Discover what happened on June 26 in history, featuring major milestones in technology, literature, transportation, entertainment, and landmark Supreme Court decisions that helped shape modern society.
What Happened on June 26 in History?
Important events on this day include the first barcode scan in a grocery store, the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the United Nations Charter being signed, and the U.S. Supreme Court recognizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
JUNE 26 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.
1819 – The bicycle was patented by W.K. Clarkson, Jr.
1844 – John Tyler took Julia Gardiner as his bride, thus becoming the first President to marry while in office.
1870 – The first section of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, was opened to the public.
1894 – The American Railway Union called a general strike in sympathy with Pullman workers.
1900 – A commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against the deadly disease yellow fever.
1927 – The Coney Island “Cyclone” roller coaster opened in New York, NY.
1934 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act, which established credit unions.
1936 – The Focke-Wulf Fw 61 made its first flight. It is often considered the first practical helicopter.
1942 – The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter was flown for the first time.
1945 – The U.N. Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, CA.
1959 – President Dwight Eisenhower joined Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.
1963 – President John Kennedy announced “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner) at the Berlin Wall.
1971 – The U.S. Justice Department issued a warrant for Daniel Ellsberg, accusing him of giving away the Pentagon Papers.
1974 – In Troy, OH, a Marsh supermarket installed the first bar code scanning equipment, made by IBM. A Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code was placed on Juicy Fruit gum and a bar code was scanned for the first time. The buyer returned the pack and it is now on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
1975 – Sonny and Cher were divorced in Santa Monica, CA. Four days later, she married Gregg Allman.
1976 – In Toronto, Canada, the CN Tower opened to the public. The official opening date was listed as October 1, 1976. At 1,815 foot tall, it was the world’s tallest free-standing structure and the world’s tallest tower until 2010.
1977 – Elvis Presley’s final concert took place at Market Square Arena, in Indianapolis, IN.
1979 – Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion.
1981 – In Mountain Home, ID, a woman named Virginia Campbell used her coupons and rebates to buy $26,460 worth of groceries for just 67 cents.
1985 – Wilbur Snapp was ejected after playing “Three Blind Mice” during a baseball game. The incident followed a call made by umpire Keith O’Connor.
1987 – The movie “Dragnet” opened in the U.S.
1987 – The movie “Full Metal Jacket” premiered in theaters.
1996 – The Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support.
1997 – The Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that made it illegal to distribute indecent material on the Internet.
1997 – J.K. Rowlings book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, was published in the U.K. The book was later released in the U.S. under the name “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” This was the first book in the Harry Potter series.
1997 – The Supreme Court upheld state laws that allow for a ban on doctor-assisted suicides.
1998 – The Supreme Court ruled that employers are always potentially liable for supervisor’s sexual misconduct toward an employee.
2000 – The Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics Corp. jointly announced that they had created a working draft of the human genome.
2002 – R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of child pornography in Chicago, IL.
2002 – A federal appeals court in San Francisco, CA ruled that the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance violate the separation of church and state.
2002 – David Hasseloff checked into The Betty Ford Center for treatment of alcoholism.
2013 – The Supreme Court struck down the federal law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
2015 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
2021 – The largest-ever pile up at the Tour de France was caused by a spectator with a sign during Stage 1. The spectator was found and arrested.
2022 – It was announced that over the weekend earnings for the movie “Top Gun: Maverick” were over a billion dollars
2024 – Julian Assange , founder of WikiLeaks , returned to Australia after pleading guilty to one charge of espionage in a Saipan court and subsequently being released by the United States Department of Justice.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JUNE 26:
Dave Grusin – 92 years old (1934) – Pianist and composer
Reggie Workman – 89 years old (1937) – Bassist and composer
Neil Abercrombie – 88 years old (1938) – Sociologist and politician, 7th Governor of Hawaii
Billy Davis Jr. – 88 years old (1938) – Pop-soul singer
Gerald North – 88 years old (1938) – Climatologist and academic
Chuck Robb – 87 years old (1939) – Soldier, lawyer, and politician, 64th Governor of Virginia
J. J. Dillon – 84 years old (1942) – Wrestler and manager
Warren Farrell – 83 years old (1943) – Author and educator
Issa al-Haadi al-Mahdi (Dwight York) – 81 years old (1945) – Criminal, black supremacist, pedophile, convicted child molester, and musician
Mary Styles Harris – 77 years old (1949) – Biologist and geneticist
Gedde Watanabe – 71 years old (1955) – Actor
Chris Isaak – 70 years old (1956) – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
Patty Smyth – 69 years old (1957) – Singer-songwriter and musician
Greg LeMond – 65 years old (1961) – Cyclist
Terri Nunn – 65 years old (1961) – Singer-songwriter and actress
Mark McClellan – 63 years old (1963) – Economist and politician
Jürgen Reil – 60 years old (1966) – Drummer
Shannon Sharpe – 58 years old (1968) – Football player
Mike Myers – 57 years old (1969) – Baseball player
Paul Thomas Anderson – 56 years old (1970) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Sean Hayes – 56 years old (1970) – Actor
Matt Letscher – 56 years old (1970) – Actor and playwright
Chris O'Donnell – 56 years old (1970) – Actor
Nick Offerman – 56 years old (1970) – Actor
Gretchen Wilson – 53 years old (1973) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Derek Jeter – 52 years old (1974) – Baseball player
Jason Kendall – 52 years old (1974) – Baseball player
Chad Pennington – 50 years old (1976) – Football player and sportscaster
Dave Rubin – 50 years old (1976) – Political commentator
Quincy Lewis – 49 years old (1977) – Basketball player
Ryan Tedder – 47 years old (1979) – Singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
Jason Schwartzman – 46 years old (1980) – Singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
Chris Shelton – 46 years old (1980) – Baseball player
Michael Vick – 46 years old (1980) – Football player
J. J. Barea – 42 years old (1984) – Puerto Rican-American basketball player
Elijah Dukes – 42 years old (1984) – Baseball player
Raymond Felton – 42 years old (1984) – Basketball player
Aubrey Plaza – 42 years old (1984) – Actress
Deron Williams – 42 years old (1984) – Basketball player
King Bach – 38 years old (1988) – Canadian-American actor, comedian, director, producer, writer and social media personality
Iman Shumpert – 36 years old (1990) – Basketball player
Jennette McCurdy – 34 years old (1992) – Actress and singer-songwriter
Ariana Grande – 33 years old (1993) – Singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
Ann Li – 26 years old (2000) – Tennis player
Chandler Smith – 24 years old (2002) – Race car driver
Mikey Williams – 22 years old (2004) – Basketball player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JUNE 26:
No events found for this date.
For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
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