This Day in History February 26
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This Day in History
February 26
1813 Robert Livingston, a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, dies in New York at age 66
1917 President Woodrow Wilson learns of the Zimmermann Telegram, which proposes a German-Mexican alliance and helps push the U.S. into World war I
1919 Grand Canyon National Park is established by President Woodrow Wilson—approximately 5.9 million people visit the park each year, making it the 2nd most popular national park after North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains
1935 Hitler signs a secret decree, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, authorizing the establishment of the Luftwaffe, Germany’s air force
1947 Frank Capra receives a Golden Globe for Best Director for the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life
1966 Nancy Sinatra’s hit single “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” hits #1 in the U.S.—she is the daughter of legendary singer Frank Sinatra
1986 Thanks to the hit single “West End Girls,” British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys is featured on the cover of Smash Hits, a British music magazine aimed at young adults—lead singer Neil Tennant had been a writer and editor of the magazine from 1982-1985
1993 Al-Qaeda terrorists detonate a bomb in a parking garage at the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people and injuring a thousand others—the same organization would attack again on September 11, 2001
1996 John Stockton of the Utah Jazz records his 11,000th career assist—he would retire in 2003 with a record 15,806, more than 3,700 more assists than 2nd place
2012 African-American teen Trayvon Martin is fatally shot in Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer, sparking national debates about racial profiling and self- defense laws
2020 President Trump names Vice President Mike Pence as head of his Coronavirus Task Force, putting him in charge of the U.S. government response to the pandemic
2020 5 people are killed at the Molson Coors facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, known as “Miller Valley”—the gunman was a fellow employee at the facility
2020 Having already canceled Carnival celebrations in Venice, Italy continues its effort to contain the largest coronavirus outbreak outside of Asia with 322 confirmed cases and 11 deaths
2020 The U.S. House of Representatives votes to approve the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which would make lynching a federal crime and is named in honor of a 14-year-old black teenager who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955—the Senate failed to pass the bill, but it was reintroduced in the House on January 4, 2021
2020 The first case of coronavirus is reported in Latin America (Brazil)
2021 The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is expected to get emergency approval from the FDA today—unlike the other two approved vaccines in the U.S., the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose and only requires refrigeration
2021 The House of Representatives will vote today on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill today—it will still need approval in the Senate and a signature from the president to go into effect
2021 President Biden travels to Texas today to assess the damage caused by last week’s horrific winter storm
2021 The U.S. military carried out air strikes at a site in Syria targeting two Iranian- backed militia groups—it is the first known military action under President Biden
2021 Former U.S. Olympic gymnastics coach John Geddert committed suicide yesterday after being charged with 24 felonies in connection with physician Larry Nassar’s abuse of young gymnasts
2021 On Wednesday, a man shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stole two of her three French Bulldogs in Los Angeles—Lady Gaga, who is in Rome filming a movie, is offering a $500,000 reward for their return
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