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On This Day in History — November 26

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Highlights of November 26

2011 — In a friendly-fire incident, a skirmish occurred between U.S.-led NATO forces and Pakistani security forces at two military checkposts along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. Read more
2011 — NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory mission from Cape Canaveral, carrying the Curiosity rover on board. Read more
2008 — A coordinated group of shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai began, ultimately killing 175 people and wounding more than 300 others. Read more
1983 — Six robbers broke into a Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport in London and stole £26 million in gold, diamonds and cash. Read more
1979 — Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740, crashed shortly after takeoff near Taif, Saudi Arabia, killing all 156 people on board. Read more
1977 — A speaker claiming to represent the "Intergalactic Association" interrupted a broadcast of Southern Television in South East England. Read more
1942 — Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premiered at the Hollywood Theatre in New York City to coincide with the Allied invasion of French North Africa and the capture of Casablanca. Read more
1942 — World War II: Josip Broz Tito and the Yugoslav Partisans convened the first meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia at Bihać in northwestern Bosnia. Read more
1942 — A riot involving infantrymen, military police, and local law enforcement officers killed three people in Phoenix, Arizona. Read more
1940 — The Iron Guard killed 64 political detainees at a penitentiary near Bucharest and followed up with several high-profile assassinations, including that of former Romanian prime minister Nicolae Iorga. Read more
1939 — The Soviet Red Army shelled the village of Mainila and then claimed that the fire originated from Finland, giving them a casus belli to launch the Winter War a few days later. Read more
1921 — The Bolshevik–Makhnovist conflict resumes with a surprise attack by the Red Army against the Makhnovshchina. Read more
1917 — Being unable to resolve disputes with Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto Blueshirts, the other ice hockey clubs of Canada's National Hockey Association officially agreed to break away and form the National Hockey League. Read more
1914 — A large internal explosion destroyed HMS Bulwark near Sheerness, killing 741 people on board. Read more
1852 — A massive earthquake struck the Dutch East Indies, creating a tsunami that washed away villages, ships and residents. Read more
1851 — The French navy bombarded Salé, Morocco (pictured), damaging the city's infrastructure and its Great Mosque. Read more
1842 — The University of Notre Dame (building pictured) was founded by Edward Sorin of the Congregation of Holy Cross as an all-male institution in the U.S. state of Indiana. Read more
1835 — Texas Revolution: Texian forces attacked a Mexican pack train, capturing 40 saddlebags of grass. Read more

