Date·Lore

On This Day · The 146th day of the year

May 26

May 26 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1538 and 2025. Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.

♊ZodiacGemini ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on May 26?

May 26 is the 146th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1538 and 2025. Famous people born on May 26 include Ward Cunningham, John Wayne and Matt Stone.

The shape of the day

From 1538 to 2025, May 26 gathers 487 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 21st century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Gemini is the sign for May 26 — read more on the Gemini page, or see May's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on May 26

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game Realm of Ink
  • Game Yerba Buena

2022

  • Game Out There: Oceans of Time
  • Movie Fatal Conspiracy

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1538

    Geneva

    Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.

  2. 1644

    Portuguese Restoration War

    Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory in the Battle of Montijo.

  3. 1822

    Grue Church fire

    At least 113 people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway's history.

  4. 1864

    Abraham Lincoln

    President Abraham Lincoln signs legislation organizing the Montana Territory.

  5. 1938

    House Un-American Activities Committee

    In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.

  6. 1940

    World War II

    World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France. The Battle of Dunkirk begins simultaneously as Allied defenders fight to slow down the German offensive.

  7. 1967

    The Beatles

    The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.

  8. 2002

    I-40 bridge disaster

    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.

  9. 2020

    George Floyd protests

    Protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd erupt in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, later becoming widespread across the United States and around the world.

  10. 2025

    2025 Liverpool parade attack

    65 people are injured when a car rams into a crowd on Water Street, near Liverpool F.C.'s Premier League trophy parade.

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 26

Ward Cunningham

b. 1949

American computer programmer, developed the first wiki

John Wayne

b. 1907

American actor, director, and producer

Matt Stone

b. 1971

American actor, animator, screenwriter, producer, and composer

Jack Kevorkian

b. 1928

American pathologist, author, and assisted suicide activist

Sally Ride

b. 1951

American physicist and astronaut, founded Sally Ride Science

Peter Kürten

b. 1883

German serial killer

Inge Borkh

b. 1921

German soprano

Nicolaus Zinzendorf

b. 1700

German bishop and saint

Deaths

  • 1976Martin Heidegger
  • 1955Alberto Ascari
  • 1933Jimmie Rodgers
  • 946Edmund I
  • 818Ali al-Rida
  • 604Augustine of Canterbury

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Andrew Kaggwa
  • —Christian feast day: Augustine of Canterbury (Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodox)
  • —Christian feast day: Lambert of Vence
  • —Christian feast day: Mariana de Jesús de Paredes
  • —Christian feast day: Martyrs of the Paris Commune
  • —Christian feast day: Peter Sanz (one of Martyr Saints of China)
  • —Christian feast day: Philip Neri
  • —Christian feast day: Pope Eleutherius

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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