François Mitterrand
b. 1916
French lawyer and politician, 21st President of France
On This Day · The 299th day of the year
October 26
October 26 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1520 and 2004. Charles V is crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.
Compiled & reviewed by Roman Tailor · Last reviewed July 13, 2026
What happened on October 26?
October 26 is the 299th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1520 and 2004. Famous people born on October 26 include François Mitterrand, Emil Sayfutdinov and Hillary Clinton.
The shape of the day
October 26's record stretches 484 years, from 1520 to 2004. Its center of gravity is the 19th century, and politics and nation-building recur.
Scorpio is the sign for October 26 — read more on the Scorpio page, or see October's birthstone & birth flower.
Released on October 26
Movies, games, albums & shows2025
- TV IT: Welcome to Derry
2024
- Game My Femboy Roommate
2021
- Game Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- Game Moonglow Bay
Release data from TMDB & IGDB.
Events
10 notable moments- 1520
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V is crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1597
Imjin War
Imjin War: Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin routs the Japanese Navy of 300 ships with only 13 ships at the Battle of Myeongnyang.
- 1813
War of 1812
War of 1812: A combined force of British regulars, Canadian militia and Mohawks defeat the United States Army in the Battle of the Chateauguay.
- 1863
The Football Association
The Football Association is founded.
- 1871
Edward James Roye
Liberian President Edward James Roye is deposed in a coup d'état.
- 1892
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells publishes Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases.
- 1955
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngô Đình Diệm proclaims himself as President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam.
- 1977
Ali Maow Maalin
Ali Maow Maalin, the last natural case of smallpox, develops a rash in Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date to be the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.
- 2000
Robert Guéï
A wave of protests forces Robert Guéï to step down as president after the Ivorian presidential election.
- 2004
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PlayStation 2 in North America, which sold 12 million units for the PS2, becoming the console's best-selling video game.
Famous birthday twins
Born on October 26Emil Sayfutdinov
b. 1989
Russian motorcycle racer
Hillary Clinton
b. 1947
American lawyer and politician, 67th United States Secretary of State and 44th First Lady of the United States
Zhengde Emperor
b. 1491
of China
Nancy D. Griffeth
b. 1945
American computer scientist and academic
Daniel Elena
b. 1972
Monegasque race car driver
Hot Rod Hundley
b. 1934
American basketball player and sportscaster
Miloš Crnjanski
b. 1893
Serbian poet and author
Deaths
- 1999Hoyt Axton
- 1979Park Chung Hee
- 1956Walter Gieseking
- 1817Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin
- 1631Michael Maestlin
- 899Alfred the Great
Holidays & observances
- —Accession Day (Jammu and Kashmir, India)
- —Angam Day (Nauru)
- —Armed Forces Day (Benin)
- —Christian feast day: Alfred the Great (Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Eastern Orthodox Church)
- —Christian feast day: Amandus of Strasbourg
- —Christian feast day: Beóán (Bean) of Mortlach
- —Christian feast day: Blessed Celine Borzecka
- —Christian feast day: Cedd
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.
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