On This Day in History: October 26
On This Day in History – October 26
1825 – The Erie Canal officially opens, linking the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. The 363-mile waterway (later expanded) dramatically lowers shipping costs, accelerates westward expansion, and helps make New York City the nation’s leading commercial port.
1861 – The Pony Express officially ends after 18 months of operation. The rapid overland mail service from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, is made obsolete by the completion of the transcontinental telegraph.
1863 – Representatives of 16 European nations meet in Geneva for a conference that leads to the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The discussions produce the first Geneva Convention on the treatment of wounded soldiers.
1881 – The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. Lawmen Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, and Doc Holliday confront members of the Cowboys gang (Tom and Frank McLaury, Billy Clanton, and others) in a 30-second shootout that becomes the most famous gunfight of the American West.
1942 – The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands concludes in the Solomon Islands during the Guadalcanal campaign. Japanese carrier aircraft sink the U.S. carrier USS Hornet and damage the Enterprise, but heavy Japanese air losses leave the Imperial Japanese Navy unable to contest Allied control of the skies around Guadalcanal.
1944 – The Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, ends in a decisive Allied victory. Over four days of fighting, U.S. forces destroy much of the remaining Japanese fleet and secure the beachhead for the liberation of the Philippines.
1950 – Mother Teresa founds the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta (Kolkata), India. The order begins its work among the city’s poorest residents and later expands worldwide.
1977 – The last naturally occurring case of smallpox is recorded in Merca District, Somalia. The patient, Ali Maow Maalin, survives; the World Health Organization later certifies the global eradication of the disease.
1984 – “Baby Fae,” an infant born with a fatal heart defect, receives a baboon heart in a xenotransplant performed by Dr. Leonard Bailey at Loma Linda University Medical Center. She survives 21 days, drawing worldwide attention to the possibilities and ethics of cross-species organ transplants.
1994 – Israel and Jordan sign a peace treaty at the Arava border crossing, formally ending 46 years of hostility. The agreement, witnessed by President Bill Clinton, normalizes relations, settles territorial issues, and opens the way for economic cooperation.
2001 – President George W. Bush signs the USA PATRIOT Act into law. Passed in response to the September 11 attacks, the legislation expands surveillance and investigative powers for law-enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Born on October 26
1685 – Domenico Scarlatti, Italian composer renowned for his keyboard sonatas.
1854 – C. W. Post, American inventor and entrepreneur who founded the Postum Cereal Company.
1902 – Beryl Markham, British-born Kenyan aviator and author; the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west (1936); wrote the memoir West with the Night.
1911 – Mahalia Jackson, American gospel singer known as the “Queen of Gospel.”
1916 – François Mitterrand, French statesman and President of France (1981–1995).
1919 – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.
1942 – Bob Hoskins, British actor (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Long Good Friday).
1945 – Pat Conroy, American novelist (The Great Santini, The Prince of Tides).
1946 – Pat Sajak, American television host of Wheel of Fortune.
1947 – Hillary Rodham Clinton, American politician; First Lady (1993–2001), U.S. Senator from New York, Secretary of State, and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
1956 – Rita Wilson, American actress, singer, and producer.
1961 – Dylan McDermott, American actor.
1962 – Cary Elwes, British actor (The Princess Bride).
1967 – Keith Urban, Australian-American country singer and guitarist.
1973 – Seth MacFarlane, American animator, actor, and creator of Family Guy and American Dad!.
1977 – Jon Heder, American actor (Napoleon Dynamite).
1978 – CM Punk (Phil Brooks), American professional wrestle
r and mixed martial artist.
Mahalia Jackson -1911-1972 