Events

2025 — The Wang Fuk Court fire, a catastrophic fire in Tai Po, Hong Kong, leaves at least 168 dead and 79 injured. Read more
2021 — COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization identifies the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Read more
2019 — A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes western Albania leaving at least 52 people dead and over 1,000 injured. This was the world's deadliest earthquake of 2019, and the deadliest to strike the country in 99 years. Read more
2018 — The robotic probe Insight lands on Elysium Planitia, Mars. Read more
2011 — NATO attack in Pakistan: NATO forces in Afghanistan attack a Pakistani check post in a friendly fire incident, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 13 others. Read more
2011 — The Mars Science Laboratory launches to Mars with the Curiosity Rover. Read more
2008 — Mumbai attacks, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place in Mumbai killing 166 citizens by 10 terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan based extremist Islamist terrorist organisation. Read more
2008 — The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2, now out of service, docks in Dubai. Read more
2004 — Ruzhou School massacre: A man stabs and kills eight people and seriously wounds another four in a school dormitory in Ruzhou, China. Read more
2004 — The last Poʻouli (Black-faced honeycreeper) dies of avian malaria in the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, Hawaii, before it could breed, making the species in all probability extinct. Read more
2003 — The Concorde makes its final flight, over Bristol, England. Read more
2000 — George W. Bush is certified the winner of Florida's electoral votes by Katherine Harris, going on to win the United States presidential election, despite losing in the national popular vote. Read more
1999 — The 7.5 Mw Ambrym earthquake shakes Vanuatu and a destructive tsunami follows. Ten people were killed and forty were injured. Read more
1998 — Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Oireachtas, the parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Read more
1998 — The Khanna rail disaster takes 212 lives in Khanna, Ludhiana, India. Read more
1991 — National Assembly of Azerbaijan abolishes the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan and renames several cities with Azeri names. Read more
1986 — Iran–Contra affair: U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces the members of what will become known as the Tower Commission. Read more
1986 — The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of committing war crimes as a guard at the Nazi Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem. Read more
1983 — Brink's-Mat robbery: In London, 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million are stolen from the Brink's-Mat vault at Heathrow Airport. Read more
1979 — Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 crashes near Taif in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, killing all 156 people on board. Read more
1977 — An unidentified hijacker named Vrillon, claiming to be the representative of the "Ashtar Galactic Command", takes over Britain's Southern Television for six minutes, starting at 5:12 pm. Read more
1970 — In Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, 38 millimetres (1.5 in) of rain fall in a minute, the heaviest rainfall ever recorded. Read more
1968 — Vietnam War: United States Air Force helicopter pilot James P. Fleming rescues an Army Special Forces unit pinned down by Viet Cong fire. He is later awarded the Medal of Honor. Read more
1965 — France launches Astérix, becoming the third nation to put an object in orbit using its own booster. Read more
1950 — Korean War: Communist Chinese troops launch a massive counterattack (Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River and Battle of Chosin Reservoir) against United Nations and South Korean forces. Read more
1949 — The Constituent Assembly of India adopts the constitution presented by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Read more
1944 — World War II: A German V-2 rocket hits a Woolworth's shop in New Cross, London, killing 168 people. Read more
1944 — World War II: Germany begins V-1 and V-2 attacks on Antwerp, Belgium. Read more
1943 — World War II: HMT Rohna is sunk by the Luftwaffe in an air attack in the Mediterranean north of Béjaïa, Algeria. Read more
1942 — World War II: Yugoslav Partisans convene the first meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia at Bihać in northwestern Bosnia. Read more
1942 — Casablanca, the movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premieres in New York City. Read more
1942 — A riot involving infantrymen, military police, and local law enforcement officers occurs in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, leading to three deaths. Read more
1941 — World War II: The Hull note is given to the Japanese ambassador, demanding that Japan withdraw from China and French Indochina, in return for which the United States would lift economic sanctions. On the same day, Japan's 1st Air Fleet departs Hitokappu Bay for Hawaii. Read more
1939 — Shelling of Mainila: The Soviet Army orchestrates an incident which is used to justify the start of the Winter War with Finland four days later. Read more
1924 — The Mongolian People's Republic is officially established after a new constitution, passed by the first State Great Khural, abolishes the monarchy. Read more
1922 — Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3,000 years. Read more
1922 — The Toll of the Sea debuts as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor. (The Gulf Between was the first film to do so, but it was not widely distributed.) Read more
1920 — Ukrainian War of Independence: The Red Army launches a surprise attack against the Makhnovshchina. Read more
1918 — The Montenegrin Podgorica Assembly votes for a "union of the people", declaring assimilation into the Kingdom of Serbia. Read more
1917 — The Manchester Guardian publishes the 1916 secret Sykes-Picot Agreement between the United Kingdom and France. Read more
1917 — The National Hockey League is formed, with the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas as its first teams. Read more
1914 — HMS Bulwark is destroyed by a large internal explosion with the loss of 741 men while at anchor near Sheerness. Read more
1865 — Battle of Papudo: A Spanish navy schooner is defeated by a Chilean corvette north of Valparaíso, Chile. Read more
1863 — United States President Abraham Lincoln proclaims November 26 as a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated annually on the final Thursday of November. Following the Franksgiving controversy from 1939 to 1941, it has been observed on the fourth Thursday in 1942 and subsequent years. Read more
1852 — An earthquake as high as magnitude 8.8 rocks the Banda Sea, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 60 in the Dutch East Indies. Read more
1812 — The Battle of Berezina begins during Napoleon's retreat from Russia. Read more
1805 — Official opening of Thomas Telford's Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Read more
1789 — A national Thanksgiving Day is observed in the United States as proclaimed by President George Washington at the request of Congress. Read more
1778 — In the Hawaiian Islands, Captain James Cook becomes the first European to visit Maui. Read more
1476 — Vlad the Impaler defeats Basarab Laiota with the help of Stephen the Great and Stephen V Báthory and becomes the ruler of Wallachia for the third time. Read more
1346 — Having been elected German king at Rhens on 11 July 1346, Charles IV is crowned King of Germany by bishop Walram of Cologne in Bonn. Read more
1161 — Battle of Caishi: A Song dynasty fleet fights a naval engagement with Jin dynasty ships on the Yangtze river during the Jin–Song Wars. Read more
783 — The Asturian queen Adosinda is held at a monastery to prevent her nephew from retaking the throne from Mauregatus. Read more

