On This Day: Major World Events of October 26
October 26 has carried major events in many countries and eras. GSM's On This Day column verifies each entry against authoritative sources, labels every item with its country, and reports facts only: from the opening of the Erie Canal in the United States in 1825, to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, to the signing of the USA Patriot Act in 2001.
1774, United States (Philadelphia): The First Continental Congress adjourned on Oct. 26, the first collective meeting of the thirteen colonies' delegates on policy toward Britain.
1825, United States: The Erie Canal opened on Oct. 26. Stretching 363 miles between Lake Erie and the Hudson River, it cost more than $7 million and took eight years to build, becoming America's first major man-made waterway and making New York the nation's leading port.
1861, United States: The Pony Express officially ceased operations on Oct. 26, giving way to the newly completed transcontinental telegraph after about 18 months of service.
1863, Switzerland (Geneva): An international conference on improving care for wounded soldiers opened on Oct. 26, the beginning of the Red Cross movement.
1881, United States (Tombstone, Arizona): Lawmen Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and Doc Holliday exchanged gunfire with the Clanton-McLaury gang near the O.K. Corral. About 30 shots were fired in roughly 30 seconds; three of the outlaws were killed and Earp's brothers and Holliday were wounded.
1942, United States (World War II, Solomon Islands): The aircraft carrier USS Hornet, which had launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, was heavily damaged by Japanese bombers in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands and abandoned; Japanese torpedoes sank her the next day.
1977, Somalia: The last naturally occurring case of smallpox was discovered in Somalia, a date later marked as the point at which smallpox was eradicated in nature; the WHO formally declared eradication in 1980.
1979, South Korea (Seoul): President Park Chung-hee was shot to death on Oct. 26 by Kim Jae-kyu, the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency.
1984, United States (Loma Linda, California): A newborn known as Baby Fae, born with a severe heart defect, received a baboon's heart in an experimental transplant; she lived 21 days.
1994, Jordan and Israel: Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Abdel Salam Majali of Jordan signed a peace treaty on Oct. 26 in a ceremony attended by U.S. President Bill Clinton, making Jordan the second Arab country at peace with Israel.
2001, United States (Washington): President George W. Bush signed the USA Patriot Act on Oct. 26, giving authorities expanded powers to search, seize, detain and eavesdrop in pursuit of possible terrorists after the Sept. 11 attacks.
2002, Russia (Moscow): Russian forces stormed a theater held by Chechen rebels; 129 of the more than 800 hostages died and 41 rebels were killed.
2020, United States (Washington): The Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Oct. 26, days before the general election.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国纽约州Port Byron的伊利运河52号船闸遗址。1825年10月26日，连接Lake Erie与Hudson River的伊利运河全线通航。Magicpiano 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。/ The Erie Canal's Lock 52 site at Port Byron, New York. The Erie Canal, linking Lake Erie with the Hudson River, opened on Oct. 26, 1825. Photo by Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
