26 December
Notable Births
Josh Wilson-Esbrand
b. 2002
English footballer (born 2002)
Aleksej Pokuševski
b. 2001
Serbian basketball player (born 2001)
Tamara Zidanšek
b. 1997
Slovenian tennis player (born 1997)
Colby Cave
b. 1994
Canadian ice hockey player (1994–2020)
Jade Thirlwall
b. 1992
English singer (born 1992)
Brandon Scherff
b. 1991
American football player (born 1991)
Eden Sher
b. 1991
American actress (born 1991)
Trevor Siemian
b. 1991
American football player (born 1991)
Denis Cheryshev
b. 1990
Russian footballer (born 1990)
Cory Jefferson
b. 1990
American basketball player (born 1990)
Aaron Ramsey
b. 1990
Welsh footballer (born 1990)
Yohan Blake
b. 1989
Jamaican sprinter (born 1989)
Sofiane Feghouli
b. 1989
Algerian footballer (born 1989)
Tomáš Kundrátek
b. 1989
Czech ice hockey player (born 1989)
Oskar Osala
b. 1987
Finnish ice hockey player (born 1987)
Joe Alexander
b. 1986
American basketball player (born 1986)
Kit Harington
b. 1986
British actor (born 1986)
Hugo Lloris
b. 1986
French footballer (born 1986)
Selen Soyder
b. 1986
Turkish model and actress
Damir Markota
b. 1985
Croatian basketball player
Notable Deaths
Pate Mustajärvi
d. 2025
Finnish rock singer (1956–2025)
Richard Parsons (businessman)
d. 2024
American business executive (1948–2024)
Manmohan Singh
d. 2024
Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014
Lukas Enembe
d. 2023
Indonesian politician (1967–2023)
Tom Smothers
d. 2023
American comedian, actor, composer and musician (1937–2023)
Giacomo Capuzzi
d. 2021
Catholic bishop (1929–2021)
Paul B. Kidd
d. 2021
Australian author, journalist, and radio show host (1945–2021)
Karolos Papoulias
d. 2021
President of Greece from 2005 to 2015
Desmond Tutu
d. 2021
South African bishop and anti-apartheid activist (1931–2021)
E. O. Wilson
d. 2021
American biologist, naturalist, and writer (1929–2021)
Brodie Lee
d. 2020
American professional wrestler (1979–2020)
Irv Weinstein
d. 2017
Buffalo television news journalist
George S. Irving
d. 2016
American actor (1922–2016)
Sidney Mintz
d. 2015
American anthropologist
Jim O'Toole
d. 2015
American baseball player (1937–2015)
Stanisław Barańczak
d. 2014
Polish poet, literary critic, scholar, editor, translator and lecturer (1946 – 2014)
James B. Edwards
d. 2014
American politician (1927–2014)
Leo Tindemans
d. 2014
Belgian politician (1922–2014)
Paul Blair (baseball)
d. 2013
American baseball player and coach (1944–2013)
Harry S. Truman
d. 1972
President of the United States from 1945 to 1953
On This Day in History
All 52 ›
2025
Israel recognises Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so.
Israel
2021
Three people are killed when a 14-year-old opens fire on civilians at a Texaco convenience store in Garland, Texas.
2021 Garland shooting
2015
A violent EF-4 tornado hits Garland, Texas, killing nine and injuring almost 500 others.
2015 Garland tornado
2013
An Irkut-Avia Antonov An-12 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Northwest Airport, killing all nine people on board.
Yakovlev Corporation
2012
China opens the world's longest high-speed rail route, which links Beijing and Guangzhou.
High-speed rail in China
2006
Two earthquakes in Hengchun, Taiwan measuring 7.0 and 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale kill two and disrupt telecommunications across Asia.
2006 Hengchun earthquakes
2004
The 9.1–9.3 Mw Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis, it affected coastal and partially mainland areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia; death toll is estimated at 227,898.
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004
Orange Revolution: The final run-off election in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.
Orange Revolution
2003
The 6.6 Mw Bam earthquake shakes southeastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving more than 26,000 dead and 30,000 injured.
2003 Bam earthquake
1999
The storm Lothar sweeps across Central Europe, killing 137 and causing US$1.3 billion in damage.
Cyclone Lothar
1998
Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones.
Ba'athist Iraq
1994
Four Armed Islamic Group hijackers seize control of Air France Flight 8969. When the plane lands at Marseille, a French Gendarmerie assault team boards the aircraft and kills the hijackers.
Armed Islamic Group of Algeria
1993
Kuban Airlines Flight 5719 crashes during a go-around at Gyumri Shirak International Airport, killing 35 of the 36 people on board.
Kuban Airlines Flight 5719
1991
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
1989
United Express Flight 2415 crashes on approach to the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, Washington, killing all six people on board.
United Express Flight 2415
1980
Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell".
Rendlesham Forest incident
1978
The inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally begins.
Dakar Rally
1975
Tu-144, the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft, surpassing Mach 2, goes into service.
Tupolev Tu-144
1972
Vietnam War: As part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi, including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.
Vietnam War
1968
The Communist Party of the Philippines is established by Jose Maria Sison, breaking away from the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930.
Communist Party of the Philippines