1641
Politics
Alliance with the Dutch after capture of Luanda
Nzinga allied with the Dutch after they captured Luanda on 26 August 1641.
View detailsThis Day
26August
25 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1874
Literature
Birth in Portage, Wisconsin
Zona Gale was born in Portage, Wisconsin, to Charles S. Gale and Eliza Beers Gale.
View details1892
Science
Birth of Elizebeth Smith Friedman
Elizebeth Smith Friedman was born on August 26, 1892, in Huntington, Indiana.
View details1910
Activism
Birth in Skopje
Birth of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa) in Skopje, then the Ottoman Empire.
View details1910
Activism
Birth of Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu
Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire.
View details1918
Science
Birth of Creola Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on August 26, 1918.
View details1920
Politics
Nineteenth Amendment Officially Certified and Adopted
U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the Nineteenth Amendment as part of the Constitution, guaranteeing American women the constitutional right to vote.
View details1920
Politics
Certification of the Nineteenth Amendment
On August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was certified, granting women's suffrage.
View details1920
Law
Official certification and incorporation of the Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment was certified and incorporated into the U.S. Constitution by Secretary of State Colby.
View details1920
Sports
Youngest Olympic Champion: Gold Medal in Springboard Diving, 1920 Antwerp Games
At age 14, Aileen Riggin won Olympic gold in springboard diving at the 1920 Antwerp Games, becoming the youngest Olympic champion at the time.
View details1935
Politics
Birth of Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne Ferraro was born in Newburgh, New York, to Italian immigrant parents Domenic and Antonetta Ferraro.
View details1937
Exploration
First Woman to Climb All 46 High Peaks
Grace became the first recorded woman to climb all 46 Adirondack High Peaks, completing her journey on Esther Mountain.
View details1946
Arts
Jeanie Macpherson's death
Death of Jeanie Macpherson, influential screenwriter, on August 26, 1946.
View details1967
Science
Death of Helen Gwynne-Vaughan
Helen Gwynne-Vaughan died at a Royal Air Force care home in Sussexdown, Storrington, Sussex, aged 88.
View details1980
Science
ACS Award for Creative Invention
Presented by American Chemical Society for liquid-crystalline polyamides development.
View details1984
Sports
Won the Milwaukee Mile Bobtail 100, first woman to win a major superspeedway points race
Robinson won the Milwaukee Mile Bobtail 100, becoming the first woman to win a major superspeedway points race.
View details1988
Politics
First mass public speech at Shwedagon Pagoda
Suu Kyi gives her first major public speech at Shwedagon Pagoda, calling for democratic government to a vast crowd.
View details1991
Sports
World Championships long jump gold in Tokyo 1991
Joyner-Kersee wins gold in the women’s long jump at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo.
View details1998
Science
Retirement from Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren
After 42 years of federal service, Gladys West retired from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, having laid the mathematical foundation for GPS.
View details1999
Science
Second World Championships 400m gold in Seville
Freeman defended her world title, winning 400m gold at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain.
View details2001
Politics
Death of Marita Petersen
Marita Petersen died in Tórshavn on 26 August 2001 after a short illness, ending the life of the Faroe Islands’ first female prime minister.
View details2004
Sports
Five gold medals at Athens 2004 Paralympics
Swept five gold medals in wheelchair track events (100m–1500m) at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.
View details2004
Sports
Second Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer at Athens 2004
Hamm led the U.S. to another Olympic gold over Brazil in 2004.
View details2007
Sports
World Championships 100m silver
Williams won silver in the women's 100 meters at the World Championships in Osaka.
View details2014
Sports
Second World Judo Championships gold (−52kg)
Kelmendi defends her title, winning gold again in women's −52kg at the 2014 World Judo Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
View details