Also on This Day in History May 26
Discover what happened on May 26 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.
Births on This Day, May 26
-
1907
John Wayne
American actor (Green Berets, True Grit)
-
1927
David Edgerton
American entrepreneur and founder of Burger King
-
1928
Jack Kevorkian
American pathologist and right-to-die activist
-
1951
Sally Ride
American astronaut (first American woman to go to space)
-
1964
Lenny Kravitz
American musician who holds the record for most Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (1999-2002)
Deaths on This Day, May 26
-
1939
Charles Horace Mayo
American surgeon, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic
-
1647
Alse Young
American woman executed for witchcraft
-
2022
Arnold Burgen
British physician and founding President of Academia Europaea
-
2022
Ciriaco De Mita
Italian politician (Prime Minister of Italy, 1988-89; Member of European Parliament, 1984-88, 1999-2004 & 2009-14)
-
1999
Waldo Semon
American chemist and inventor (polyvinyl chloride/PVC)
1805
Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned the King of Italy
Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned King of Italy on May 26, 1805 in Milan.
1864
The territory of Montana is formed
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana.
1906
The Vauxhall Bridge
The Vauxhall Bridge crossing the River Thames is opened in London on 26 May 1906.
1966
Guyana declared its independence from the United Kingdom
Guyana, formerly known as British Guiana, declared its independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966.