1161 Explosive weapons were first used at the The Battle of Caishi a major naval engagement of the Jin–Song Wars of China that took place on November 26–27, 1161. During the battle, the paddle-wheel warships of the Song fleet, equipped with trebuchets that launched incendiary bombs made of gunpowder and lime, decisively defeated the light ships of the Jin navy.
1703 On November 26, 1703, high winds and torrential rain swept across southern England. The 80 mph hurricane decimated villages from Northamptonshire to Suffolk and killing between 8,000 and 15,000 people. Hundreds of vessels were sunk, homes destroyed and animals drowned in flood water. News bulletins of casualties and damage were sold all over England – a novelty at that time.
1716 An African lion was exhibited in the American colonies for the first time on November 26, 1716. Sea captain and merchant Arthur Savage displayed the exotic animal at his Boston home where a hand painted sign declared, "The lion King of beasts is to be seen here."
1783 The Maryland State House in Annapolis is the oldest in continuous legislative use in the United States. Construction started in 1772, and the Maryland legislature first met there in 1779. Annapolis became the temporary capital of the United States after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Congress was in session in the state house from November 26, 1783 to August 13, 1784.
1789 When George Washington was elected the first President of America, he announced the first national Thanksgiving Day, to be held on November 26, 1789. This was the first time that Thanksgiving was celebrated as a national holiday in the United States. Washington's proclamation called on the people of the United States to express their "grateful hearts" for the "many blessings" they had received, including the adoption of the Constitution and the ratification of the Bill of Rights.
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| Ancient Chinese cannon displayed in the Tower of London. Wikipedia |
1703 On November 26, 1703, high winds and torrential rain swept across southern England. The 80 mph hurricane decimated villages from Northamptonshire to Suffolk and killing between 8,000 and 15,000 people. Hundreds of vessels were sunk, homes destroyed and animals drowned in flood water. News bulletins of casualties and damage were sold all over England – a novelty at that time.
1716 An African lion was exhibited in the American colonies for the first time on November 26, 1716. Sea captain and merchant Arthur Savage displayed the exotic animal at his Boston home where a hand painted sign declared, "The lion King of beasts is to be seen here."
1783 The Maryland State House in Annapolis is the oldest in continuous legislative use in the United States. Construction started in 1772, and the Maryland legislature first met there in 1779. Annapolis became the temporary capital of the United States after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Congress was in session in the state house from November 26, 1783 to August 13, 1784.
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| Maryland State House. By Martin Falbisoner |
1789 When George Washington was elected the first President of America, he announced the first national Thanksgiving Day, to be held on November 26, 1789. This was the first time that Thanksgiving was celebrated as a national holiday in the United States. Washington's proclamation called on the people of the United States to express their "grateful hearts" for the "many blessings" they had received, including the adoption of the Constitution and the ratification of the Bill of Rights.
1805 Wales' Pontcysyllte Aqueduct opened on November 26, 1805. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure is for use by narrow boats and took ten years to design and build. It is the highest navigable aqueduct in the world and has been made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
1865 Charles Dodgson's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published on November 26, 1865 under his pseudonym Lewis Carroll. The book grew out of a story told by Charles Dodgson to amuse three little girls, the daughters of the Dean of Christchurch, during a rowing trip. Afterwards he wrote down the story for one of them - the ten-year-old Alice Liddell.
1876 American engineer Willis Carrier was born on November 26, 1876. Carrier invented the first electric air conditioning unit in 1902 after he was commissioned to come up with the design by a printing company whose work was being wrecked by humidity in the factory. The installation marked the birth of air conditioning because of the addition of humidity control.
1894 The marriage ceremony of Nicholas II of Russia and Princess Alexandra took place on November 26, 1894. They led a faithful and happily married life and wrote thousands of love letters to each other in English (it was the only language they had in common) and called each other "Hubby" or "Wifey". They had five children. Alexei, Olga, Maria, Tatiana and Anastasia.
