Calendar date · February

What happened on February 26

On February 26, -747: According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.

Events

39

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Pisces

Featured moment · -747

According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.

Claudius Ptolemy, better known mononymously as Ptolemy, was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine, Islamic, and Western European science. The first was his astronomical treatise now known as the Almagest, originally entitled Mathēmatikḗ Syntaxis. The second is the Geography, which is a thorough discussion on maps and the geographic knowledge of the Greco-Roman world.

People

Born on February 26

Jamal Musiala 2003– German footballer (born 2003)
Gerard Martín 2002– Spanish footballer (born 2002)
César Tárrega 2002– Spanish footballer (born 2002)
Yeat 2000– American rapper (born 2000)
Jessie Bates 1997– American football player (born 1997)
Jacob Trouba 1994– American ice hockey player (born 1994)
Mahra Al Maktoum 1994– Emirati princess (born 1994)
Morgan Gautrat 1993– American soccer player (born 1993)
Mikael Granlund 1992– Finnish ice hockey player (born 1992)
Show 9 more — notable births on February 26
Lee Chae-rin 1991– South Korean rapper and singer (born 1991)
Kevin Plawecki 1991– American baseball player (born 1991)
Takanoiwa Yoshimori 1990– Sumo wrestler from Mongolia
Gabriel Obertan 1989– French footballer (born 1989)
Mārtiņš Karsums 1986– Latvian professional ice hockey player (born 1986)
Hannah Kearney 1986– American freestyle skier
Fernando Llorente 1985– Spanish footballer (born 1985)
Emmanuel Adebayor 1984– Togolese footballer (born 1984)
Beren Saat 1984– Turkish actress (born 1984)

People

Died on February 26

Michelle Trachtenberg American actress (1985–2025)
Joseph Wapner American reality court show judge (1919–2017)
Andy Bathgate Canadian ice hockey player (1932–2016)
Don Getty Premier of Alberta from 1985 to 1992
Sheppard Frere British historian and archaeologist
Theodore Hesburgh American Catholic priest and 15th president of Notre Dame
Earl Lloyd American basketball player and coach (1928–2015)
Tom Schweich American politician, diplomat and attorney
Sorel Etrog Romanian born Israeli-Canadian artist, writer and sculptor (1933–2014)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on February 26
Phyllis Krasilovsky American writer (1926–2014)
Marie-Claire Alain French organist (1926–2013)
Stéphane Hessel Writer, Holocaust survivor and French Resistance member
Simon Li Hong Kong judge and politician (born 1922)
Richard Carpenter English screenwriter, author and actor (1929–2012)
Arnošt Lustig Czech Jewish writer (1926–2011)
Jun Seba Japanese hip-hop producer (1974–2010)
Johnny Kerr American basketball player, coach, and commentator (1932–2009)
Wendy Richard British actress (1943–2009)

Timeline

Every February 26 on record

  1. -747 According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.

    Greco-Roman astronomer and geographer (c. 100–170)

    Claudius Ptolemy, better known mononymously as Ptolemy, was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine, Islamic, and Western European science. The first was his astronomical treatise now known as the Almagest, originally entitled Mathēmatikḗ Syntaxis. The second is the Geography, which is a thorough discussion on maps and the geographic knowledge of the Greco-Roman world.

  2. 320 Chandragupta I is officially crowned as the first Gupta Emperor.

    Gupta emperor from 319 to 335

    Chandragupta I was a monarch of the Gupta Empire, who ruled in northern and central India. His title "Mahārājadhirāja" suggests that he was the first suzerain ruler of the dynasty. It is not certain how he turned his small ancestral kingdom into an empire, although a widely accepted theory among modern historians is that his marriage to the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi helped him extend his political power.

  3. 364 Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman Emperor.

    Roman emperor from 364 to 375

    Valentinian I, sometimes known as Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. He is the second-last emperor to govern the empire as a whole, albeit he only did so from February 26th to March 28th of 364, after which he appointed Valens to rule over the Eastern half the empire, while he remained in control of the West. During his reign, he fought successfully against the Alamanni, Quadi, and Sarmatians, strengthening the border fortifications and conducting campaigns across the Rhine and Danube.

  4. 1074 Battle of Kemej: The royal army of Solomon, King of Hungary defeats the force of his rebellious cousin Duke Géza.

    Battle in 1074 in Hungary

    The Battle of Kemej was an internal conflict between Solomon, King of Hungary and his cousin Duke Géza, took place on 26 February 1074 near Kemej in present-day Heves County. As a result of a betrayal, Géza was defeated, but he managed to flee from the advancing and overwhelming royal army.

  5. 1266 Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.

    Battle between the troops of Charles of Anjou and Manfred of Sicily

    The Battle of Benevento was a major medieval battle fought on 26 February 1266, near Benevento in present-day Southern Italy, between the forces of Charles I of Anjou and those of King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred's defeat and death resulted in Charles' conquest of the Kingdom of Sicily, effectively ending the rule of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in the Italian Peninsula and marking the rise of the royal Capetian House of Anjou. The engagement was part of the conflict which pitted Guelphs against Ghibellines.

  6. 1365 The Ava Kingdom and the royal city of Ava (Inwa) were founded by King Thado Minbya.
  7. 1606 The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea.
  8. 1616 Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.
  9. 1775 The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates.
  10. 1794 The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down.
  11. 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from exile on the island of Elba.
  12. 1870 The Beach Pneumatic Transit in New York City, intended as a demonstration for a subway line, opens.
  13. 1876 Japan and Korea sign the Treaty of Kangwha, which grants Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights in Korea, opens three Korean ports to Japanese trade, and ends Korea's status as a tributary state of Qing dynasty China.
  14. 1909 Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.
  15. 1914 HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
Show 15 earlier entries from February 26
  1. 1919 President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.
  2. 1929 President Calvin Coolidge signs legislation establishing the 96,000 acres (390 km2) Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
  3. 1935 Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
  4. 1935 Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of radar in the United Kingdom.
  5. 1936 In the February 26 Incident, young nationalist Japanese military officers assassinate multiple cabinet statesmen and start a rebellion in downtown Tokyo, which is ended 3 days later.
  6. 1945 World War II: US troops reclaim the Philippine island of Corregidor from the Japanese.
  7. 1952 Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada.
  8. 1960 A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board.
  9. 1960 A Kyiv-bound Aeroflot airliner crashes on approach to Snilow Airport in Lviv, killing 32 of the 33 people on board.
  10. 1966 Apollo program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket.
  11. 1971 U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
  12. 1979 The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak.
  13. 1980 Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations.
  14. 1987 Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
  15. 1992 First Nagorno-Karabakh War: Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces open fire on Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead.

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