May 26

May 26 is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 219 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 47 BC – Julius Caesar visits Tarsus on his way to Pontus, where he meets enthusiastic support, but where, according to Cicero, Cassius is planning to kill him at this point.
• 17 – Germanicus returns to Rome as a conquering hero; he celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
• 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Empire defeats the Armenians militarily but guarantees them freedom to openly practice Christianity.
• 946 – King Edmund I of England is murdered by a thief whom he personally attacks while celebrating St Augustine's Mass Day.
• 1135 – Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in León Cathedral as Imperator totius Hispaniae, "Emperor of all of Spain".
• 1293 – An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 30,000.
• 1328 – William of Ockham, the Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.
• 1538 – Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.
• 1573 – The Battle of Haarlemmermeer, a naval engagement in the Dutch War of Independence.
• 1637 – Pequot War: A combined English and Mohegan force under John Mason attacks a village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Pequots.
• 1644 – Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory in the Battle of Montijo.
• 1647 – Alse Young, hanged in Hartford, Connecticut, becomes the first person executed as a witch in the British American colonies.
• 1736 – The Battle of Ackia was fought near the present site of Tupelo, Mississippi. British and Chickasaw soldiers repelled a French and Choctaw attack on the then-Chickasaw village of Ackia.
• 1770 – The Orlov Revolt, an attempt to revolt against the Ottoman Empire before the Greek War of Independence, ends in disaster for the Greeks.
• 1783 – A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut, celebrated end of fighting in American Revolution.
• 1805 – Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan Cathedral, the gothic cathedral in Milan.
• 1821 – Establishment of the Peloponnesian Senate by the Greek rebels.
• 1822 – One hundred sixteen people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway's history.
• 1828 – Feral child Kaspar Hauser is discovered wandering the streets of Nuremberg.
• 1830 – The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress; it is signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later.
• 1857 – Dred Scott is emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners.
• 1864 – Montana is organized as a United States territory.
• 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, is the last full general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.
• 1868 – Michael Barrett was the last person to be publicly executed in Great Britain
• 1869 – Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• 1879 – Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.
• 1896 – Nicholas II becomes the last Tsar of Imperial Russia.
• 1896 – Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
• 1897 – Dracula, a novel by the Irish author Bram Stoker, is published.
• 1897 – The original manuscript of William Bradford's history, "Of Plymouth Plantation" is returned to the Governor of Massachusetts by the Bishop of London after being taken during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1900 – Thousand Days' War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colombian Liberal Party in the Battle of Palonegro.
• 1906 – Vauxhall Bridge is opened in London.
• 1908 – At Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
• 1917 – Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon, killing 101 people and injuring 689.
• 1918 – The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.
• 1923 – The first 24 Hours of Le Mans was held and has since been run annually in June.
• 1936 – In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation Bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for 10 hours.
• 1938 – In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.
• 1940 – World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
• 1940 – World War II: The Siege of Calais ends with the surrender of the British and French garrison.
• 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Gazala takes place.
• 1948 – The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 80-557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
• 1966 – British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.
• 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing.
• 1970 – The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.
• 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army slaughters at least 71 Hindus in Burunga, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
• 1972 – Willandra National Park is established in Australia.
• 1972 – The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
• 1977 – George Willig climbs the South Tower of New York City's World Trade Center.
• 1981 – Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).
• 1981 – An EA-6B Prowler crashes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.
• 1983 – A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan, triggering a tsunami that kills at least 104 people and injures thousands. Many people go missing and thousands of buildings are destroyed.
• 1986 – The European Community adopts the European flag.
• 1991 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.
• 1991 – Lauda Air Flight 004, a Boeing 767, crashes in an area of western Thailand after a thrust reverser malfunction. All 223 people aboard are killed.
• 1992 – The blockade of Dubrovnik is broken. Following this, the siege of Dubrovnik ends in the next months.
• 1998 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
• 1998 – The first "National Sorry Day" was held in Australia, and reconciliation events were held nationally, and attended by over a million people.
• 2002 – The tugboat Robert Y. Love collides with a support pier of Interstate 40 on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 others injured.
• 2004 – United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
• 2008 – Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.