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| Official engagement photograph of Nicholas II and Alexandra, April 1894 |
1909 In 1909, the escape artist Harry Houdini purchased a French Voisin biplane for $5000 and hired a full-time mechanic, Antonio Brassac. Houdini made his first successful flight on November 26, 1909 in Hamburg, Germany. In 1910 Houdini had his plane dismantled and shipped to Australia, where he planned an extended tour. He made three flights at Diggers Rest, Victoria, near Melbourne, which was reported at the time to be the first aerial flight in Australia, but this is disputed now.
1917 The National Hockey League (NHL) was established on November 26, 1917 at Montreal. It was originally composed of teams from Ontario and Quebec, (Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas), but now consists of US and Canadian professional teams.
1922 The Toll of the Sea debuted at the Rialto Theatre in New York City on November 26, 1922. It was the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor, (The Gulf Between was the first film to do so, but it was not widely distributed), and the first Technicolor color feature anywhere that did not require a special projector to be shown.
1924 At the age of 35 Charlie Chaplin married 16-year-old American actress Lita Grey on November 26, 1924 in Mexico. (She had starred in his film, The Kid). They had two sons, Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin. The marriage was troubled from the start; they divorced on August 22, 1927 due to Chaplin's alleged numerous affairs with other women.
1942 Ingrid Bergman co-starred with Humphrey Bogart in the classic film Casablanca, which premiered in New York City on November 26, 1942 and remains her best-known role. Bergman did not consider Casablanca to be one of her favorite performances. "I made so many films which were more important, but the only one people ever want to talk about is that one with Bogart.”
1948 The first instant Polaroid cameras, known as the "Land Camera" Model 95A, went on sale at the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston for $89.75 on November 26, 1948. The camera was invented by Edwin Land, who was inspired by his daughter's question of why she couldn't see the picture he had just taken of her. The camera was an instant success, and all 57 cameras that were in stock sold out on the first day.
1961 Entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria was born in Hyderabad, India on November 26, 1961. At the age of 27 Bilimoria founded Cobra Beer in a little flat in Fulham, London. While a student at Cambridge, Bilmoria had noticed regular lager was too gassy and ale too bitter to go with curry in the city’s Indian restaurants. He came up with a concept in 1989 for a beer designed to accompany food – in particular, Indian food and curry.
1977 The Southern Television broadcast interruption, also known as the Vrillon Incident, was a hijacking of the British television broadcast on November 26, 1977. An unidentified voice claiming to be Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, interrupted the ITN news broadcast on Southern Television for six minutes, starting at 5:12 pm. The broadcast was seen by millions of viewers in southern England.
1983 Six robbers broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse at London Heathrow Airport on November 26, 1983 and stole three tonnes (6,612 lb) of gold bullion.(Some 6,800 ingots, worth £26m, belonging to Johnson Matthey, a firm of dealers in precious metals). It was at the time Britain's largest robbery – later outdone in this respect by the Knightsbridge safe deposit case.
1988 A woman in Torquay, England spent £10,000 to repeat her daughter's wedding on November 26, 1988 because she didn't like the video first time around.
1991 The first Azerbaijani parliamentary election was held in late 1990 when the Supreme Soviet already held discussions on independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union. On November 26, 1991, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan abolished the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan and renamed several cities back to their original names.
1988 A woman in Torquay, England spent £10,000 to repeat her daughter's wedding on November 26, 1988 because she didn't like the video first time around.
1991 The first Azerbaijani parliamentary election was held in late 1990 when the Supreme Soviet already held discussions on independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union. On November 26, 1991, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan abolished the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan and renamed several cities back to their original names.
2005 Vijaypat Singhania set the world altitude record for highest hot-air balloon flight on November 26, 2005, when he reached 69,850 feet (21,290 m). The 67-year-old Indian businessman launched from downtown Mumbai and landed 240 km (150 mi) south in Panchale.
2008 The last Poʻouli (Black-faced honeycreeper) died of avian malaria in the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, Hawaii on November 26, 2008, before it could breed, making the species in all probability extinct.
2008 The last Poʻouli (Black-faced honeycreeper) died of avian malaria in the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, Hawaii on November 26, 2008, before it could breed, making the species in all probability extinct.
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| Black-faced honeycreeper |
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