A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 26th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On May 26, 1328, William of Ockham, a Franciscan Friar, snuck out of Avignon fearing his execution would be ordered by the Pope.
On May 26, 1868, US President Andrew Johnson was acquitted at his impeachment trial by the narrowest of margins, one single vote.
On May 26, 1897, Bram Stoker’s horror novel, Dracula, was published.
On May 26, 1908, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East was made when the Masjed Soleyman strike was made in Southwest Persia, the country now known as Iran.
On May 26, 1923, the first 24 Hours of Le Mans automobile race was held. It remains today as one of the greatest auto races and is the oldest endurance race for cars.
On May 26, 1951, Sally Ride was born in Los Angeles, California.
On May 26, 1977, daredevil George Willig, a toymaker from Queens, climbed the South (#2) tower of the World Trade Center.
On May 26, 2002, Interstate highway I-40 in Oklahoma was the scene of a disaster when barges towed on the Arkansas River struck a support pier on a bridge, crashing it to the water and killing 14 people.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.