October 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes in the Hindu Kush mountain range in South Asia, killing 399 people and leaving 2,536 people injured.
What happened on October 26
34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1341 to 2025.
Standout on October 26
2015
October 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes in the Hindu Kush mountain range in South Asia, killing 399 people and leaving 2,536 people injured.
About October 26
October 26 is the 299th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 299 of 365 (300 in leap years)66 days left in the year (66 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Monday in 2026, Tuesday in 2027, Thursday in 2028, Friday in 2029, Saturday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 44 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♏ Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- October birthstone
- Opal / Tourmalinehope, creativity and confidence
- October birth flower
- Marigold / Cosmoswarmth, creativity and harmony
- Next occurrence
- In 364 days
- Roman numerals
- XXVI.Xday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 70thHungarian Revolution of 19561956
- 40thIbor Bakar1986
- 40thJakub Rzeźniczak1986
- 40thMarco Ruben1986
- 40thSchoolboy Q1986
- 30thRebecca Tunney1996
- 25thGeorge W. Bush2001
- 25thPatriot Act2001
October 26 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Nothing recorded
- 25 years ago2001
- Patriot Act · George W. Bush
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on October 26 — ages this year
- 2002Lee Eun-sang (singer)turns 24
- 1997Rhenzy Felizturns 29
- 1996Rebecca Tunneyturns 30
- 1995Yuta (Japanese singer)turns 31
- 1994Waqa Blaketurns 32
- 1994Allie DeBerryturns 32
Historical events 34
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Microsoft
Microsoft made a public release of Windows 8 and made it available on new PCs.
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, considered one of the best video games ever made, in North America.
Cedar Fire
The Cedar Fire, the third-largest wildfire in California history, kills 15 people, consumes 250,000 acres (1,000 km2), and destroys 2,200 homes around San Diego.
Moscow theater hostage crisis
Approximately 50 Chechen terrorists and 150 hostages die when Russian special forces troops storm a theater building in Moscow, which had been occupied by the terrorists during a musical performance three days before.
Patriot Act
The United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law.
George W. Bush
President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law, significantly expanding the authority of United States law enforcement agencies.
Robert Guéï
Following protests against military leader Robert Guéï, Laurent Gbagbo (pictured) became the president of Ivory Coast.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom's House of Lords votes to end the right of most hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament.
Flateyri
An avalanche hits the Icelandic village of Flateyri, destroying 29 homes and burying 45 people, and killing 20.
Mossad
Mossad agents assassinate Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shaqaqi in his hotel in Malta.
Jordan
Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty.
Israel–Jordan peace treaty
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty, settling relations between the two countries and pledging that neither would allow its territory to become a staging ground for military strikes by a third country.
Ten-Day War
Three months after the end of the Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the Yugoslav People's Army leaves the territory of the Republic of Slovenia.
China Airlines Flight 204
China Airlines Flight 204 crashes after takeoff from Hualien Airport in Taiwan, killing all 54 people on board.
Uluru
The Australian government returns ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aboriginals.
Park Chung Hee
Park Chung Hee, President of South Korea, is assassinated by Korean CIA head Kim Jae-gyu.
Ali Maow Maalin
Somali hospital cook Ali Maow Maalin began displaying symptoms of smallpox, becoming the last person known to be naturally infected by the disease.
Space Race
Space Race: The Soyuz 3 mission achieves the first Soviet space rendezvous.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowns himself Emperor of Iran.
Pan Am
Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris.
Hungarian Revolution of 1956
Hungarian Revolution: In the towns of Mosonmagyaróvár and Esztergom, Hungarian secret police forces massacre civilians. As rebel strongholds in Budapest hold, fighting spreads throughout the country.
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngô Đình Diệm proclaimed himself president of the newly created Republic of Vietnam after defeating former emperor Bảo Đại in a fraudulent referendum supervised by his brother Ngô Đình Nhu.
Chicago Theatre
The Chicago Theatre (pictured), the oldest surviving grand movie palace, opened.
Illinois Memorial
The Illinois Memorial, honoring Union army soldiers from Illinois who fought at the Siege of Vicksburg, was dedicated at Vicksburg National Military Park.
Saint Petersburg Soviet
The Saint Petersburg Soviet held its first meeting, becoming the first elected body in Russia to represent workers.
Eduard von Toll
A group of Russian explorers led by Baron von Toll left their camp on Bennett Island and disappeared without a trace.
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells (pictured) began publishing her research on lynching in the United States, for which she was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2020.
Edward James Roye
Liberian president Edward James Roye was overthrown in modern Africa's first coup d'état.
The Football Association
The Football Association, world's first governing body of association football, was founded in London.
War of 1812
War of 1812: British forces and Mohawk allies under Charles de Salaberry repulsed an American attempt to invade Canada.
Imjin War
Imjin War: Thirteen Korean ships commanded by Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated a far larger Japanese invading fleet at the Battle of Myeongnyang in the Myeongnyang Strait.
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine army proclaimed chief minister John VI Kantakouzenos as emperor, triggering a civil war between his supporters and those of John V Palaiologos, the heir to the throne.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Roh Tae-woo
Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (born 1932)
Ali Ashraf Darvishian
Ali Ashraf Darvishian, Iranian novelist, short story writer and academic. (born 1941)
Mo Collins (American football)
Mo Collins, American football player and coach (born 1976)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Cedd
Christian feast day: Cedd
Public holidays in Benin
Armed Forces Day (Benin)
Beóán of Mortlach
Christian feast day: Beóán (Bean) of Mortlach
Amandus of Strasbourg
Christian feast day: Amandus of Strasbourg
Alfred the Great
Christian feast day: Alfred the Great (Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Eastern Orthodox Church)
Accession Day (Jammu and Kashmir)
Accession Day (Jammu and Kashmir, India)
Beatification
Christian feast day: Blessed Celine Borzecka
Angam Day
Angam Day (Nauru)
Spread across the centuries
- 14th century1
- 16th century2
- 19th century4
- 20th century39
- 21st century28
Earliest: Byzantine Empire (1341). Most recent: Björn Andrésen (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about October 26
What day of the year is October 26?
October 26 is the 299th day of the year, with 66 days left after it.
What star sign is October 26?
October 26 falls under Scorpio (October 23 – November 21), a water sign ruled by Pluto (traditionally Mars). The birthstone for the month is Opal or Tourmaline.
How many things happened on October 26?
We record 82 entries for October 26: 34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1341 to 2025.
Who was born on October 26?
Lee Eun-sang (singer) (2002) is among the notable births on October 26. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the October 26 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like October 26
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.