1484 Aesop (620-564BC) was supposed to have been a native of Phrygia and a slave who, after being set free, traveled to Greece. The fables attributed to him are anecdotes which use animals to illustrate a point or teach a moral lesson. Such was Aesop's reputation that most of the fables in ancient times were ascribed to him. William Caxton printed the first English translation of Aesop's Fables on March 26, 1484.
1771 In the early 1770s, Thomas Paine was living above the tobacco and snuff shop of Samuel and Ester Ollive in Lewes, Sussex. On March 26, 1771, at the age of 34, Paine married Elizabeth Ollive, his landlord's daughter. By 1774, Paine and Elizabeth weren't getting along and on June 4, 1774 Thomas formally separated from his wife and moved to London. He had with him £45 from his separation settlement.
1804 The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million or less than US$0.03 per acre. The Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the young nation. After the United States took possession, the area was divided into two territories along the 33rd parallel north on March 26, 1804, thereby organizing the Territory of Orleans to the south and the District of Louisiana to the north.
1812 The electoral term “gerrymandering” stems from Elbridge Gerry, who as governor of Massachusetts in 1812, drew up irregular lines to favor the Jeffersonian Democrats. The word was used for the first time in the Boston Gazette as part of a political cartoon on March 26, 1812 (see below). It depicted a strange animal with claws, wings and a dragon-like head satirizing the map of the oddly shaped district.
1827 Ludwig Van Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 aged 57. It was a slow agonizing death during a thunderstorm, having been bedridden for several months. His last words were "I shall hear in Heaven." An autopsy revealed significant liver damage, which may have been due to heavy alcohol consumption.
1885 The first legal English cremation took place on March 26, 1885. The painter Mrs Jeanette Pickersgill of London was cremated by the Cremation Society at Woking Crematorium in Surrey. The cremation took one hour and 15 minutes. The remains were taken many years later to Golders Green Crematorium's East Columbarium.
1885 Vincent van Gogh’s father, Theodorus van Gogh, died on March 26, 1885. He was the pastor of a Dutch Reformed church in Zundert, Netherlands. Vincent found his father's profession appealing and was drawn to it before he devoted himself to art.
1892 The poet Walt Whitman died on March 26, 1892. The cause of death was officially listed as "pleurisy of the left side, consumption of the right lung, general miliary tuberculosis and parenchymatous nephritis".
1902 British businessman, mining magnate and politician in southern Africa, Cecil Rhodes, was dogged by ill health throughout his relatively short life. From the age of 40, he struggled with heart problems of increasing severity until his death from heart failure on March 26, 1902, aged 48, at his seaside cottage in Muizenberg. Rhodes left £2 million in his will in the form of scholarships, which enabled carefully selected university students to pursue postgraduate studies at Oxford.
1920 F. Scott Fitzgerald volunteered as a soldier during World War I. Convinced that he would die in the war, Fitzgerald rapidly wrote a novel, The Romantic Egotist, but the conflict ended just before he was due to be sent overseas. After the war, Fitzgerald recast his novel as This Side of Paradise. Published on March 26, 1920, This Side of Paradise became one of the most popular books of the year, defining the flapper generation.
1923 French actress Sarah Bernhardt died from uremia following kidney failure on March 26, 1923. La Voyante (The Clairvoyant) was being filmed in her Paris home at the time. Bernhardt, it seems, was a little worried by thoughts of death. At the age of 15 she bought a coffin in which sometimes she slept. On stage she preferred characters that died at the drama's end.
1942 The Auschwitz prisoner of war camp was first constructed in German-occupied Poland to hold Polish political prisoners. They began to arrive in May 1940. The first female prisoners arrived at Auschwitz concentration camp on March 26, 1942. More than $194 million was generated for the Nazi state by slave labor at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.
1945 Former UK Prime Minister David Lloyd George died of stomach cancer on March 26, 1945, aged 82. When David Lloyd George passed away, his wife Frances and his daughter Megan were at his bedside. Four days later, on Good Friday, he was buried beside the river Dwyfor in Llanystumdwy, a spot he chose himself. A huge boulder marks his grave; there is no inscription.