• 2012 – A cannibal attack takes place on the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, Florida.

Births

• 1264 – Prince Koreyasu, Japanese shogun (d. 1326)
• 1478 – Pope Clement VII (d. 1534)
• 1566 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1603)
• 1602 – Philippe de Champaigne, Dutch-French painter (d. 1674)
• 1623 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (d. 1687)
• 1650 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (d. 1722)
• 1667 – Abraham de Moivre, French-English mathematician and theorist (d. 1754)
• 1669 – Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (d. 1722)
• 1700 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (d. 1760)
• 1799 – August Kopisch, German poet and painter (d. 1853)
• 1822 – Edmond de Goncourt, French author and critic, founded the Académie Goncourt (d. 1896)
• 1863 – Bob Fitzsimmons, English-New Zealand boxer (d. 1917)
• 1865 – Robert W. Chambers, American author and illustrator (d. 1933)
• 1867 – Mary of Teck (d. 1953)
• 1873 – Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
• 1876 – Percy Perrin, English cricketer (d. 1945)
• 1880 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (d. 1967)
• 1883 – Mamie Smith, American singer, actress, dancer, and pianist (d. 1946)
• 1886 – Al Jolson, Lithuanian-American singer and actor (d. 1950)
• 1887 – Ba U, 2nd President of Burma (d. 1963)
• 1893 – Eugene Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer (d. 1962)
• 1893 – Norma Talmadge, American actress and producer (d. 1957)
• 1895 – Dorothea Lange, American photographer and journalist (d. 1965)
• 1895 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor and singer (d. 1971)
• 1898 – Ernst Bacon, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1990)
• 1898 – Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (d. 1965)
• 1899 – Antonio Barrette, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
• 1899 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (d. 1997)
• 1904 – George Formby, English singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1961)
• 1904 – Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1983)
• 1904 – Vlado Perlemuter, Lithuanian-French pianist and educator (d. 2002)
• 1907 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (d. 2006)
• 1907 – John Wayne, American actor, singer, director, and producer (d. 1979)
• 1908 – Robert Morley, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1992)
• 1908 – Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, Vietnamese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam
• 1909 – Matt Busby, Scottish-English footballer and manager (d. 1994)
• 1909 – Nikolay Guryanov, Russian priest and mystic (d. 2002)
• 1909 – Adolfo López Mateos, Mexican politician, 48th President of Mexico (d. 1969)
• 1910 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Hungarian-Israeli martial artist, boxer, and gymnast (d. 1998)
• 1911 – Maurice Baquet, French actor and cellist (d. 2005)
• 1911 – Henry Ephron, American playwright, screenwriter, and producer (d. 1992)
• 1912 – János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, 46th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1989)
• 1912 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian-American actor (d. 1980)
• 1913 – Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
• 1913 – Pierre Daninos, French author (d. 2005)
• 1913 – Karin Ekelund, Swedish actress (d. 1976)
• 1913 – Josef Manger, German weightlifter (d. 1991)
• 1914 – Frankie Manning, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Vernon Alley, American bassist (d. 2004)
• 1915 – Sam Edwards, American actor (d. 2004)
• 1915 – Antonia Forest, English author (d. 2003)
• 1916 – Moondog, American drummer, composer, and poet (d. 1999)
• 1916 – Henriette Roosenburg, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1972)
• 1917 – Éva Szörényi, Hungarian actress (d. 2009)
• 1918 – Anton Christoforidis, Turkish-Greek boxer (d. 1985)
• 1919 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club and Estrellas de Areito) (d. 2003)
• 1920 – Peggy Lee, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2002)
• 1921 – György Bárdy, Hungarian actor (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Walter Laqueur, American historian and academic
• 1921 – Ernst Märzendorfer, Austrian conductor (d. 2009)
• 1922 – Troy Smith, American businessman, founded Sonic Drive-In (d. 2009)
• 1923 – James Arness, American actor and producer (d. 2011)
• 1923 – Roy Dotrice, English actor
• 1925 – Alec McCowen, English actor
