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On this day

October 26

Last Natural Smallpox Case Found: The Disease Is Almost Gone (1977). Erie Canal Opens: Albany to Lake Erie, America's Superhighway (1825). Notable births include Hillary Clinton (1947), Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947), Craig Shakespeare (1963).

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Last Natural Smallpox Case Found: The Disease Is Almost Gone
1977Event

Last Natural Smallpox Case Found: The Disease Is Almost Gone

The World Health Organization confirmed the final natural case of smallpox in Somalia's Merca district, sealing a global victory that eliminated a disease which once killed millions annually. This triumph stands as the only time humanity has completely wiped out a major infectious pathogen through coordinated vaccination efforts.

Erie Canal Opens: Albany to Lake Erie, America's Superhighway
1825

Erie Canal Opens: Albany to Lake Erie, America's Superhighway

The Erie Canal slashed travel time between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean from weeks to days, instantly transforming New York City into America's premier port while flooding the Hudson Valley with cheap grain and fuel. This waterway triggered a massive population shift inland, turning the Midwest into an agricultural powerhouse and securing New York's economic dominance over rival ports like Boston and Philadelphia.

South Korean President Park Assassinated by His Own Intelligence Chief
1979

South Korean President Park Assassinated by His Own Intelligence Chief

Kim Jae-gyu, head of South Korea's intelligence agency, shot and killed President Park Chung-hee in a shocking act of political violence that instantly destabilized the nation. The assassination triggered a power vacuum filled by Choi Kyu-hah as acting president, while Kim faced execution the following May, signaling the end of Park's long authoritarian rule and opening a turbulent path toward eventual democratization.

Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty Signed
1994

Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty Signed

Israel and Jordan formalized their border agreement through a peace treaty signed by Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Abdel Salam Majali, with U.S. President Bill Clinton witnessing the historic ceremony. This accord ended decades of state of war between the two nations, establishing diplomatic relations and opening shared water resources for mutual benefit.

Gunfight at the OK Corral: Earps vs the Cowboys, 30 Seconds
1881

Gunfight at the OK Corral: Earps vs the Cowboys, 30 Seconds

Thirty seconds. Thirty shots. The men stood six feet apart in a vacant lot next to a photography studio—not at the O.K. Corral, despite what every movie would later claim. Wyatt Earp walked away without a scratch while his brothers bled. Nobody cared until 1931, when a writer published a mostly fictional biography two years after Wyatt died. The Depression-era public wanted heroes. They got a legend that never happened where everyone thinks it did.

Quote of the Day

“It's easy to be independent when you've got money. But to be independent when you haven't got a thing -- that's the Lord's test.”

Historical events

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Born on October 26

Portrait of Schoolboy Q
Schoolboy Q 1986

Schoolboy Q was born in Germany on a military base.

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His family moved to Los Angeles when he was a toddler. He joined the 52 Hoover Crips at 12. He sold drugs through his twenties. His daughter was born when he was 23. He quit dealing and focused on rap. His stage name comes from his high school nickname. He's been sober since 2014.

Portrait of Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Kenyatta 1961

Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of Kenya's first president.

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He was indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity before becoming president himself. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence and witness intimidation. He served two terms. Kenya elected him anyway. Legacy is complicated.

Portrait of Evo Morales
Evo Morales 1959

Evo Morales grew up herding llamas in the Andes without electricity or running water.

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He became a coca farmer, then a union leader fighting U.S. drug eradication programs. He was elected Bolivia's first indigenous president in 2005. He served 14 years, rewrote the constitution, and fled to Mexico in 2019 after the military forced him out. He called it a coup. Others called it overdue.

Portrait of Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins 1951

Bootsy Collins redefined the role of the bass guitar with his signature star-shaped instrument and deep, syncopated grooves.

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As a foundational member of Parliament-Funkadelic, he pioneered the P-Funk sound that became the bedrock of modern hip-hop and dance music. His relentless innovation transformed the rhythm section from a background element into the primary engine of funk.

Portrait of Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton reshaped modern American politics as the first woman to secure a major party's presidential nomination…

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and served as the nation's 67th Secretary of State. Born on this day in 1947, she entered a world where women rarely held such high executive power, eventually redefining the role of First Lady through her own policy initiatives rather than traditional protocol.

