September 26

1580 On September 26, 1580 the Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth with Francis Drake and 59 remaining crew aboard, along with a rich cargo of spices and captured Spanish treasures. It was the second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition and the first to be completed with the same man as captain and leader of the expedition throughout the entire circumnavigation.

A Map of Drake's route round the world. By Continentalis 

1687 The Parthenon in Athens was severely damaged on September 26, 1687 during the Turkish-Venetian war. An ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by bombardment from Venetian forces led by Morosini who were besieging the Ottoman Turks stationed in Athens.

1774 Frontier missionary and pioneer nurseryman John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman was born in Leominster, Massachusetts on September 26, 1774. His birthplace has a granite marker, and the street is called Johnny Appleseed Lane. After collecting apple seeds from cider presses in western Pennsylvania he embarked on a long trek westward, walking barefoot, planting a series of apple nurseries from Pennsylvania to central Ohio and beyond.

1820 American hunter and explorer Daniel Boone died on September 26, 1820. Boone and his wife Rebecca Boone were buried on Tuque Creek in Missouri. In 1845 they were reburied in the Frankfort Cemetery in Kentucky. Before the end of the 18th century, more than 200,000 European people had migrated to Kentucky by following the route marked by Boone.

1849 The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov was born on September 26, 1849. His work on conditioned reflexes in animals laid a foundation for the scientific analysis of human behavior. In 1904 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for his work on digestive secretions.

1860 The national flag of Ecuador, which consists of horizontal bands of yellow (double width), blue and red, was first adopted by law on 1835 and later on September 26, 1860. The design of the current flag was finalized in 1900 with the addition of the coat of arms in the center of the flag.

Flag of Ecuador

1888 The English poet T.S Eliot was born Thomas Stearns Eliot on September 26, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was known to family and friends as Tom. Eliot took UK citizenship in 1927.
Thomas' parents were both 44 years old when he was born. His four sisters were between eleven and nineteen years older; his brother was eight years older.

1897 Pope Paul VI was born Giovanni Battista Montini in the village of Concesio, near Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy on September 26, 1897. Giovanni's father Giorgio Montini was a lawyer, editor of a Roman Catholic newspaper, director of the Catholic Action and member of the Italian Parliament. His mother was Giudetta Alghisi, from a family of rural nobility. Paul VI was known as the "flying pope" because he was the first pontiff to travel widely - 70,000 miles - and to go by airplane.

Montini on the day of his ordination in 1920

1898 The American composer George Gershwin was born to Russian Yiddish immigrants Moishe Gershowitz and Roza Bruskina on September 26, 1898 in a second-floor dwelling at 242 Snediker Avenue, Brooklyn. His first published song was "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em". It was published in 1916 when Gershwin was only 17-years-old and earned him $0.50.

1902 Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) registered the Mercedes name on September 26, 1902. The symbol of Mercedes-Benz is a three-pointed star inside of a circle and was designed by Gottlieb Daimler. The three points of the star stand for land, air and sea because Daimler's engines were used not only in cars and trucks but in airplanes and boats. The symbol was first used in 1909.

1915 Keir Hardie, founder of the UK Labour party, died in Glasgow on September 26, 1915 of pneumonia, following a series of strokes. His family in Cunnock, Ayrshire, was so poor that a collection had to be organized to provide for his daughter, sons and widow.

1918 The renowned Hawaiian bartender Harry Yee was born on September 26, 1918. Harry Yee gained fame for his creative cocktail creations and was a significant figure in the world of tropical cocktails. The Blue Hawaii, one of his most famous creations, became an iconic tiki drink and is still enjoyed today.

1933  On September 26, 1933, gangster Machine Gun Kelly was arrested by FBI agents in Memphis, Tennessee. According to some reports, Kelly shouted "Don't shoot, G-Men!" as he surrendered. This phrase quickly became popularized by the media, and the term "G-Men" became synonymous with FBI agents.

1953 At the start of World War II in 1939, the United Kingdom was importing about 70% of its sugar. In January 1940 sugar was rationed to between 8 oz (227 g) and, 16 oz (454 g) per week. The sugar rationing in the UK finally ended on September 26, 1953.

Child's ration book, used in Britain during the Second World War

1955 Birds Eye sold its first fish finger in the UK on September 26, 1955. Fish fingers are made from minced fish, often cod or haddock, which is breaded and then frozen. They are quick and easy to prepare, making them a convenient option for home cooks. Birds Eye introduced  the fish finger with the slogan "no bones, no waste, no smell, no fuss" and it quickly became a staple of British cuisine.

1960 On September 26, 1960, the first televised U.S. presidential debate took place, between Republican Vice-President Richard Nixon and Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy. It was watched by over 60 million people.Nixon's presidential campaign wasn't helped by his appearance during their TV debates. Whilst Kennedy looked tanned and good-looking, Nixon unwisely refused to use any TV make up and looked tired and haggard in comparison, which didn't help his cause.

1966 When astronaut Shannon Lucid returned to Earth on September 26, 1996 after six months on board the Russian Mir space station, she was presented with a giftwrapped box of M&M's. They were a gift from President Bill Clinton, since she had told him that she craved them.

1968 Oliver! a British musical drama film based on the book and stage musical of the same name was released on September 26, 1968. It took $77,402,877 worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing movie of 1968. Oliver! is the only G-rated film (since the development of the MPAA rating system in 1968) to have received an Academy Award for Best Picture.

1973 The world's first supersonic airliner Concorde made its first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, from Washington to Paris on September 26, 1973 in record-breaking time. It flew at an average speed of 954 mph and halved the flight time to 212 minutes. Inspired by delta-winged nuclear bombers, the Concorde was made by the French company Aérospatiale and the British company British Aircraft Corporation.

"Concorde G-BOAC 03" by Eduard Marmet Wikipedia

1981 Tennis player Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan on September 26, 1981 to Oracene Price and Richard Williams. She is regarded by many as the greatest-ever female tennis star. She's captured 23 Grand Slam singles titles to go along with 14 doubles titles alongside her sister Venus Williams.

1981 The heaviest dog on record is an Old English Mastiff from London named Zorba, who was bred by Mrs I Prosser on September 26, 1981. He weighed 343 pounds and measured 8 feet and 3 in. from nose to tail. When the record was set in 1989, Zorba was aged eight.

2015 The heaviest ever cucumber was unveiled at the Malvern Autumn Show Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, UK, by British gardener David Thomas on September 26, 2015. It weighed in at 12.9 kg (23 lb 7 oz).

2017 In Saudi Arabia, King Salman issued a decree on September 26, 2017, that women would be allowed to gain driver's licenses in his Kingdom. This effectively removed a longstanding ban on women driving in the country.

2020 A coronavirus outbreak at the White House in the 2020 fall involved at least 35 people, including President Trump, the First Lady, three senators, and a governor. Many of the infections appeared to be related to a ceremony held on September 26, 2020  in the White House Rose Garden for the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, where seating was not socially distanced and participants were mostly unmasked.

2021 Stefano Cutrupi of Italy grew the heaviest ever pumpkin. It was weighed at the 10th Campionato della Zuccone pumpkin festival held in Peccioli, Italy at 1,226 kg (2,702 lb 13.9 oz) on September 26, 2021. Cutrupi grew it from an 1885.5 Werner seed (a type of Atlantic Giant), which germinated on March 23, 2021. Cutrupi's pumpkin also took first place at the European Giant Pumpkin Championship held in Ludwigsburg, Germany, on October 10, 2021.