• 1926 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (Miles Davis Quintet) (d. 1991)
• 1927 – Jacques Bergerac, French actor (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (d. 2011)
• 1929 – J. F. Ade Ajayi, Nigerian historian and academic (d. 2014)
• 1929 – John Jackson, English lawyer and businessman
• 1929 – Catherine Sauvage, French singer and actress (d. 1998)
• 1930 – Karim Emami, Indian-Iranian lexicographer and critic (d. 2005)
• 1932 – Grigor Vachkov, Bulgarian actor (d. 1980)
• 1933 – Edward Whittemore, American soldier and author (d. 1995)
• 1935 – Eero Loone, Estonian philosopher and academic
• 1935 – Sheila Steafel, South African–English actress
• 1936 – David Stevens, Baron Stevens of Ludgate, English politician
• 1937 – Manorama, Indian actress and singer (d. 2015)
• 1938 – William Bolcom, American pianist and composer
• 1938 – Pauline Parker, New Zealand murderer
• 1938 – Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian author and playwright
• 1938 – K. Bikram Singh, Indian director and producer (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Teresa Stratas, Canadian soprano and actress
• 1939 – Merab Kostava, Georgian poet, activist, and educator (d. 1989)
• 1939 – Jaki Liebezeit German drummer (Can)
• 1939 – Brent Musburger, American sportscaster
• 1939 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
• 1940 – Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Canadian academic and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
• 1940 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, producer, and actor (The Band) (d. 2012)
• 1941 – Aldrich Ames, American CIA officer
• 1941 – Reg Bundy, English drag queen performer, dancer, and actor (d. 2003)
• 1941 – Jim Dobbin, Scottish microbiologist and politician (d. 2014)
• 1941 – Cliff Drysdale, South African tennis player and sportscaster
• 1941 – Imants Kalniņš, Latvian composer
• 1942 – Ganapathi Sachchidananda, Indian guru
• 1943 – Erica Terpstra, Dutch swimmer, journalist, and politician
• 1944 – Phil Edmonston, American-Canadian journalist and politician
• 1944 – Jan Kinder, Norwegian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
• 1944 – Sam Posey, American race car driver and journalist
• 1945 – Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian lawyer and politician, 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2012)
• 1945 – Alistair MacDuff, English lawyer and judge
• 1945 – Garry Peterson, Canadian-American drummer (The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive)
• 1946 – Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian gymnast and coach
• 1946 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Spiders from Mars and Mott the Hoople) (d. 1993)
• 1947 – Carol O'Connell, American author and painter
• 1947 – Glenn Turner, New Zealand cricketer
• 1948 – Stevie Nicks, American singer-songwriter (Fleetwood Mac)
• 1949 – Jeremy Corbyn, British journalist and politician
• 1949 – Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer, developed the first wiki
• 1949 – Pam Grier, American actress and singer
• 1949 – Anne McGuire, Scottish educator and politician
• 1949 – Philip Michael Thomas, American actor and singer
• 1949 – Hank Williams Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1951 – Ramón Calderón, Spanish lawyer and businessman
• 1951 – Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut, founded Sally Ride Science (d. 2012)
• 1951 – Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, Irish educator and politician
• 1952 – David Meece, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1953 – Kay Hagan, American lawyer and politician
• 1953 – Michael Portillo, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
• 1953 – Dan Roundfield, American basketball player (d. 2012)
• 1954 – Marian Gold, German singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alphaville)
• 1954 – Alan Hollinghurst, English author and poet
• 1954 – Denis Lebel, Canadian businessman and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Transport
• 1954 – Danny Rolling, American serial killer (d. 2006)
• 1955 – Masaharu Morimoto, Japanese-American chef
• 1955 – Paul Stoddart, Australian businessman
• 1955 – Wesley Walker, American football player and educator
• 1956 – Neil Parish, English politician
• 1956 – Fiona Shackleton, English lawyer
• 1957 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
• 1957 – François Legault, Canadian businessman and politician
• 1957 – Kristina Olsen, American singer-songwriter
• 1957 – Roberto Ravaglia, Italian race car driver
• 1957 – Pontso Sekatle, Lesotho academic and politician
