On This Day: 26 February

26 February in Indian history

• 2019Indian Air Force fighter-jets target Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camps in Balakot, Pakistan.India
• 1775The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates.India

26 February in world history

• 2026The government of Pakistan declares "open war" against the Taliban in Afghanistan, initiating the 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan War.
• 2013A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people.
• 2012African-American teenager Trayvon Martin was killed by neighborhood-watch coordinator George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, prompting a nationwide controversy.
• 1995Barings Bank, the oldest merchant bank in London, was declared insolvent after its head derivatives trader in Singapore, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million while making unauthorised trades on futures contracts.
• 1987Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
• 1980Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations.
• 1979The Superliner railcar entered revenue service with Amtrak.
• 1960A Kyiv-bound Aeroflot airliner crashes on approach to Snilow Airport in Lviv, killing 32 of the 33 people on board.
• 1936Imperial Japanese Army troops attempted a coup d'etat, occupying parts of Tokyo, and killing several politicians, including finance minister Takahashi Korekiyo.
• 1935Adolf Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe reinstated, violating the Treaty of Versailles signed at the end of World War I.
• 1917The Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded "Livery Stable Blues", the first jazz single ever released.
• 1914RMS Britannic, the third and largest Olympic-class ocean liner of the White Star Line after RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic, was launched at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
• 1909Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.
• 1876Japan and Korea sign the Treaty of Kangwha, which grants Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights in Korea, opens three Korean ports to Japanese trade, and ends Korea's status as a tributary state of Qing dynasty China.
• 1815Napoleon escaped from the Italian island of Elba (depicted), to which he had been exiled after the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau.
• 1266Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.

Born on 26 February

• 1982Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer
• 1922Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (died 2007)
• 1918Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus (died 1980)
• 1903Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1979)
• 1852John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon, co-created Corn flakes (died 1943)
• 1564Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (died 1593)

Died on 26 February

• 2009Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1947)
• 1966Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (born 1883)India
• 1936February 26 Incident:
• 1869Afzal-ud-Daulah, Asaf Jah V, 5th Nizam of Hyderabad State (born 1827)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 26 February in history?

2026: The government of Pakistan declares "open war" against the Taliban in Afghanistan, initiating the 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan War. 2019: Indian Air Force fighter-jets target Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camps in Balakot, Pakistan. 2013: A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people. 2012: African-American teenager Trayvon Martin was killed by neighborhood-watch coordinator George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, prompting a nationwide controversy.

What happened on 26 February in Indian history?

2019: Indian Air Force fighter-jets target Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camps in Balakot, Pakistan. 1775: The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates.

Which famous people were born on 26 February?

Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer (1982); Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (died 2007) (1922); Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus (died 1980) (1918); Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1979) (1903).

Which day is observed on 26 February?

Day of Remembrance for Victims of Khojaly Massacre (Azerbaijan); Liberation Day (Kuwait); Saviours' Day (Nation of Islam).