We share “This Day in History” every day to help make our readers well-rounded and informed. It offers a chance to learn, appreciate our culture, make better decisions, and see the world from a wider perspective. Through understanding past events, we aim to help readers engage more with the present and future.

  • 26 July 1775
    The United States Postal System is established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first Postmaster General.
  • 26 July 1788
    New York ratifies the United States Constitution and becomes the 11th state of the United States.
  • 26 July 1847
    Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, declares its independence, making it Africa's first republic.
  • 26 July 1856
    George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and Nobel Prize laureate, is born.
  • 26 July 1908
    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is founded.
  • 26 July 1928
    The first use of a chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant, called Freon, is announced by Charles Midgley Jr.
  • 26 July 1933
    The film "King Kong" premieres in London.
  • 26 July 1945
    The United States, Britain, and China issue the Potsdam Declaration, which calls for the unconditional surrender of Japan.
  • 26 July 1947
    President Harry Truman signs the National Security Act, establishing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force, and the National Security Council.
  • 26 July 1952
    Argentina's First Lady Eva Perón, beloved by the masses, is posthumously elevated to sainthood status by her followers after her death.
  • 26 July 1953
    Fidel Castro leads an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago, Cuba, marking the start of the Cuban Revolution.
  • 26 July 1956
    The Italian liner SS Andrea Doria sinks after colliding with the MS Stockholm, but the majority of passengers and crew are rescued.
  • 26 July 1959
    Future boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard is born.
  • 26 July 1963
    The signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty by the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain, which bans nuclear testing in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water.
  • 26 July 1964
    Malawi declares its independence from the United Kingdom.
  • 26 July 1971
    Apollo 15 is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida, with astronauts David Scott, James Irwin, and Alfred Worden aboard.
  • 26 July 1974
    The Universal Product Code (UPC) is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
  • 26 July 1984
    Prince's film "Purple Rain" premieres, coinciding with the release of his album of the same name.
  • 26 July 1990
    President George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination based on disability.
  • 26 July 2021
    Gymnast Simone Biles wins her seventh Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

NOTE: WHILE THE EVENTS LISTED ABOVE ARE FACTUAL, SOME SPECIFICS ARE ADDED BASED ON GENERALIZED KNOWLEDGE AND MAY NOT HAVE OCCURRED EXACTLY ON THAT DATE.
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