• 1958 – Arto Bryggare, Finnish hurdler and politician
• 1958 – Margaret Colin, American actress
• 1958 – Howard Goodall, English composer and educator
• 1959 – Ole Bornedal, Danish actor, director, and producer
• 1960 – Doug Hutchison, American actor
• 1960 – Dean Lukin, Australian weightlifter
• 1960 – Masahiro Matsunaga, Japanese race car driver
• 1960 – Rob Murphy, American baseball player
• 1960 – Romas Ubartas, Lithuanian discus thrower
• 1961 – Tarsem Singh, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Black, English singer-songwriter
• 1962 – Genie Francis, American actress
• 1962 – Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1963 – Simon Armitage, English author, poet, and playwright
• 1963 – Claude Legault, Canadian actor and screenwriter
• 1963 – Mary Nightingale, English journalist
• 1963 – Musetta Vander, South African model and actress
• 1964 – Caitlín R. Kiernan, Irish-American paleontologist and author
• 1964 – Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
• 1964 – Argiris Pedoulakis, Greek basketball player and coach
• 1965 – Hazel Irvine, Scottish sportscaster and journalist
• 1966 – Helena Bonham Carter, English actress and singer
• 1966 – Zola Budd, South African runner
• 1967 – Kevin Moore, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (OSI, Dream Theater, and Chroma Key)
• 1967 – Philip Treacy, Irish hat designer
• 1967 – Mika Yamamoto, Japanese journalist (d. 2012)
• 1968 – Christopher Burge, American biologist and academic
• 1968 – Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
• 1968 – Simon Diamond, American baseball player and wrestler
• 1968 – Fernando León de Aranoa, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1968 – Steve Sedgley, English footballer and manager
• 1969 – John Baird, Canadian politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1969 – Dominic Mohan, English journalist
• 1970 – Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese illustrator
• 1970 – Kylie Ireland, American porn actress, director, and producer
• 1971 – Zaher Andary, Lebanese footballer
• 1971 – Matt Stone, American actor, animator, screenwriter, producer, and composer
• 1972 – Shary Boyle, Canadian sculptor and painter
• 1972 – Patsy Palmer, English actress
• 1972 – Alan White, English drummer (Oasis and Starclub)
• 1973 – Naomi Harris, Canadian-American photographer
• 1974 – Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
• 1975 – Nicki Aycox, American actress
• 1975 – Lauryn Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (Fugees)
• 1975 – Kwasi Kwarteng, English historian and politician
• 1975 – Travis Lee, American baseball player
• 1975 – Suat Suna, Turkish singer-songwriter and producer
• 1976 – Paul Collingwood, English cricketer and coach
• 1976 – Kenny Florian, American mixed martial artist and sportscaster
• 1976 – Justin Pierre, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Motion City Soundtrack)
• 1977 – Nikos Chatzivrettas, Greek basketball player
• 1977 – Mark Hunter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Chimaira)
• 1977 – Misaki Ito, Japanese actress and model
• 1977 – Raina Telgemeier, American author and cartoonist
• 1977 – Luca Toni, Italian footballer
• 1978 – Phil Elvrum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Microphones, Mount Eerie, and Old Time Relijun)
• 1978 – Fabio Firmani, Italian footballer
• 1979 – Amanda Bauer, American astronomer and academic
• 1979 – Elisabeth Harnois, American actress
• 1979 – Ashley Massaro, American wrestler and manager
• 1979 – Natalya Nazarova, Russian sprinter
• 1979 – Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player
• 1981 – Robert Copeland, Australian footballer
• 1981 – Eda-Ines Etti, Estonian singer
• 1981 – Jason Manford, English actor, screenwriter, and television host
• 1981 – Irini Merkouri, Greek singer
• 1981 – Isaac Slade, American singer-songwriter and pianist (The Fray)
• 1981 – Ben Zobrist, American baseball player
• 1982 – Sten Lassmann, Estonian pianist
• 1982 – Hasan Kabze, Turkish footballer
• 1982 – Yoko Matsugane, Japanese model
• 1982 – David Reed, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1983 – Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer
• 1983 – Henry Holland, English fashion designer
• 1985 – Monika Christodoulou, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1985 – Ashley Vincent, English footballer
• 1986 – Michel Tornéus, Swedish long jumper
• 1987 – Olcay Şahan, Turkish footballer
• 1987 – Josh Thomas, Australian comedian and actor
