What happened on your birthdate?

Use the menu below to find out what historical events took place. You'll also learn which famous people share your birthdate.

Free History & Quotes Newsletter!

Get these great stories sent directly to your email!

email See more free newsletters on the subscribe page.

Type your email address:

Your email address is safe with us. View our Privacy policy.

Quizzes
Tech News and Reviews:
News, videos and reviews of the latest tech gadgets. Tech News
Vocabulary Hangman:
Try our FREE ArcaMax Vocabulary Hangman Game
The Funnies:
Get free jokes, comics, and more! See them all on
our funnies page
Books:
Read the classics online or by email. More details on the books page

Other Notable Events, June 26

In 1900, Dr. Walter Reed and his medical team began a successful campaign to wipe out yellow fever in the Panama Canal Zone.

In 1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force reached France in World War I.

In 1939, film censors approved "Gone With The Wind" but fined Producer David O. Selznick $5,000 for objectionable language in Rhett Butler's famous closing line to Scarlett O'Hara: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

In 1945, the U.N. Charter was signed by representatives of 50 nations.

Also in 1945, the FCC began development of commercial television by allocating airwaves for 13 TV stations.

In 1959, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada.

In 1974, the bar code, allowing for the electronic scanning of prices, was used for the first time on a pack of gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

In 1976, the CN Tower, the world's tallest freestanding structure (1,815 feet, 5 inches), opened in Toronto.

In 1977, 42 people died in a county jail fire in Columbia, Tenn.

In 1990, U.S. President George H.W. Bush discarded his "no new taxes" campaign pledge, saying "it is clear to me" taxes are needed as part of deficit-reduction package.

In 1991, 120 people drowned after an Indonesian trawler and an unidentified ship collided in the Straits of Malacca.

In 1992, U.S. Navy Secretary H. Lawrence Garrett resigned, accepting responsibility for the "Tailhook" incident involving the harassment of Navy women by naval aviators.

Also in 1992, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, the target of public wrath for the Rodney King beating, resigned.

In 1993, in response to an Iraqi plot to assassinate former U.S. President George H.W. Bush during a visit to Kuwait, two U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf fired missiles at Iraq's intelligence complex. The main headquarters building was badly damaged.

In 1995, an attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak failed during his visit to Ethiopia.

In 2000, two rival groups of scientists announced they had deciphered the genetic code, the human genome.

In 2002, the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance recited in schools was unconstitutional because of the phrase "under God." The ruling was stayed pending appeal.

In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court gave a major boost to gay rights advocates by striking down a Texas law forbidding sexual activity between same-sex partners.

In 2005, six months after the Indian Ocean tsunami, the death toll stood at 178,000 in 11 countries with another 50,000 people missing and presumed dead.

In 2006, Israel put on a military show of strength in the Gaza Strip following a bloody Palestinian militant raid on a military post and kidnapping of a soldier.

In 2007, German prosecutors sought to try 13 U.S. intelligence agents who allegedly kidnapped a German citizen in 2003. It's the second case in Europe centered on the controversial U.S. "extraordinary rendition" practice in which terror suspects arrested in one country can be transported to another with fewer prisoner rights for questioning. A trial of 26 CIA agents in Italy was reported on hold.

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5 to 4, that the Constitution protects an individual's right to carry a gun for private use but insisted that the ruling did nothing to alter the ban on gun ownership by felons or the mentally ill or carrying a gun into such "sensitive" areas as schools or government buildings.

Also in 2008, North Korea officials handed over to China a list of its nuclear facilities. In exchange, the United States removed North Korea from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism and lifted some sanctions.



Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 06/26/2009
Share this Story
Digg   del.icio.us   Yahoo   Facebook   Google   

Printer Friendly Version | Send this page to a friend | Post Comment


Rate This Story:

Great - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - Bad



Thank you for your input.


Posted Comments:


Comment archive | Comment FAQ's

Post Comment::

Author:
Subject:



Recent archives Featured news

View History & Quotes ezine stories by date or visit the complete archive

Featured Channel: Politics

The ArcaMax Politics channel is one of 70 content categories offered by ArcaMax Publishing on this ...