Born on November 26

2001 — Pau Víctor, Spanish footballer Read more
2000 — Lamecha Girma, Ethiopian athlete Read more
1999 — Jaycee Horn, American football player Read more
1999 — Olivia O'Brien, American singer-songwriter Read more
1999 — Jacob Shaffelburg, Canadian soccer player Read more
1999 — Jung Wooyoung, South Korean singer and dancer Read more
1998 — Shivam Mavi, Indian cricketer Read more
1997 — Aubrey Joseph, American actor Read more
1997 — Jennie Wåhlin, Swedish curler Read more
1997 — Aaron Wan-Bissaka, English-Congolese footballer Read more
1996 — Malik Beasley, American basketball player Read more
1996 — Brandon Carlo, American ice hockey player Read more
1996 — Louane, French singer and actress Read more
1996 — Marc Roca, Spanish footballer Read more
1995 — James Guy, English swimmer Read more
1992 — Anuel AA, Puerto Rican rapper and singer Read more
1991 — Manolo Gabbiadini, Italian footballer Read more
1991 — Corey Knebel, American baseball player Read more
1990 — Avery Bradley, American basketball player Read more
1990 — Chip, English rapper Read more
1990 — Gabriel Paulista, Brazilian footballer Read more
1990 — Rita Ora, Kosovan-English singer-songwriter and actress Read more
1990 — Danny Welbeck, English footballer Read more
1989 — Angeline Quinto, Filipina singer and actress Read more
1989 — Junior Stanislas, English footballer Read more
1988 — Blake Harnage, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
1988 — Yumi Kobayashi, Japanese model and actress Read more
1987 — Kat DeLuna, American singer, songwriter and dancer Read more
1987 — Georgios Tzavellas, Greek footballer Read more
1986 — Konstadinos Filippidis, Greek pole vaulter Read more
1986 — Bauke Mollema, Dutch cyclist Read more
1986 — Alberto Sgarbi, Italian rugby player Read more
1985 — Matt Carpenter, American baseball player Read more
1984 — Antonio Puerta, Spanish footballer (died 2007) Read more
1983 — Matt Garza, American baseball player Read more
1983 — Chris Hughes, American publisher and businessman, co-founded Facebook Read more
1983 — Emiri Katō, Japanese voice actress and singer Read more
1982 — Keith Ballard, American ice hockey player Read more
1982 — Luther Head, American basketball player Read more
1981 — Stephan Andersen, Danish footballer Read more

Died on November 26

2024 — Jim Abrahams, American film director and writer (born 1944) Read more
2022 — Vikram Gokhale, Indian actor and director (born 1945) Read more
2021 — Stephen Sondheim, American composer and lyricist (born 1930) Read more
2018 — Stephen Hillenburg, American animator, voice actor, and marine science educator (born 1961) Read more
2016 — Fritz Weaver, American actor (born 1926) Read more
2015 — Amir Aczel, Israeli-American mathematician, historian, and academic (born 1950) Read more
2015 — Guy Lewis, American basketball player and coach (born 1922) Read more
2014 — Mary Hinkson, American dancer and choreographer (born 1925) Read more
2014 — Gilles Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (born 1938) Read more
2014 — Peter Underwood, English parapsychologist and author (born 1932) Read more
2013 — Arik Einstein, Israeli singer-songwriter (born 1939) Read more
2013 — Jane Kean, American actress and singer (born 1923) Read more
2013 — Saul Leiter, American photographer and painter (born 1923) Read more
2013 — Tony Musante, American actor and screenwriter (born 1936) Read more
2012 — Celso Advento Castillo, Filipino actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1943) Read more
2012 — Peter Marsh, Australian table tennis player (born 1948) Read more
2012 — Joseph Murray, American surgeon and soldier, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1919) Read more
2012 — M. C. Nambudiripad, Indian author and translator (born 1919) Read more
2011 — Manon Cleary, American painter and academic (born 1942) Read more
2010 — Leroy Drumm, American songwriter (born 1936) Read more
2007 — Silvestre S. Herrera, Mexican-American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1917) Read more
2007 — Mel Tolkin, Russian-Canadian screenwriter and producer (born 1913) Read more
2007 — Herb McKenley, Jamaican sprinter (born 1922) Read more
2006 — Mário Cesariny de Vasconcelos, Portuguese painter and poet (born 1923) Read more
2006 — Dave Cockrum, American author and illustrator (born 1943) Read more
2006 — Isaac Gálvez, Spanish cyclist (born 1975) Read more
2006 — Raúl Velasco, Mexican television host and producer (born 1933) Read more
2005 — Takanori Arisawa, Japanese composer and conductor (born 1951) Read more
2005 — Stan Berenstain, American author and illustrator, co-created the Berenstain Bears (born 1923) Read more
2005 — Mark Craney, American drummer (born 1952) Read more
2004 — Philippe de Broca, French actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1933) Read more
2004 — C. Walter Hodges, English author and illustrator (born 1909) Read more
2003 — Soulja Slim, American rapper (born 1977) Read more
2003 — Stefan Wul, French surgeon and author (born 1922) Read more
2002 — Polo Montañez, Cuban singer-songwriter (born 1955) Read more
2002 — Verne Winchell, American businessman, founded Winchell's Donuts (born 1915) Read more
2001 — Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, Finnish author, poet, and painter (born 1943) Read more
1998 — Jonathan Kwitny, American journalist and author (born 1941) Read more
1997 — Marguerite Henry, American author (born 1902) Read more
1996 — Michael Bentine, English actor and screenwriter (born 1922) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast days: Alypius the Stylite; Christian feast days: Basolus (Basle); Christian feast days: Bellinus of Padua; Christian feast days: Conrad of Constance; Christian feast days: Ethelwine of Athelney; Christian feast days: Blessed Gaetana Sterni; Christian feast days: John Berchmans; Christian feast days: Pope Siricius; Christian feast days: Sylvester Gozzolini; Christian feast days: Isaac Watts (Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast days: November 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Constitution Day (Abkhazia, Georgia); Constitution Day (India); Republic Day (Mongolia)

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “November 26”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.