1951 Jesse James Jr, the only surviving son of American outlaw Jesse James, died on March 26, 1951.Jesse James Jr starred in two silent films about his notorious father in the 1920s. Often going by the name of Tim Edwards to conceal his real identity, Jesse Jr turned his hand to many things during his life - including practicing law.
1953 Dr. Jonas Salk, the associate professor of bacteriology and head of the Virus Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine began working on the polio vaccine in 1948.After several years of research, which involved controversially injecting children with test versions, Dr. Jonas Salk announced on a national radio show on March 26, 1953, that he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis on a small group of adults and children..
1956 Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond story Diamonds are Forever at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica, inspired by a Sunday Times article on diamond smuggling. The novel was first published on March 26, 1956.
1971 The Bangladesh Liberation War began after the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan on the night of March 25, 1971. The violent crackdown by the Pakistan Army led to Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring East Pakistan's independence as the state of Bangladesh on March 25, 1971. The West Pakistani forces in East Pakistan later surrendered after India intervened on the secessionists' side.
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| The fable of the farmer and his sons from Caxton's edition |
1771 In the early 1770s, Thomas Paine was living above the tobacco and snuff shop of Samuel and Ester Ollive in Lewes, Sussex. On March 26, 1771, at the age of 34, Paine married Elizabeth Ollive, his landlord's daughter. By 1774, Paine and Elizabeth weren't getting along and on June 4, 1774 Thomas formally separated from his wife and moved to London. He had with him £45 from his separation settlement.
1804 The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million or less than US$0.03 per acre. The Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the young nation. After the United States took possession, the area was divided into two territories along the 33rd parallel north on March 26, 1804, thereby organizing the Territory of Orleans to the south and the District of Louisiana to the north.
1812 The electoral term “gerrymandering” stems from Elbridge Gerry, who as governor of Massachusetts in 1812, drew up irregular lines to favor the Jeffersonian Democrats. The word was used for the first time in the Boston Gazette as part of a political cartoon on March 26, 1812 (see below). It depicted a strange animal with claws, wings and a dragon-like head satirizing the map of the oddly shaped district.
1827 Ludwig Van Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 aged 57. It was a slow agonizing death during a thunderstorm, having been bedridden for several months. His last words were "I shall hear in Heaven." An autopsy revealed significant liver damage, which may have been due to heavy alcohol consumption.
1885 The first legal English cremation took place on March 26, 1885. The painter Mrs Jeanette Pickersgill of London was cremated by the Cremation Society at Woking Crematorium in Surrey. The cremation took one hour and 15 minutes. The remains were taken many years later to Golders Green Crematorium's East Columbarium.
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| The Woking Crematorium, built in 1878 as the first facility in England |
1885 Vincent van Gogh’s father, Theodorus van Gogh, died on March 26, 1885. He was the pastor of a Dutch Reformed church in Zundert, Netherlands. Vincent found his father's profession appealing and was drawn to it before he devoted himself to art.
1892 The poet Walt Whitman died on March 26, 1892. The cause of death was officially listed as "pleurisy of the left side, consumption of the right lung, general miliary tuberculosis and parenchymatous nephritis".
1902 British businessman, mining magnate and politician in southern Africa, Cecil Rhodes, was dogged by ill health throughout his relatively short life. From the age of 40, he struggled with heart problems of increasing severity until his death from heart failure on March 26, 1902, aged 48, at his seaside cottage in Muizenberg. Rhodes left £2 million in his will in the form of scholarships, which enabled carefully selected university students to pursue postgraduate studies at Oxford.
1920 F. Scott Fitzgerald volunteered as a soldier during World War I. Convinced that he would die in the war, Fitzgerald rapidly wrote a novel, The Romantic Egotist, but the conflict ended just before he was due to be sent overseas. After the war, Fitzgerald recast his novel as This Side of Paradise. Published on March 26, 1920, This Side of Paradise became one of the most popular books of the year, defining the flapper generation.
 |
| Dust jacket cover of first edition |
1923 French actress Sarah Bernhardt died from uremia following kidney failure on March 26, 1923. La Voyante (The Clairvoyant) was being filmed in her Paris home at the time. Bernhardt, it seems, was a little worried by thoughts of death. At the age of 15 she bought a coffin in which sometimes she slept. On stage she preferred characters that died at the drama's end.