Portrait of Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Clinton shattered political barriers as a senator, Secretary of State, and the first woman to win a major…

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party's presidential nomination. Her career dismantled longstanding assumptions about women in executive power, from reshaping the role of First Lady through active policy engagement to directing American diplomacy during the Arab Spring.

Portrait of Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento 1942

Milton Nascimento was adopted as a baby by a white couple in Brazil.

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His adoptive mother was a music teacher who died when he was 18. He has a three-and-a-half-octave range. He sang in Portuguese when bossa nova artists were singing in English for American audiences. He's recorded 44 albums. Paul Simon and Wayne Shorter have called him the greatest singer alive.

Portrait of Madelyn Dunham
Madelyn Dunham 1922

Madelyn Dunham raised her grandson in a Honolulu apartment after his mother left for Indonesia.

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She worked her way up to bank vice president despite no college degree. She died two days before he was elected president. Obama cried when he spoke about her on election night. She never saw him win. She's why he got there.

Portrait of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran 1919

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became Shah at 21 when the Allies forced his father to abdicate.

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He survived an assassination attempt in 1949. He modernized Iran rapidly, educating women and redistributing land. He also ran a brutal secret police. The 1979 revolution overthrew him. He died in exile in Egypt. He was 60. His son still claims the throne.

Portrait of François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand 1916

François Mitterrand had a second family his wife knew about and the public didn't.

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He kept a mistress and daughter hidden for decades, housed them in state-funded apartments, used security services to protect the secret. French journalists knew. None published it. His daughter attended his state funeral, standing with his wife and legitimate children. France shrugged. He'd served 14 years as president, longer than anyone in French history. Private life was private.

Portrait of Georges Danton
Georges Danton 1759

Georges Danton harnessed his booming voice and radical fervor to mobilize the Parisian masses, becoming the primary…

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architect of the French Republic’s defense against foreign invasion. As Minister of Justice, he wielded immense influence over the early Revolution, though his pragmatic push for moderation eventually led him to the guillotine at the hands of his own allies.

Died on October 26

Portrait of Arthur Kornberg
Arthur Kornberg 2007

Arthur Kornberg discovered DNA polymerase in 1956 — the enzyme that copies DNA.

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He won the Nobel Prize for it in 1959. His son Roger won the Nobel in 2006 for figuring out how RNA polymerase works. They're one of only four father-son pairs to both win. Arthur kept working until he was 89. He died in his lab.

Portrait of Charles J. Pedersen
Charles J. Pedersen 1989

Charles Pedersen was born in Korea to a Norwegian father and Japanese mother, worked for DuPont for 42 years, and…

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discovered crown ethers almost by accident. They're molecules that trap metal ions. He published his findings at 62, retired, then won the Nobel Prize at 83. He never got a PhD. His discovery revolutionized chemistry. DuPont barely noticed until Stockholm called.

Portrait of Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee 1979

Park Chung-hee was shot in the head by his own intelligence chief during dinner in 1979.

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He'd ruled South Korea for 18 years after seizing power in a coup. He turned the country into an export machine — GDP grew 10% annually. He also tortured dissidents and rigged elections. His daughter became president in 2013. She was impeached too.

Portrait of Semyon Budyonny
Semyon Budyonny 1973

Semyon Budyonny led cavalry charges in World War I and the Russian Civil War.

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Stalin made him a Marshal. He commanded the Southwest Front in 1941 when the Germans encircled 665,000 Soviet soldiers at Kiev — the largest encirclement in history. Stalin kept him in ceremonial positions after that. He survived every purge. He died in bed at 90, wearing his medals. Three other Civil War marshals were executed.

Portrait of Gerty Cori
Gerty Cori 1957

Gerty Cori discovered how the body converts glycogen to glucose and back again — the cycle that powers muscles.

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She won the Nobel with her husband Carl in 1947. Washington University paid her a fraction of his salary for the same work. She kept a list of students who studied under her: six of them won Nobels. She died of bone marrow disease at 61. The disease had been progressing for a decade while she worked.

Portrait of Itō Hirobumi
Itō Hirobumi 1909

Itō Hirobumi wrote Japan's first constitution in 18 months after touring Europe's monarchies.

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He gave the emperor supreme authority on paper, then structured the government so bureaucrats held real power. He was prime minister four times. A Korean nationalist shot him at a train station in Harbin—three bullets, close range. He died 30 minutes later. Korea made the assassin a national hero. Japan made Itō a martyr and annexed Korea the next year.

