July 26 in History: Benjamin Franklin Becomes Postmaster General, the ADA Is Signed, and Solar Impulse 2 Circles the Globe

Discover what happened on July 26 in history as remarkable achievements, historic milestones, technological advances, and unforgettable moments helped shape the world we know today.

What Happened on July 26 in History?

Important events on this day include Benjamin Franklin becoming America’s first Postmaster General, President George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, Solar Impulse 2 completing the first solar-powered flight around the world, and Grand Rapids becoming the first U.S. city to generate electricity for street lighting using water power.

JULY 26 – TODAY IN HISTORY:

1775 – Benjamin Franklin became the first Postmaster General when a postal system was established by the 2nd Continental Congress of the United States.

1788 – New York became the 11th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1880 – Grand Rapids became the first U.S. city to generate electricity with water power for commercial street lighting.

1881 – Thomas Edison and Patrick Kenny applied for a patent for a facsimile telegraph.

1883 – The largest log jam in the nation threatened Grand Rapids, MI. Heavy rains caused the Grand River to rise nearly 20 inches. Lumberman used the high water to help bring their logs down river. The logs broke loose and 150 million board feet of timber came roaring down the river. It was one of the largest log jams in history, Logs piled up 30 feet deep and stretched nearly seven miles along the river. Two railroad bridges at Fulton and Wealthy Street were destroyed by the pressure of the jam.

1947 – President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, creating the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency.

1948 – Babe Ruth was seen by the public for the last time. He was attending the New York City premiere of the motion picture, “The Babe Ruth Story”.

1951 – Walt Disney’s 13th animated film, “Alice in Wonderland”, premiered in London, England.

1958 – Explorer 4 was launched.

1971 – Nicolette Milnes-Walker completed sailing non-stop single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first woman to successfully do so.

1971 – Apollo 15 landed on the Moon. It was the first Apollo “J-Mission” and the first use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV).

1984 – “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” became the first network television program to be telecast in stereo.

1985 – The movie “National Lampoon’s European Vacation”, starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, premiered in theaters.

1989 – A federal grand jury indicted Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

1990 – President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

1996 – The bowling movie “Kingpin”, starring Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid, premiered in theaters.

1999 – 1,500 pieces of Marilyn Monroe’s personal items went on display at Christie’s in New York, NY.

2005 – The STS-114 Mission – Launch of Discovery, was NASA’s first scheduled flight mission after the Columbia disaster in 2003.

2016 – Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated as the Democratic Presidential candidate.

2016 – Solar Impulse 2 became the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JULY 26:

Robert Colbert – 95 years old (1931) – Actor

Bob Lilly – 87 years old (1939) – Football player and photographer

Darlene Love – 85 years old (1941) – Singer and actress

Peter Hyams – 83 years old (1943) – Director, screenwriter, and cinematographer

Robert Phillips – 73 years old (1953) – Guitarist

Earl Tatum – 73 years old (1953) – Professional basketball player

Dorothy Hamill – 70 years old (1956) – Figure skater

Tommy Rich – 70 years old (1956) – Wrestler

Nana Visitor – 69 years old (1957) – Actress

Rick Bragg – 67 years old (1959) – Author and journalist

Kevin Spacey – 67 years old (1959) – Actor and director

Gary Cherone – 65 years old (1961) – Singer-songwriter

Sandra Bullock – 62 years old (1964) – Actress and producer

Danny Woodburn – 62 years old (1964) – Actor and comedian

Jeremy Piven – 61 years old (1965) – Actor and producer

Jim Lindberg – 61 years old (1965) – Singer and guitarist

Tim Schafer – 59 years old (1967) – Video game designer, founded Double Fine Productions

Greg Colbrunn – 57 years old (1969) – Baseball player and coach

Chris Harrison – 55 years old (1971) – Television personality

Iron & Wine – 52 years old (1974) – Singer-songwriter

Joe Smith – 51 years old (1975) – Basketball player

Erik Westrum – 47 years old (1979) – Ice hockey player

Robert Gallery – 46 years old (1980) – Football player

Kelly Clark – 43 years old (1983) – Snowboarder

Roderick Strong – 43 years old (1983) – Wrestler

Delonte West – 43 years old (1983) – Basketball player

Marcus Benard – 41 years old (1985) – Football player

Mat Gamel – 41 years old (1985) – Baseball player

Monica Raymund – 40 years old (1986) – Actress

Alec Martinez – 39 years old (1987) – Ice hockey player

Anthony Smith – 38 years old (1988) – Mixed Martial Artist

Bianca Santos – 36 years old (1990) – Actress

Taylor Momsen – 33 years old (1993) – Singer-songwriter, model, and actress

DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JULY 26:

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