May is the fifth month of the year in our modern-day Gregorian calendar. In older versions of the ancient Roman calendar, May was the third month of the year. It became the fifth month when January and February were added to the calendar.
According to Gregory calendar, the day number 365 in a year and if it is a leap year then the day number is 366. May 26 has its own special significance in India and world history.
There are 31 days in May and it does not start or end on the same day of the week as any other month.
May’s birth flower is the Lily of the Valley and the Crataegus monogyna.
Here you will find some important events that happened today in Indian and world History on May 26. Read on to know more about this day.
List of Important Historical events of 26 May:
- 1679: The British Parliament passed the Habeas Corpus Act, which is considered to be the world’s first human rights law for personal freedom of man.
- 1703: Portugal joins the Great Treaty.
- 1739: Afghanistan was separated from India as a result of a treaty between the Mughal emperor Mohammad Shah and Nadir Shah of Iran.
- 1805: Napoleon is crowned King of Italy.
- 1822: 116 people die in a fire at the Gru Church, the largest fire disaster in Norway’s history.
- 1828: Wild child Kasper Hauser is believed to have been discovered in Nuremberg, Germany.
- 1896: Cycle racing was organized on the first American interstate Manhattan Beach.
- 1908: Franco-British exhibition held in London.
- 1926: Constitution adopted in Lebanon.
- 1950: The limit on buying petrol in Britain is scrapped. Earlier, every person was given a ration card to buy petrol.
- 1955: Charles Evans conquered Kanchenjunga, the tallest mountain peak in the world, which is 8585 meters high.
- 1972: US conducts nuclear test in Nevada.
- 1972: Villandra National Park is established in Australia.
- 1980: 2,000 protesters were killed by South Korean military government forces and pro-democracy demonstrators.
- 1983: An earthquake in Japan from a 7.7 reactor scale killed 104 people.
- 1999: Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully orbits three satellites of India, Germany and South Korea.
- 2006: Indonesia’s Java earthquake killed more than 5700 people and left nearly two lakh homeless.
- 2013: Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings to clinch the IPL Twenty20 title.
- 2014: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India.