• 1988 – Andrea Catellani, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Will Chambers, Australian rugby player
• 1988 – Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Colombian footballer
• 1988 – Dani Samuels, Australian discus thrower
• 1988 – Joel Selwood, Australian footballer
• 1988 – Damian Williams, American football player
• 1989 – Paula Findlay, Canadian triathlete
• 1991 – Ah Young, South Korean singer, actress, and model (Dal Shabet)
• 1993 – Jason Adesanya, Belgian footballer
• 1998 – Shannon, English-South Korean singer
• 1999 – Kerry Ingram, English actress and singer

Deaths

• 604 – Augustine of Canterbury, Benedictine monk and archbishop
• 735 – Bede, English monk, historian, and theologian (b. 672)
• 818 – Ali al-Ridha, Saudi Arabian 8th of The Twelve Imams (b. 766)
• 946 – Edmund I of England (b. 921)
• 1055 – Adalbert, Margrave of Austria (b. 985)
• 1250 – Peter I, Duke of Brittany (b. c. 1187)
• 1421 – Mehmed I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1389)
• 1512 – Bayezid II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1447)
• 1536 – Francesco Berni, Italian poet (b. 1498)
• 1647 – Alse Young, American woman executed for witchcraft (b. 1600)
• 1648 – Vincent Voiture, French poet and author (b. 1597)
• 1651 – Jeane Gardiner, English woman executed for witchcraft
• 1653 – Robert Filmer, English theorist and author (b. 1588)
• 1679 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1636)
• 1685 – Charles II, Elector Palatine (b. 1651)
• 1703 – Samuel Pepys, English politician (b. 1633)
• 1742 – Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1672)
• 1746 – Thomas Southerne, Irish playwright (b. 1660)
• 1762 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (b. 1714)
• 1799 – James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish linguist, biologist, and judge (b. 1714)
• 1818 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Finland (b. 1761)
• 1818 – Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, Chilean lawyer and guerrilla leader (b. 1785)
• 1824 – Capel Lofft, English lawyer (b. 1751)
• 1840 – Sidney Smith, English admiral and politician (b. 1764)
• 1868 – Michael Barrett, Northern Irish terrorist (b. 1841)
• 1881 – Jakob Bernays, German philologist and academic (b. 1824)
• 1883 – Abdelkader El Djezairi, Algerian ruler (b. 1808)
• 1902 – Almon Brown Strowger, American soldier and inventor (b. 1839)
• 1904 – Georges Gilles de la Tourette, French physician and neurologist (b. 1857)
• 1907 – Ida Saxton McKinley, American wife of William McKinley, 25th First Lady of the United States (b. 1847)
• 1908 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious leader, founded the Ahmadiyya movement (b. 1835)
• 1914 – Jacob August Riis, Danish-American journalist, photographer, and reformer (b. 1849)
• 1924 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, founded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (b. 1859)
• 1926 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (b. 1904)
• 1933 – Horatio Bottomley, English financier, journalist, and politician (b. 1860)
• 1933 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1897)
• 1939 – Charles Horace Mayo, American physician, co-founded Mayo Clinic (b. 1865)
• 1943 – Edsel Ford, American businessman (b. 1893)
• 1943 – Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (b. 1864)
• 1944 – Christian Wirth, German SS officer (b. 1885)
• 1948 – Torsten Bergström, Swedish actor and director (b. 1896)
• 1948 – Theodor Morell, German physician (b. 1886)
• 1951 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (b. 1880)
• 1954 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian football player and politician (b. 1900)
• 1955 – Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1918)
• 1956 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (b. 1902)
• 1959 – Philip Kassel, American gymnast (b. 1876)
• 1966 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (b. 1894)
• 1968 – Little Willie John, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
• 1969 – Paul Hawkins, Australian race car driver (b. 1937)
• 1969 – Allan Haines Loughead, American engineer, co-founded the Lockheed Corporation (b. 1889)
• 1974 – Silvio Moser, Swiss race car driver (b. 1941)
• 1976 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher and academic (b. 1889)
• 1978 – Cybele Andrianou, Greek actress (b. 1887)
• 1979 – George Brent, Irish-American actor and singer (b. 1899)
• 1986 – Gunnar Björnstrand, Swedish actor (b. 1909)
• 1989 – Don Revie, English footballer and manager (b. 1927)
• 1994 – Sonny Sharrock, American guitarist (Last Exit) (b. 1940)
