A Day in the Past

On this day: 26 August

133 things happened on 26 August, from AD 683 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 6

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 32

1542 484 years ago

A year and a half after leaving Guayaquil on the Pacific coast, Francisco de Orellana finishes his overland journey across South America and reaches the mouth of the Amazon River on the Atlantic coast.

Find out more: Pacific Ocean (Wikipedia)
1642 384 years ago

Dutch–Portuguese War: Second Battle of San Salvador: The Dutch force the Spanish garrison at San Salvador (modern day Keelung, Taiwan) to surrender, ending the short-lived Spanish colony on Formosa and replacing it with a new Dutch administration.

War & peace Find out more: Dutch–Portuguese War (Wikipedia)
1789 237 years ago

French Revolution: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (pictured), defining a set of individual and collective rights of the people, was approved by the National Constituent Assembly.

War & peace Find out more: French Revolution (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “The Beatles released "Hey Jude", which became the then-longest single to top”?

    1. 1346
    2. 1968
    3. 1904
    Show the answer

    B: 1968. 1968 — that’s 58 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Hundred Years' War: At the Battle of Crécy, English forces established the”?

    1. 1819
    2. 1966
    3. 1346
    Show the answer

    C: 1346. 1346 — that’s 680 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Hundred Years' War: At the Battle of Crécy, English forces established the
    2. The Beatles released "Hey Jude", which became the then-longest single to top
    3. Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour, starting his
    Show the answer

    A: Hundred Years' War: At the Battle of Crécy, English forces established the. 1346: Hundred Years' War: At the Battle of Crécy, English forces established the · 1968: The Beatles released "Hey Jude", which became the then-longest single to top · 1768: Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour, starting his Find it on the page

  4. “Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour, starting his” happened in 1768. How many years ago was that?

    1. 268 years
    2. 258 years
    3. 248 years
    Show the answer

    B: 258 years. 2026 − 1768 = 258. Find it on the page

Born on this day 38

Famous people whose birthday is 26 August.

Remembering 20

Well-known people who died on 26 August.

Special days 13

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 26 August somewhere in the world.

For older readers 24 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “August 26” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.