Portrait of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great 899

Alfred the Great was the only English monarch ever to be called 'the Great.

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' He earned it. When the Vikings occupied most of England in 878 he was hiding in the Somerset marshes with a handful of men. Six months later he'd rebuilt an army, defeated the Danish king Guthrum at the Battle of Edington, and made Guthrum accept baptism as a condition of peace. He spent the next twenty years translating Latin texts into English, reorganizing the law, and building a system of fortified towns that made England defensible. He died in 899.

Holidays & observances

Austrians celebrate National Day to commemorate the 1955 constitutional law that enshrined the country’s permanent ne…

Austrians celebrate National Day to commemorate the 1955 constitutional law that enshrined the country’s permanent neutrality. By formally rejecting military alliances and foreign bases, Austria secured the withdrawal of Allied occupation forces and established its modern identity as a sovereign, non-aligned bridge between the Cold War power blocs of Europe.

Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, defeated the Vikings, established a navy, codified laws, promoted literacy, and tra…

Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, defeated the Vikings, established a navy, codified laws, promoted literacy, and translated Latin texts into English. He's the only English monarch called "the Great." He also burned cakes. According to legend, he was hiding from Vikings in a peasant woman's house and she asked him to watch her cakes baking. He let them burn. She scolded him, not knowing he was the king. The story is probably fiction. Everything else he did was real.

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches honor Saints Lucian and Marcian today, two third-century martyrs execute…

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches honor Saints Lucian and Marcian today, two third-century martyrs executed in Nicomedia. Their defiance against Roman persecution solidified the early Christian commitment to faith over imperial authority, establishing a template for martyrdom that bolstered the resolve of the burgeoning church during periods of intense state-sponsored suppression.

St. Fulk is a relatively obscure figure in the Roman Catholic calendar — one of numerous medieval saints whose feast …

St. Fulk is a relatively obscure figure in the Roman Catholic calendar — one of numerous medieval saints whose feast days appear in regional martyrologies without extensive documentation of their lives. Many such saints were local figures: a bishop whose cathedral survived, a hermit near a pilgrimage route, a patron whose name attached to a town. Their presence in the calendar is evidence not of widespread fame but of persistent local devotion. Communities maintained these names through prayers repeated for centuries when the written record had mostly gone.

Demetrius of Thessaloniki was a Roman military officer who converted to Christianity and was martyred around 306 AD u…

Demetrius of Thessaloniki was a Roman military officer who converted to Christianity and was martyred around 306 AD under Diocletian's persecutions. His basilica in Thessaloniki is one of the oldest Christian churches still standing, dating to the 5th century. He is the patron saint of Thessaloniki and one of the most venerated military martyrs in the Orthodox tradition. Crusaders believed his relics helped them at the siege of Thessaloniki in 1185. He remains one of those saints whose cult outlasted the empires that tried to extinguish it.

Cedd was one of four brothers who all became bishops in Anglo-Saxon England, which is statistically improbable enough…

Cedd was one of four brothers who all became bishops in Anglo-Saxon England, which is statistically improbable enough to be worth noting. He studied under Aidan of Lindisfarne and was sent to convert the East Saxons in 653 AD. He founded monasteries at Bradwell-on-Sea and Lastingham. At the Synod of Whitby in 664, he initially argued for the Celtic position, then accepted the Roman ruling on the dating of Easter and converted his entire community to the Roman practice. He died of plague later that year. Bradwell-on-Sea still stands.

Benin celebrates Armed Forces Day on October 26, commemorating the founding of its military after independence from F…

Benin celebrates Armed Forces Day on October 26, commemorating the founding of its military after independence from France in 1960. The country has experienced multiple coups—1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, and 1972—making it one of Africa's most coup-prone nations in its first decades. Major Mathieu Kérékou seized power in 1972 and ruled for nearly three decades. Now the military gets a parade. The institution that kept overthrowing governments became the one being honored.

Intersex Awareness Day was created in 2003 by Intersex International to commemorate the first public demonstration by…

Intersex Awareness Day was created in 2003 by Intersex International to commemorate the first public demonstration by intersex people, which took place in Boston in 1996. The date marks the protest outside a medical conference where doctors were discussing surgical interventions on intersex infants. About 1.7% of people are born with intersex traits. Many undergo unnecessary surgeries before they can consent. The day demands that stop.

