A Day in the Past

On this day: 26 September

130 things happened on 26 September, from AD 715 to 2019. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 11

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

Around the world 25

1983 43 years ago

Cold War: Soviet lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov averted a potential nuclear war by identifying as a false alarm signals that appeared to indicate an impending U.S. missile attack.

War & peace Find out more: Cold War (Wikipedia)
1983 43 years ago

Soyuz 7K-ST No. 16L, intended to launch a crew to the Salyut 7 space station, explodes on the launch pad. The launch escape system is activated before the Soyuz-U rocket explodes, saving the crew.

Space Find out more: Soyuz 7K-ST No.16L (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

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

  1. In which year did this happen: “The Beatles completed the recording of John Lennon's song "Happiness Is a Warm”?

    1. 1968
    2. 1423
    3. 1953
    Show the answer

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

  2. In which year did this happen: “English explorer Francis Drake's galleon the Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth”?

    1. 1580
    2. 1888
    3. 1777
    Show the answer

    A: 1580. 1580 — that’s 446 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. William II, son of William the Conqueror, was crowned king of England
    2. English explorer Francis Drake's galleon the Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth
    3. The Beatles completed the recording of John Lennon's song "Happiness Is a Warm
    Show the answer

    A: William II, son of William the Conqueror, was crowned king of England. 1087: William II, son of William the Conqueror, was crowned king of England · 1580: English explorer Francis Drake's galleon the Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth · 1968: The Beatles completed the recording of John Lennon's song "Happiness Is a Warm Find it on the page

  4. “William II, son of William the Conqueror, was crowned king of England” happened in 1087. How many years ago was that?

    1. 929 years
    2. 949 years
    3. 939 years
    Show the answer

    C: 939 years. 2026 − 1087 = 939. Find it on the page

Born on this day 40

Famous people whose birthday is 26 September.

Remembering 16

Well-known people who died on 26 September.

Special days 15

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

For older readers 23 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 “September 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.