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On This Day in History – July 26

by hpmom

Major Events

  • 1775 – The Second Continental Congress established the United States Post Office and appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General.
  • 1847 – Liberia was declared an independent republic, making it the first African republic to proclaim independence.
  • 1945 – The Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee, won a landslide victory in the United Kingdom general election, ending Winston Churchill’s wartime leadership.
  • 1953 – Fidel Castro led a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks, considered the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.
  • 1956 – Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, sparking the Suez Crisis.
  • 1990 – The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush, prohibiting discrimination based on disability.

Famous Birthdays

  • Carl Jung (1875–1961), Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology
  • George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), Irish playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature
  • Blake Edwards (1922–2010), American film director and screenwriter, known for The Pink Panther series
  • Mick Jagger (born 1943), English singer and co-founder of The Rolling Stones
  • Sandra Bullock (born 1964), American actress and producer
  • Kate Beckinsale (born 1973), English actress known for Underworld and Pearl Harbor

Notable Deaths

  • Eva Perón (d. 1952), First Lady of Argentina and humanitarian figure (b. 1919)
  • William Jennings Bryan (d. 1925), American orator and politician (b. 1860)
  • Sam Houston (d. 1863), American statesman and key figure in Texas history (b. 1793)
  • Pearl S. Buck (d. 1973), American writer and Nobel Prize winner (b. 1892)

Holidays

  • Independence Day (Liberia) – Celebrates Liberia’s declaration of independence in 1847
  • Day of the National Rebellion (Cuba) – Marks the beginning of the Cuban Revolution
  • Feast Day of Saint Anne – Observed in various Christian traditions, honoring the mother of the Virgin Mary

Fun Facts

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act signed on this day in 1990 is considered one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws in U.S. history.
  • Mick Jagger, one of rock music’s most iconic frontmen, shares a birthday with psychologist Carl Jung.
  • Liberia’s name comes from the Latin word for “free,” symbolizing its founding by freed American slaves.
  • Eva Perón, known as “Evita,” died at just 33 years old, becoming a national symbol in Argentina.
  • George Bernard Shaw remains the only person to have won both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar.

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