Jammu and Kashmir's Accession Day marks October 26, 1947, when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession…

Jammu and Kashmir's Accession Day marks October 26, 1947, when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India in exchange for military assistance against a Pakistani tribal invasion. The signing was conditional on a future plebiscite to determine the territory's final status. That plebiscite has never been held. The accession triggered the first India-Pakistan war and established the Line of Control that still divides the territory. Both India and Pakistan claim the entire region. Accession Day is celebrated in Jammu; across the Line of Control, Pakistan marks a different date.

St. Albinus — Aubin of Angers — was a 6th-century bishop in western France who became known for negotiating the freed…

St. Albinus — Aubin of Angers — was a 6th-century bishop in western France who became known for negotiating the freedom of slaves and ransoming prisoners held by Frankish lords. He's one of a cluster of early medieval saints whose fame rests on practical acts of mercy rather than theological contribution or dramatic martyrdom. The Church in Gaul during this period functioned partly as a humanitarian institution, with bishops wielding moral authority to constrain the violence of secular rulers. Albinus used that authority more aggressively than most.

Romans inaugurated the Ludi Victoriae Sullanae to celebrate Lucius Cornelius Sulla’s decisive victory at the Colline …

Romans inaugurated the Ludi Victoriae Sullanae to celebrate Lucius Cornelius Sulla’s decisive victory at the Colline Gate. These games transformed the dictator's military triumph into an annual state-sanctioned spectacle, cementing his political authority through lavish public entertainment and religious ritual for the Roman populace.

Nauru celebrates the day its population hit 1,500.

Nauru celebrates the day its population hit 1,500. Twice. German colonization and disease had reduced the island to 1,400 people by 1932—below the threshold they believed necessary for cultural survival. On October 26, 1932, a birth pushed them to 1,500. They called it Angam: 'coming home.' They hit it again in 1949 after World War II. Now the population is 12,000. They still celebrate the day they decided they'd survive.

Beato Damián Furcheri.

Beato Damián Furcheri.

Accession Day (Jammu and Kashmir, India)

Accession Day (Jammu and Kashmir, India)

Beato Buenaventura de Potenza.

Beato Buenaventura de Potenza.

San Sigebaldo de Metz.

San Sigebaldo de Metz.

San Rústico de Narbona.

San Rústico de Narbona.

San Rogaciano de Cartago.

San Rogaciano de Cartago.

San Luciano de Bitinia.

San Luciano de Bitinia.

Santa Gibitruda.

Santa Gibitruda.

San Felicisimo de Cartago.

San Felicisimo de Cartago.

San Eata de Hexham.

San Eata de Hexham.

San Beano de Mortlach.

San Beano de Mortlach.

San Aptonio de Anguleme.

San Aptonio de Anguleme.

San Amando de Argentorato.

San Amando de Argentorato.

NauruNauru Nauru: Día de Angam.

NauruNauru Nauru: Día de Angam.

España España: Día Nacional del Daño Cerebral Adquirido.

España España: Día Nacional del Daño Cerebral Adquirido. En agosto de 2007, el Consejo de Ministros oficializó esta fecha.

Dia do Trabalhador da Construção Civil

Dia do Trabalhador da Construção Civil

Dia do Matemático

Dia do Matemático

Dia do Metroviário

Dia do Metroviário

Dia Nacional de Luta pelo Passe Livre

Dia Nacional de Luta pelo Passe Livre

Aniversário dos municípios de Curiúva e Quatiguá, Paraná

Aniversário dos municípios de Curiúva e Quatiguá, Paraná

Aniversário do município de Igarapé-Açu, Pará

Aniversário do município de Igarapé-Açu, Pará

Aniversário do município de Poxoréu, Mato Grosso

Aniversário do município de Poxoréu, Mato Grosso

Aniversário do município de Salgadinho, Pernambuco

Aniversário do município de Salgadinho, Pernambuco

Aniversário do município de Cândido Mota, São Paulo

Aniversário do município de Cândido Mota, São Paulo

Bolivia Bolivia: Día Nacional de la Leche.

Bolivia Bolivia: Día Nacional de la Leche.

BenínBenín Benín: Día de las Fuerzas Armadas.

BenínBenín Benín: Día de las Fuerzas Armadas.