1942 The Auschwitz prisoner of war camp was first constructed in German-occupied Poland to hold Polish political prisoners. They began to arrive in May 1940. The first female prisoners arrived at Auschwitz concentration camp on March 26, 1942. More than $194 million was generated for the Nazi state by slave labor at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.
 |
| Women in Auschwitz II, May 1944 |
1945 Former UK Prime Minister David Lloyd George died of stomach cancer on March 26, 1945, aged 82. When David Lloyd George passed away, his wife Frances and his daughter Megan were at his bedside. Four days later, on Good Friday, he was buried beside the river Dwyfor in Llanystumdwy, a spot he chose himself. A huge boulder marks his grave; there is no inscription.
1951 Jesse James Jr, the only surviving son of American outlaw Jesse James, died on March 26, 1951.Jesse James Jr starred in two silent films about his notorious father in the 1920s. Often going by the name of Tim Edwards to conceal his real identity, Jesse Jr turned his hand to many things during his life - including practicing law.
1953 Dr. Jonas Salk, the associate professor of bacteriology and head of the Virus Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine began working on the polio vaccine in 1948.After several years of research, which involved controversially injecting children with test versions, Dr. Jonas Salk announced on a national radio show on March 26, 1953, that he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis on a small group of adults and children..
1956 Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond story Diamonds are Forever at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica, inspired by a Sunday Times article on diamond smuggling. The novel was first published on March 26, 1956.
1971 The Bangladesh Liberation War began after the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan on the night of March 25, 1971. The violent crackdown by the Pakistan Army led to Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring East Pakistan's independence as the state of Bangladesh on March 25, 1971. The West Pakistani forces in East Pakistan later surrendered after India intervened on the secessionists' side.
1973 America's highest-rated soap opera, The Young and the Restless, aired its first episode on March 26, 1973. It has been on the air for over 50 years, and during that time, it has won numerous awards and attracted a large and dedicated fan base. It is the only remaining daytime drama that is partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble.
1975 The Biological Weapons Convention came into force on March 26, 1975 when twenty-two governments deposited their instruments of ratification. As of 2021, 185 states are party to The Biological Weapons Convention, in which they commit to the prohibition of the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.
1976 Queen Elizabeth II sent the first royal email on March 26, 1976. It was sent from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, a telecommunications research center in Malvern, England. Her username was "HME2." (Her Majesty, Elizabeth II).
1979 Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and US President Jimmy Carter agreed the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty at Camp David, the country retreat for the president of the United States. It was signed on March 26, 1979, ending three decades of hostilities.
1982 Leka II, the only child of the pretender to Albania's throne, Crown Prince Leka I, was born in South Africa on March 26, 1982. The South African government declared his maternity ward temporarily Albanian territory to ensure that Leka was born on Albanian soil.
2012 On March 26, 2012, the movie director James Cameron reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean, in the Deepsea Challenger submersible. Cameron was the first person to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a solo dive, and is only the third person to do so ever. The data Cameron collected resulted in interesting new finds in the field of marine biology, including new species of sea cucumber and squid worm.
1975 The Biological Weapons Convention came into force on March 26, 1975 when twenty-two governments deposited their instruments of ratification. As of 2021, 185 states are party to The Biological Weapons Convention, in which they commit to the prohibition of the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.
1976 Queen Elizabeth II sent the first royal email on March 26, 1976. It was sent from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, a telecommunications research center in Malvern, England. Her username was "HME2." (Her Majesty, Elizabeth II).
1979 Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and US President Jimmy Carter agreed the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty at Camp David, the country retreat for the president of the United States. It was signed on March 26, 1979, ending three decades of hostilities.
1982 Leka II, the only child of the pretender to Albania's throne, Crown Prince Leka I, was born in South Africa on March 26, 1982. The South African government declared his maternity ward temporarily Albanian territory to ensure that Leka was born on Albanian soil.
2012 On March 26, 2012, the movie director James Cameron reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean, in the Deepsea Challenger submersible. Cameron was the first person to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a solo dive, and is only the third person to do so ever. The data Cameron collected resulted in interesting new finds in the field of marine biology, including new species of sea cucumber and squid worm.
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