On This Day — 26 June

2000s

2024

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, returns to Australia after pleading guilty to one charge of espionage in a Saipan court and subsequently being released by the United States Department of Justice.

Julian Assange

📅

2015

Five different terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia, Somalia, Kuwait, and Syria occurred on what was dubbed Bloody Friday by international media. Upwards of 750 people were either killed or injured in these uncoordinated attacks.

26 June 2015 Islamist attacks

2015

The U.S. Supreme Court rules, 5–4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Supreme Court of the United States

📅

2013

Riots in China's Xinjiang region kill at least 36 people and injure 21 others.

June 2013 Shanshan riots

2013

The U.S. Supreme Court rules, 5–4, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Supreme Court of the United States

2012

The Waldo Canyon fire descends into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs, burning 347 homes in a matter of hours and killing two people.

Waldo Canyon Fire

📅

2008

A suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi policeman detonates an explosive vest, killing 25 people.

2008 Karmah bombing

2007

Pope Benedict XVI reinstates the traditional laws of papal election in which a successful candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes.

Pope Benedict XVI

2006

Mari Alkatiri, the first Prime Minister of East Timor, resigns after weeks of political unrest.

Mari Alkatiri

2003

The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that sex-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.

Supreme Court of the United States

2000

The Human Genome Project announces the completion of a "rough draft" sequence.

Human Genome Project

1900s

1997

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Supreme Court of the United States

1997

J. K. Rowling publishes the first of her Harry Potter novel series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in United Kingdom.

J. K. Rowling

1995

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani deposes his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in a bloodless coup d'état.

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

1991

Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav People's Army begins the Ten-Day War in Slovenia.

Yugoslav Wars

1988

The first crash of an Airbus A320 occurs when Air France Flight 296Q crashes at Mulhouse–Habsheim Airfield in Habsheim, France, during an air show, killing three of the 136 people on board.

Airbus A320 family

1981

Dan-Air Flight 240, flying to East Midlands Airport, crashes in Nailstone, Leicestershire. All three crew members perish.

Dan-Air Flight 240

1978

Air Canada Flight 189, flying to Toronto, overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of the 107 passengers on board perish.

Air Canada Flight 189

1977

Elvis Presley holds what will prove to be his final concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Elvis Presley

1975

Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

1974

The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

Universal Product Code

1967

Karol Wojtyła (later John Paul II) is made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

Pope John Paul II

1963

Cold War: U.S. President John F. Kennedy gives his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall.

John F. Kennedy

1960

The former British Protectorate of British Somaliland gains its independence as Somaliland.

British Somaliland

1960

Madagascar gains its independence from France.

Madagascar

1959

Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavy weight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on technical knockout after two minutes and three seconds in the third round at Yankee Stadium.

Ingemar Johansson

1955

The South African Congress Alliance adopts the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in Kliptown.

Freedom Charter

1953

Lavrentiy Beria, head of MVD, is arrested by Nikita Khrushchev and other members of the Politburo.

Lavrentiy Beria

1952

The Pan-Malayan Labour Party is founded in Malaya, as a union of statewide labour parties.

Labour Party of Malaya

1948

Cold War: The first supply flights are made in response to the Berlin Blockade.

Cold War

1948

William Shockley files the original patent for the grown-junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.

William Shockley

1948

Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" is published in The New Yorker magazine.

Shirley Jackson

1945

The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 Allied nations in San Francisco, California.

Charter of the United Nations

1944

World War II: San Marino, a neutral state, is mistakenly bombed by the RAF based on faulty information, leading to 35 civilian deaths.

San Marino

1944

World War II: The Battle of Osuchy in Osuchy, Poland, one of the largest battles between Nazi Germany and Polish resistance forces, ends with the defeat of the latter.

Battle of Osuchy

1942

The first flight of the Grumman F6F Hellcat.

Grumman F6F Hellcat

1941

World War II: Soviet planes bomb Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia), giving Hungary the impetus to declare war the next day.

Bombing of Kassa

1940

World War II: Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.

World War II

1936

Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.

Focke-Wulf Fw 61

1934

United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

1927

The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island.

Coney Island Cyclone

1924

The American occupation of the Dominican Republic ends after eight years.

Military Government of Santo Domingo

1918

World War I: Allied forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince in the Battle of Belleau Wood.

Allies of World War I

1917

World War I: The American Expeditionary Forces begin to arrive in France. They will first enter combat in the Battle of Hamel on July 4.

World War I

1909

The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity.

Science Museum, London

1906

The first Grand Prix motor race is held at Le Mans.

1906 French Grand Prix

1800s

1889

Bangui is founded by Albert Dolisie and Alfred Uzac in what was then the upper reaches of the French Congo.

Bangui

1886

Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time.

Henri Moissan

1857

The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.

Victoria Cross

1848

End of the June Days Uprising in Paris.

June Days uprising

1843

Treaty of Nanking comes into effect, Hong Kong Island is ceded to the British "in perpetuity".

Treaty of Nanking

1830

William IV becomes king of Britain and Hanover following the death without surviving legitimate issue of his older brother George IV.

William IV

Before 1800

1794

French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Fleurus marks the first successful military use of aircraft and turns the tide of the War of the First Coalition.

French Revolutionary Wars

1740

A combined force of Spanish, free blacks and allied Indians defeat a British garrison at the Siege of Fort Mose near St. Augustine during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

Battle of Bloody Mose

1723

After a siege and bombardment by cannon, Baku surrenders to the Russians.

Russo-Persian War (1722–1723)

1718

Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, Peter the Great's son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him.

Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia

1579

Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory begins.

Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory

1541

Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima by the son of his former companion and later antagonist, Diego de Almagro the younger. Almagro is later caught and executed.

Francisco Pizarro

1522

Ottomans begin the second Siege of Rhodes.

Siege of Rhodes (1522)

1483

Richard III becomes King of England.

Richard III of England

1460

War of the Roses: Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, and Edward, Earl of March, land in England with a rebel army and march on London.

Wars of the Roses

1409

Western Schism: The Roman Catholic Church is led into a double schism as Petros Philargos is crowned Pope Alexander V after the Council of Pisa, joining Pope Gregory XII in Rome and Pope Benedict XIII in Avignon.

Western Schism