March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). There are 280 days remaining.
- 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1707 - The Act of Union with Scotland becomes law, making England and Scotland one country
- 1808 - Charles IV of Spain abdicates in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII
- 1812 - An earthquake destroys Caracas, Venezuela
- 1839 - The first Henley Royal Regatta[?] is held
- 1871 - The Paris Commune is formally established in Paris.
- 1913 - Balkan War[?]: Bulgarian forces take Adrianople[?].
- 1917 - World War I: Battle of Gaza[?] - British cavalry troops retreat after 17,000 Turks block their advance.
- 1937 - In Crystal City, Texas spinach growers[?] erect a statue of the cartoon character[?] Popeye.
- 1942 - World War II: In Poland, Auschwitz receives its first female prisoners.
- 1943 - World War II: Battle of Komandorski Islands[?] - In the Aleutian Islands the battle begins when United States Navy forces intercept Japanese attempting to reinforce a garrison at Kiska[?].
- 1953 - Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine.
- 1958 - The United States Army launches Explorer III[?].
- 1971 - East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan and the establishment of Bangladesh.
- 1982 - A ground breaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, DC.
- 1996 - The International Monetary Fund approves a $10.2 billion loan to Russia with economic reform.
- 1997 - Thirty-nine bodies found in the Heaven's Gate cult suicides.
- 1999 - The "Melissa worm" infects e-mail systems around the world.
- 1999 - A jury in Michigan finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man (the incident was videotaped and aired on September 17, 1998 edition of 60 Minutes).
- 2000 - The Seattle Kingdome is imploded to make room for a new stadium.
- 2000 - Presidential elections in Russia, Vladimir Putin elected President.
- 2003 - The United States Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Lawrence v. Texas
- 1859 - Alfred Edward Housman, poet (+ 1936)
- 1874 - Robert Frost, poet (+ 1963)
- 1875 - Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea (+ 1965)
- 1879 - Othmar Ammann, engineer, Verrazano Narrows Bridge[?] (+ 1965)
- 1884 - Wilhelm Backhaus[?], pianist (+ 1969)
- 1888 - Elsa Brändström, "The Angel of Siberia"
- 1893 - James Bryan Conant[?], chemist and politician (+ 1978)
- 1904 - Joseph Campbell, author, mythologist (+ 1987)
- 1911 - Tennessee Williams, dramatist (+ 1983)
- 1914 - General William Westmoreland, United States commander during the Vietnam War
- 1923 - Bob Elliott, comedian
- 1925 - Pierre Boulez, French composer and conductor
- 1930 - Sandra Day O'Connor, United States Supreme Court Justice
- 1931 - Leonard Nimoy, actor, director
- 1934 - Alan Arkin, actor
- 1939 - James Caan[?], actor
- 1942 - Erica Jong, author
- 1943 - Bob Woodward, journalist
- 1944 - Diana Ross, singer
- 1948 - Steven Tyler[?], musician ("Aerosmith")
- 1949 - Patrick Süskind[?], writer (The Perfume)
- 1950 - Teddy Pendergras[?], singer
- 1960 - Marcus Allen[?], American football star
- 1517 - Heinrich Isaac, composer
- 1827 - Ludwig van Beethoven, aged 56, composer
- 1892 - Walt Whitman, poet
- 1902 - Cecil Rhodes, imperialist
- 1920 - William Chester Minor, one of the Oxford English Dictionary's most famous contributors.
- 1923 - Sarah Bernhardt, French actress
- 1945 - David Lloyd George, ex-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1959 - Raymond Chandler, novelist
- 1969 - John Kennedy Toole, author
- 1973 - Noel Coward, composer, playwright
- 1990 - Halston[?], fashion designer
- 1996 - David Packard[?], engineer
- 2000 - Alex Comfort, author (The Joy of Sex)
- 2003 - Daniel Patrick Moynihan, retired United States Senator
See Also:
March 25 - March 27 - February 26 - April 26 -- listing of all days
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December