12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for October 26, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1774 – First Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia.
- 1825 – Erie Canal officially opens, linking the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and Atlantic.
- 1861 – Pony Express ceases operation after the transcontinental telegraph renders it obsolete.
- 1881 – Gunfight at the O.K. Corral erupts in Tombstone, Arizona Territory.
- 1905 – Union between Sweden and Norway is formally dissolved.
- 1944 – Battle of Leyte Gulf concludes; U.S. Navy cripples Japan’s carrier force at Cape Engaño.
- 1955 – Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) is proclaimed; Ngô Đình Diệm becomes president.
- 1958 – Pan Am inaugurates first transatlantic jet service with the Boeing 707 (New York–Paris).
- 1979 – South Korean President Park Chung-hee is assassinated in Seoul.
- 1984 – “Baby Fae” receives a baboon heart in a pioneering (and controversial) transplant.
- 2001 – USA PATRIOT Act is signed into law in the United States.
- 2015 – Powerful 7.5 earthquake strikes Afghanistan–Pakistan region, causing widespread damage and casualties.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1946 – Pat Sajak, longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host (79)
- 1947 – Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State and senator (78)
- 1961 – Dylan McDermott, Golden Globe–winning actor (“The Practice”) (64)
- 1967 – Keith Urban, country music star and guitarist (58)
- 1973 – Seth MacFarlane, creator of “Family Guy” and filmmaker (52)
- 1978 – CM Punk (Phil Brooks), professional wrestler and mixed martial artist (47)
- 1984 – Sasha Cohen, Olympic and world championship figure skating medalist (41)
Today’s Deaths:
- 0899 – Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, defender against Viking invasions (50)
- 1909 – Itō Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister, assassinated in Manchuria (68)
- 1952 – Hattie McDaniel, trailblazing Oscar-winning actor (“Gone with the Wind”) (59)
- 1972 – Igor Sikorsky, aviation pioneer and helicopter designer (83)
- 1979 – Park Chung-hee, president of South Korea (61)
- 1999 – Hoyt Axton, singer-songwriter and actor (“Joy to the World,” “No-No Song”) (61)
- 2021 – Mort Sahl, influential stand-up satirist (94)
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