# On this day: March 26

March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years), with 280 days left until the end of the year.

## March 26 in one line

Headline entries for March 26, from Wikipedia: in 1939, Nationalist forces began their final offensive of the Spanish Civil War, at the end of which they controlled almost the entire country; born 1941: Richard Dawkins, Kenyan-English ethologist, biologist, and academic; died 1827: Ludwig van Beethoven, German pianist and composer (born 1770). In 2026 it is a Thursday, in 2027 a Friday.

## Events on March 26

- 590 Byzantine emperor Maurice proclaimed his son Theodosius as his co-emperor. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius_(son_of_Maurice))
- 624 First Eid al-Fitr celebration. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Fitr)
- 1169 Saladin was inaugurated as vizier of Egypt. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saladin)
- 1344 Reconquista: The Muslim city of Algeciras surrendered after a 21-month siege and was incorporated into the Kingdom of Castile. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Algeciras_(1342%E2%80%931344))
- 1484 William Caxton printed the first English translation of Aesop's Fables. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Caxton)
- 1651 The Spanish ship San José ran aground onto coasts controlled by the indigenous Cunco people, who subsequently killed the crew. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreckage_of_San_Jos%C3%A9)
- 1697 The Safavid Empire began a four-year occupation of the Ottoman city of Basra on the Persian Gulf. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf)
- 1812 The Boston Gazette printed a cartoon coining the term "gerrymander", named after Governor Elbridge Gerry, who approved the legislation that created oddly shaped electoral districts. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbridge_Gerry)
- 1871 The elections of Commune council of the Paris Commune are held. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune)
- 1873 A Dutch military expedition was launched to bombard Banda Aceh, the capital of the Aceh Sultanate in present-day Indonesia, beginning the Aceh War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aceh_War)
- 1885 Perceiving that the Canadian government was failing to protect their rights, the Métis people led by Louis Riel began the North-West Rebellion. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-West_Rebellion)
- 1896 An explosion at the Brunner Mine in New Zealand killed 65 coal miners in the country's deadliest mining accident. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunner_Mine_disaster)
- 1913 First Balkan War: After a five-month siege, Bulgarian and Serbian forces captured the Ottoman city of Adrianople. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Adrianople_(1912%E2%80%931913))
- 1917 First World War: Attempting to advance into Palestine, the British were defeated by Ottoman troops at the First Battle of Gaza. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Gaza)
- 1939 Nationalist forces began their final offensive of the Spanish Civil War, at the end of which they controlled almost the entire country. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_offensive_of_the_Spanish_Civil_War)
- 1942 The American tanker Dixie Arrow is torpedoed and sunk off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, by the German U-boat U-71. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Dixie_Arrow)
- 1953 Jonas Salk announced the successful test of his polio vaccine on a small group of adults and children. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polio_vaccine)
- 1971 East Pakistan, then a province of Pakistan, declares its independence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh; the Bangladesh War of Independence begins. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War)
- 1974 A group of peasant women in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, surrounded trees in order to prevent loggers from felling them, giving rise to the Chipko movement. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipko_movement)
- 1975 The Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons, entered into force. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_Weapons_Convention)
- 1991 Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by four Pakistani terrorists and diverted to Changi Airport. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Airlines_Flight_117)
- 1997 Police in Rancho Santa Fe, California, discovered the bodies of 39 members of the religious group Heaven's Gate who had died in an apparent cult suicide. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven's_Gate_(religious_group))
- 1999 A jury began deliberations in the trial of Jack Kevorkian, an American practitioner of physician-assisted suicide who was charged with murder in the death of a terminally ill patient. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kevorkian)
- 2009 A prototype of the Tesla Model S, one of the most influential electric cars in history, was unveiled. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_S)
- 2010 An explosion, allegedly caused by a North Korean torpedo, sank the South Korean warship ROKS Cheonan near Baengnyeongdo in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 sailors. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_ROKS_Cheonan)
- 2024 The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed following a collision between the MV Dali container ship and one of the bridge's support pillars, killing 6 people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_collapse)

