December 26 in History

Historical Events on December 26

1776 American Revolutionary War: In the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army attacks and successfully defeats a garrison of Hessian forces .

1790 Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution.

1811 A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable.

1862 The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history took place in Mankato, Minnesota, 38 Native Americans died.

1871 Gilbert and Sullivan collaborate for the first time, on their lost opera, Thespis. It does modestly well, but the two would not collaborate again for four years.

1941 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

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.

1975 Tu-144, the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft, surpassing Mach 2, went into service.

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 follows, affecting the coastal areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia; death toll is between 230,000-280,000.

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Famous Birthdays on December 26

1791 Charles Babbage

1893 Mao Zedong

1939 Phil Spector

1990 Aaron Ramsey

All Births

Famous Deaths on December 26

1972 Harry S. Truman

1977 Howard Hawks

1997 Cornelius Castoriadis

2006 Gerald Ford

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