• 1995 – Friz Freleng, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1906)
• 1997 – Ralph Horween, American football player and coach (b. 1896)
• 1999 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and philanthropist (b. 1906)
• 1999 – Waldo Semon, American chemist and engineer (b. 1898)
• 2001 – Vittorio Brambilla, Italian race car driver (b. 1937)
• 2001 – Anne Haney, American actress (b. 1934)
• 2001 – Moven Mahachi, Zimbabwean soldier and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Defence (b. 1952)
• 2001 – Dona Massin, Canadian actress and choreographer (b. 1917)
• 2002 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (b. 1932)
• 2003 – Kathleen Winsor, American journalist and author (b. 1919)
• 2004 – Nikolai Chernykh, Russian astronomer (b. 1931)
• 2005 – Eddie Albert, American actor and singer (b. 1906)
• 2005 – Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Ruth Laredo, American pianist and educator (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Leslie Smith, English businessman, co-founded Lesney Products (b. 1918)
• 2006 – Édouard Michelin, French businessman (b. 1963)
• 2006 – Kevin O'Flanagan, Irish footballer and physician (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Jack Edward Oliver, English illustrator (b. 1942)
• 2007 – Howard Porter, American basketball player (b. 1948)
• 2008 – Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
• 2008 – Zita Urbonaitė, Lithuanian cyclist (b. 1973)
• 2009 – Mihalis Papagiannakis, Greek journalist and politician (b. 1941)
• 2009 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (b. 1965)
• 2010 – Jean Constantin, Romanian actor (b. 1928)
• 2010 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (b. 1912)
• 2010 – Chris Moran, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1956)
• 2010 – Kieran Phelan, Irish politician (b. 1949)
• 2011 – Arisen Ahubudu, Sri Lankan scholar, author, and playwright (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Orhan Boran, Turkish actor (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Arthur Decabooter, Belgian cyclist (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Leo Dillon, American illustrator (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Rudy Eugene, American criminal and cannibal (b. 1981)
• 2012 – Stephen Healey, Welsh captain and footballer (b. 1982)
• 2012 – Hiroshi Miyazawa, Japanese politician (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Hans Schmidt, Canadian wrestler (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Ray Barnhart, American businessman and politician (b. 1928)
• 2013 – John Bierwirth, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Roberto Civita, Italian-Brazilian businessman (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Héctor Garza, Mexican wrestler (b. 1969)
• 2013 – Tom Lichtenberg, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
• 2013 – Otto Muehl, Austrian painter (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Jack Vance, American author (b. 1916)
• 2014 – Baselios Thoma Didymos I, Indian metropolitan (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American neuropharmacologist and academic (b. 1933)
• 2014 – William R. Roy, American physician, journalist, and politician (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Hooshang Seyhoun, Iranian-Canadian architect, sculptor, and painter (b. 1920)
• 2014 – Manuel Uribe, Mexican computer repairman, world's heaviest man (b. 1965)
• 2015 – Vicente Aranda, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Bob Hornery, Australian actor (b. 1931)
• 2015 – Les Johnson, Australian politician and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (b. 1924)
• 2015 – Robert Kraft, American astronomer and academic (b. 1927)
• 2015 – João Lucas, Portuguese footballer (b. 1979)
• 2015 – Dayton Waller, American soldier and politician (b. 1925)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Augustine of Canterbury (Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodox)
  • Lambert of Vence
  • Peter Sanz (one of Martyr Saints of China)
  • Philip Neri
  • Pope Eleuterus
  • Quadratus of Athens
  • Zachary, Bishop of Vienne
  • May 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Crown Prince's Birthday (Denmark)
• Independence Day, commemorates the day of the First Republic in 1918 (Georgia)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom in 1966.
• Mother's Day (Poland)
• National Day of Healing (Australia)
• National Paper Airplane Day (United States)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada