to the 1907 Immigration Act that barred criminals, paupers, anarchists, and carriers of disease from settling in the U.S.
1913 – During the Balkan War, the Bulgarians took Adrianople.
1917 – At the start of the battle of Gaza, the British cavalry withdrew when 17,000 Turks blocked their advance.
1937 – Spinach growers in Crystal City, TX, erected a statue of Popeye.
1938 – Herman Goering warned all Jews to leave Austria.
1942 – The Germans began sending Jews to Auschwitz in Poland.
1945 – The battle of Iwo Jima ended.
1945 – In the Aleutians, the battle of Komandorski began when the Japanese attempted to reinforce a garrison at Kiska and were intercepted by a U.S. naval force.
1951 – The U.S. Air Force flag was approved. The flag included the coat of arms, 13 white stars, and the Air Force seal on a blue background.
1953 – Dr. Jonas Salk announced a new vaccine that would prevent poliomyelitis.
1956 – Red Buttons made his debut as a television actor in “Studio One” on CBS television.
1958 – The U.S. Army launched America’s third successful satellite, Explorer III.
1962 – The U.S. Supreme Court supported the 1-man-1-vote apportionment of seats in the State Legislature.
1969 – The TV movie “Marcus Welby” was seen on ABC-TV. It was later turned into a series.
1971 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared East Pakistan to be the independent republic of Bangladesh.
1971 – “Cannon” premiered on CBS-TV as a movie. It was turned into a series later in the year.
1972 – The Los Angeles Lakers broke a National Basketball Association (NBA) record by winning 69 of their 82 games.
1973 – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat took over the premiership and said: “the stage of total confrontation (with Israel) has become inevitable.”
1973 – Women were allowed on the floor of the London Stock Exchange for the first time.
1979 – The Camp David treaty was signed by Israel and Egypt that ended the 31-year state of war between the countries.
1981 – In Great Britain, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) gained official recognition.
1982 – Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in Washington, DC, for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
1983 – The U.S. performed a nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site.
1989 – The first free elections took place in the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin was elected.
1991 – The presidents of Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and Uruguay signed an agreement that established the Southern Cone Common Market, a free-trade zone, by January 1, 1995.
1992 – In Indianapolis, heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was found guilty of rape. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison. He only served three.
1995 – Seven of the 15 European Union states abolished border controls.
1996 – The International Monetary Fund approved a $10.2 billion loan for Russia to help the country transform its economy.
1997 – The 39 bodies of Heaven’s Gate members are found in a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. The group had committed suicide thinking that they would be picked up by a spaceship following behind the comet Hale-Bopp.
1998 – In the U.S., the Federal government endorses a new HIV test that yields instant results.
1998 – Unisys Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. pay a $3.15 million fine for selling spare parts at inflated prices to the U.S.federal government.
1999 – The macro virus “Melissa” was reported for the first.
1999 – In Michigan, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder for giving a terminally ill man a lethal injection and putting it all on videotape on September 17, 1998, for “60 Minutes.”
2000 – The Seattle Kingdome was imploded to make room for a new football arena.
2000 – In Russia, acting President Vladimir Putin was elected president outright. He won a sufficient number of votes to avoid a runoff election.
2007 – The design for the “Forever Stamp” was unveiled by the U.S. Postal Service.
2010 – 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.
2017 – 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.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Sébastien Centomo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Baruch Diego, Ethiopian-Israeli footballer
- 1981 – Massimo Donati, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Josh Wilson, American baseball player
- 1982 – Mikel Arteta, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Brendan Ryan, American baseball player
- 1982 – Nate Kaeding, American football player
- 1983 – Andreas Hinkel, German footballer
- 1983 – Floriana Lima, American actress
- 1983 – Roman Bednar, Czech footballer
- 1983 – Mike Mondo, American wrestler
- 1984 – Jimmy Howard, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Drew Mitchell, Australian rugby player
- 1984 – Felix Neureuther, German skier
- 1984 – Marco Stier, German footballer
- 1984 – Gregory Strydom, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1984 – Sara Jean Underwood, American model, television host, and actress
- 1985 – Keira Knightley, English actress
- 1985 – Matt Grevers, American swimmer
- 1985 – Jonathan Groff, American actor, and singer
- 1985 – Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1986 – Maxime Biset, Belgian footballer
- 1986 – Rob Kearney, Irish rugby player
- 1986 – Emma Laine, a Finnish tennis player
- 1987 – Kim Dong-suk, South Korean footballer
- 1987 – Jermichael Finley, American football player
- 1987 – Steven Fletcher, Scottish footballer
- 1989 – Simon Kjær, Danish footballer
- 1989 – Von Miller, American football player
- 1990 – Choi Woo-ship, South Korean actor
- 1990 – Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer
- 1990 – Yuya Takaki, Japanese idol, singer, dancer, model, and actor
- 1990 – Xiumin, South Korean singer and actor, member of South Korean boy band EXO
- 1991 – Matt Davidson, American baseball player
- 1992 – Nina Agdal, Danish model
- 1992 – Stoffel Vandoorne, Belgian race car driver
- 1994 – Jed Wallace, English footballer
- 1996 – Zane Musgrove, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1996 – Kathryn Bernardo, Filipino actress
- 1998 – Satoko Miyahara, Japanese figure skater
- 2003 – Danielle Bregoli, American rapper, and social media personality
- 2005 – Ella Anderson, American actress