Austria Austria: Día Nacional.

Austria Austria: Día Nacional.

Argentina Argentina: Día Nacional de la Suegra.Es un homenaje en las redes sociales cuyo artífice se desconoce.

Argentina Argentina: Día Nacional de la Suegra.Es un homenaje en las redes sociales cuyo artífice se desconoce. Cada 26 de octubre se llenan de mensajes alusivos a la madre política de cada uno de los cónyuges o parejas.

Día de la Conciencia para la Comunidad Intersexual.

Día de la Conciencia para la Comunidad Intersexual. También llamado Día de la Intersexualidad. Se conmemora la primera manifestación pública en defensa de las personas intersexuales, que tuvo lugar en Boston el 26 de octubre de 1996, donde la Academia Americana de Pediatría conmemoraba su Conferencia Anual.

Día Internacional de la Prevención de Quemaduras.

Día Internacional de la Prevención de Quemaduras.

Évariste,

Évariste,

Rustique (voir encore le compagnon de Saint Denis et d'Éleuthère les 9 octobre ?).

Rustique (voir encore le compagnon de Saint Denis et d'Éleuthère les 9 octobre ?).

Cédric,

Cédric,

Foulques († 1229), évêque de Pavie.

Foulques († 1229), évêque de Pavie.

Joasaph († 1536), Martyr.

Joasaph († 1536), Martyr.

Damien Furcheri (it) (ou Damiano da Finale, † 1484), bienheureux dominicain à Reggio d'Émilie (actuelle Italie).

Damien Furcheri (it) (ou Damiano da Finale, † 1484), bienheureux dominicain à Reggio d'Émilie (actuelle Italie).

Bonne d'Armagnac († 1462), noble devenue moniale reconnue comme bienheureuse.

Bonne d'Armagnac († 1462), noble devenue moniale reconnue comme bienheureuse.

Bonaventure de Potenza († 1711), bienheureux prêtre franciscain conventuel.

Bonaventure de Potenza († 1711), bienheureux prêtre franciscain conventuel.

Witta († 760), évêque de Büraburg, en Allemagne actuelle.

Witta († 760), évêque de Büraburg, en Allemagne actuelle.

Sigebaud († 741), évêque de Metz.

Sigebaud († 741), évêque de Metz.

Lucien et Marcien († 250), et leurs compagnons à Nicomédie.

Lucien et Marcien († 250), et leurs compagnons à Nicomédie.

Humbert († XIIIe siècle), prieur de l'abbaye de Fritzlar.

Humbert († XIIIe siècle), prieur de l'abbaye de Fritzlar.

Gaudiose († VIIe siècle), évêque de Salerne.

Gaudiose († VIIe siècle), évêque de Salerne.

Darie († VIe siècle), et Derbilie, vierges de sang royal.

Darie († VIe siècle), et Derbilie, vierges de sang royal.

Bean († 1022), premier évêque du diocèse de Murthlac, qui précéda celui d'Aberdeen.

Bean († 1022), premier évêque du diocèse de Murthlac, qui précéda celui d'Aberdeen.

Athanase († 814), diacre et économe de l'abbaye de Medicion.

Athanase († 814), diacre et économe de l'abbaye de Medicion.

Amand († 650), évêque de Worms.

Amand († 650), évêque de Worms.

Alor de Quimper († Ve siècle) — ou « Alar » —, troisième ou quatrième évêque de Cornouaille (Bretagne armoricaine).

Alor de Quimper († Ve siècle) — ou « Alar » —, troisième ou quatrième évêque de Cornouaille (Bretagne armoricaine).

Autriche : fête nationale autrichienne / Nationalfeiertag d'anniversaire de l'adoption de la loi constitutionnelle po…

Autriche : fête nationale autrichienne / Nationalfeiertag d'anniversaire de l'adoption de la loi constitutionnelle pour la neutralité autrichienne en 1955.

Kirchliche Gedenktage Hl.

Kirchliche Gedenktage Hl. Frumentius, Bischof und Glaubensbote in Äthiopien (evangelisch)

Kirchliche Gedenktage Hl.

Kirchliche Gedenktage Hl. Amandus von Worms, Bischof (römisch-katholisch)

Namenstage Dmitri (orthodox)

Namenstage Dmitri (orthodox)

Aktionstage Intersex Awareness Day

Aktionstage Intersex Awareness Day