12 History Lessons + 6 Births & 6 Deaths for July 26, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1775 – The U.S. Continental Congress establishes the United States Post Office with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General.
- 1788 – New York becomes the 11th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
- 1847 – Liberia declares its independence from the American Colonization Society, becoming Africa’s first republic.
- 1882 – Richard Wagner’s final opera Parsifal premieres at Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Germany.
- 1941 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt freezes all Japanese assets in the United States.
- 1945 – The Potsdam Declaration is issued, calling for Japan’s unconditional surrender in WWII.
- 1947 – The National Security Act is signed by President Truman, creating the CIA, Department of Defense, and National Security Council.
- 1953 – Fidel Castro leads a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in Cuba, sparking the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.
- 1956 – Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal.
- 1990 – The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.
- 2016 – Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to accept a major U.S. party’s nomination for president.
- 2021 – Simone Biles withdraws from Olympic team gymnastics finals citing mental health, sparking global conversation.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1943 – Mick Jagger, lead singer of The Rolling Stones (82)
- 1959 – Kevin Spacey, actor (American Beauty, House of Cards) (66)
- 1964 – Sandra Bullock, Academy Award-winning actress (The Blind Side) (61)
- 1973 – Kate Beckinsale, British actress (Underworld) (52)
- 1984 – Sabine Lisicki, German professional tennis player (41)
- 1993 – Elizabeth Gillies, actress (Victorious, Dynasty) (32)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1863 – Sam Houston, general and politician, president of the Republic of Texas (70)
- 1952 – Eva Perón, First Lady of Argentina and cultural icon (33)
- 1971 – Diane Arbus, American photographer known for her raw portraits (48)
- 1993 – Reggie Lewis, Boston Celtics star, dies suddenly during practice (27)
- 2005 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Oscar-nominated Irish-American actress (91)
- 2022 – Tony Dow, actor and director, best known as Wally on Leave It to Beaver (77)
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