On This Day: 26 May

26 May in Indian history

• 2014Narendra Modi takes oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India.India

26 May in world history

• 2020Protests following the murder of George Floyd erupted in Minneapolis–Saint Paul before spreading across the United States and internationally.
• 1999Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League final to become the first English football club to win three major championships in the same season.
• 1998The Supreme Court of the United States rules in New Jersey v. New York that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
• 1998A MIAT Mongolian Airlines Harbin Y-12 crashes near Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia, resulting in 28 deaths.
• 1991Lauda Air Flight 004 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes in the Phu Toei National Park in the Suphan Buri province of Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.
• 1986The European Community adopts the European flag.
• 1983The 7.8 Mw Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.
• 1967The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, one of the first progressive rock albums, was released.
• 1940Second World War: The Allies began a mass evacuation of British, French and Belgian troops cut off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk.
• 1937Walter Reuther and members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) clash with Ford Motor Company security guards at the River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan, during the Battle of the Overpass.
• 1906Vauxhall Bridge in London opened, crossing the River Thames between Vauxhall and Westminster.
• 1903Românul de la Pind, the longest-running newspaper by and about Aromanians until World War II, is founded.
• 1900Thousand Days' War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colombian Liberal Party in the Battle of Palonegro.
• 1897The Church of England returned the original manuscript of William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, an account of the Pilgrims and the early years of the Plymouth Colony, to the state of Massachusetts.
• 1865Conclusion of the American Civil War: The Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi division, is the last full general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.
• 1328English friar William of Ockham, who popularised the methodological principle known as Occam's razor, secretly left Avignon under threat from Pope John XXII.
• 946King Edmund I of England was murdered at Pucklechurch on the feast day of St Augustine.

Born on 26 May

• 1945Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian lawyer and politician, 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (died 2012)India
• 1938K. Bikram Singh, Indian director and producer (died 2013)India
• 1937Manorama, Indian actress and singer (died 2015)India
• 1929Hans Freeman, Australian bioinorganic chemist and protein crystallographer (died 2008)
• 1921Inge Borkh, German soprano (died 2018)
• 1908Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, Vietnamese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam (died 1976)

Died on 26 May

• 2014Baselios Thoma Didymos I, Indian metropolitan (born 1921)India
• 1924Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, founded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (born 1859)
• 1908Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious leader, founded the Ahmadiyya movement (born 1835)India
• 818Ali al-Ridha, 8th of The Twelve Imams

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 26 May in history?

2020: Protests following the murder of George Floyd erupted in Minneapolis–Saint Paul before spreading across the United States and internationally. 2014: Narendra Modi takes oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India. 1999: Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League final to become the first English football club to win three major championships in the same season. 1998: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in New Jersey v. New York that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.

What happened on 26 May in Indian history?

2014: Narendra Modi takes oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India.

Which famous people were born on 26 May?

Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian lawyer and politician, 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (died 2012) (1945); K. Bikram Singh, Indian director and producer (died 2013) (1938); Manorama, Indian actress and singer (died 2015) (1937); Hans Freeman, Australian bioinorganic chemist and protein crystallographer (died 2008) (1929).

Which day is observed on 26 May?

Independence Day, commemorates the declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918 (Georgia); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom in 1966.; Mother's Day (Poland); National Paper Airplane Day (United States); National Sorry Day (Australia).