## Born on March 26

- 1874 Robert Frost, American poet and playwright (died 1963) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost)
- 1875 Syngman Rhee, South Korean journalist and politician, 1st President of South Korea (died 1965) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngman_Rhee)
- 1904 Joseph Campbell, American mythologist and author (died 1987) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell)
- 1905 Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (died 1997) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl)
- 1911 Tennessee Williams, American playwright and poet (died 1983) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams)
- 1913 Paul Erdős, Hungarian-Polish mathematician and academic (died 1996) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erd%C5%91s)
- 1916 Christian B. Anfinsen, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1995) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_B._Anfinsen)
- 1925 Pierre Boulez, French pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2016) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Boulez)
- 1931 Leonard Nimoy, American actor (died 2015) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Nimoy)
- 1934 Alan Arkin, American actor (died 2023) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Arkin)
- 1938 Anthony James Leggett, English-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2026) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Leggett)
- 1940 Nancy Pelosi, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosi)
- 1940 James Caan, American actor and singer (died 2022) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Caan)
- 1941 Richard Dawkins, Kenyan-English ethologist, biologist, and academic [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins)
- 1942 Erica Jong, American novelist and poet [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erica_Jong)
- 1944 Diana Ross, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Ross)
- 1948 Steven Tyler, American singer-songwriter and actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Tyler)
- 1949 Patrick Süskind, German author and screenwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_S%C3%BCskind)
- 1951 Carl Wieman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Wieman)
- 1973 Larry Page, American computer scientist and businessman, co-founder of Google [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Page)
- 1982 Mikel Arteta, Spanish footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikel_Arteta)
- 1985 Keira Knightley, English actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keira_Knightley)

## Died on March 26

- 752 Pope-elect Stephen [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope-elect_Stephen)
- 922 Mansur Al-Hallaj, Persian mystic and poet (born 858) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Hallaj)
- 1797 James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (born 1726) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hutton)
- 1827 Ludwig van Beethoven, German pianist and composer (born 1770) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven)
- 1892 Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (born 1819) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman)
- 1902 Cecil Rhodes, English-South African colonialist, businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (born 1853) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Rhodes)
- 1923 Sarah Bernhardt, French actress and screenwriter (born 1844) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt)
- 1945 David Lloyd George, English-Welsh lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1863) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lloyd_George)
- 1959 Raymond Chandler, American crime novelist and screenwriter (born 1888) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler)
- 1980 Roland Barthes, French linguist and critic (born 1915) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Barthes)
- 1984 Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (born 1922) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_S%C3%A9kou_Tour%C3%A9)
- 1995 Eazy-E, American rapper and producer (born 1964) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eazy-E)
- 2005 James Callaghan, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1912) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Callaghan)
- 2015 Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (born 1931) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomas_Transtr%C3%B6mer)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast days: Barontius and Desiderius [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barontius_and_Desiderius)
- Christian feast days: Castulus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castulus)
- Christian feast days: Emmanuel and companions [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Emmanuel)
- Christian feast days: Felicitas [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicitas_of_Padua)
- Christian feast days: Harriet Monsell (Church of England) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Monsell)
- Christian feast days: Larissa [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_persecution_of_Christians)
- Christian feast days: Ludger [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludger)
- Christian feast days: Maddalena Caterina Morano [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maddalena_Caterina_Morano)
- Christian feast days: Richard Allen (Episcopal Church (USA)) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Allen_(bishop))
- Christian feast days: March 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_26_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Independence Day and National Day (Bangladesh), celebrates the declaration of independence from Pakistan in 1971. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(Bangladesh))
- Martyr's Day or Day of Democracy (Mali) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Mali)
- National Science Appreciation Day (United States) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Science_Appreciation_Day)
- Prince Kūhiō Day (Hawaii, United States) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_K%C5%ABhi%C5%8D_Day)
- Purple Day (Canada and United States) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Day)
- Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (Eastern Christianity) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synaxis)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “March 26”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_26) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/March 26”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/March_26) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“March 26”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_26) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_26?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for March 26 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## March 26 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Thursday | 2026-W13 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2027 | Friday | 2027-W12 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2028 | Sunday | 2028-W12 | 🌑 New Moon |
| 2029 | Monday | 2029-W13 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2030 | Tuesday | 2030-W13 | 🌗 Last Quarter |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on March 26

- [🇬🇧 United Kingdom](https://whathappen.today/holidays/united-kingdom/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇨🇦 Canada](https://whathappen.today/holidays/canada/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇦🇺 Australia](https://whathappen.today/holidays/australia/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇮🇳 India](https://whathappen.today/holidays/india/): Ram Navami (2026)
- [🇮🇳 India](https://whathappen.today/holidays/india/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇳🇿 New Zealand](https://whathappen.today/holidays/new-zealand/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇿🇦 South Africa](https://whathappen.today/holidays/south-africa/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇸🇬 Singapore](https://whathappen.today/holidays/singapore/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇵🇭 Philippines](https://whathappen.today/holidays/philippines/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇩🇪 Germany](https://whathappen.today/holidays/germany/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇧🇷 Brazil](https://whathappen.today/holidays/brazil/): Good Friday (estimated) (2027)
- [🇪🇸 Spain](https://whathappen.today/holidays/spain/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇦🇷 Argentina](https://whathappen.today/holidays/argentina/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇨🇴 Colombia](https://whathappen.today/holidays/colombia/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇨🇱 Chile](https://whathappen.today/holidays/chile/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇵🇪 Peru](https://whathappen.today/holidays/peru/): Good Friday (2027)
- [🇵🇹 Portugal](https://whathappen.today/holidays/portugal/): Good Friday (2027)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← March 25](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-25/) · [March 27 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-27/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-26/