26 November History
- 1688 - Louis XIV declares war on the Netherlands.
- 1774 - A congress of colonial leaders criticizes British influence in the colonies and affirms their right to "Life, liberty and property."
- 1789 - George Washington proclaims this a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new Constitution. This date was later used to set the date for Thanksgiving.
- 1812 - Napoleon Bonaparte's army begins crossing the Beresina River over two hastily constructed bridges.
- 1825 - The Kappa Alpha Society, the second American college Greek-letter fraternity, is founded.
- 1863 - The first National Thanksgiving is celebrated.
- 1901 - The Hope diamond is brought to New York.
- 1907 - The Duma lends support to Czar in St. Petersburg, who claims he has renounced autocracy.
- 1917 - The Bolsheviks offer an armistice between Russian and the Central Powers.
- 1922 - Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, archeologists, open King Tut's tomb, undisturbed for 3,000 years.
- 1938 - Poland renews nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union to protect against a German invasion.
- 1939 - The Soviet Union charges Finland with artillery attack on border.
- 1941 - The Japanese fleet departs from the Kuril Islands en route to its attack on Pearl Harbor.
- 1947 - France expels 19 Soviet citizens, charging them with intervention in internal affairs.
- 1949 - India becomes a sovereign Democratic republic.
- 1950 - North Korean and Chinese troops halt a UN offensive.
- 1957 - President Eisenhower suffers a minor stroke.
- 1975 - Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is found guilty of an attempt on President Gerald Ford's life.
- 1979 - Oil deposits equaling OPEC reserves are found in Venezuela.
- 1982 - Yasuhiro Nakasone is elected the 71st Japanese prime minister.
26 November Birthdays
- 1827 - Ellen Gould White, founder of the Seventh Day Adventists.
- 1876 - Willis Haviland Carrier, inventor of the first air conditioning system to control both temperature and humidity.
- 1894 - Norbert Weiner, American mathematician, considered the father of automation.
- 1912 - Eric Sevareid, American broadcast journalist for CBS News.
- 1920 - Cyril Cusack, Irish actor.
- 1922 - Charles M. Shultz, American cartoonist who created "Peanuts" starring Charlie Brown.
- 1924 - George Segal, sculptor.