What Happened On
Aftermath of the 1993 WTC Bombing
Aftermath of the 1993 WTC Bombing
World Trade Center Bombing
February 26, 1993
A truck bomb is detonated in the parking garage of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,336 pound (606 kg) urea nitrate-hydrogen gas enhanced device was intended to send the North Tower crashing into the South Tower, bringing both towers down and killing tens of thousands of people. It failed to do so, but killed six people and injured over a thousand.
The towers were destroyed in 2001 in the 9/11 Attacks.
First Jazz Record
February 26, 1917
Original Dixieland 'Jass' Band records Livery Stable Blues and Dixieland Jass Band One-Step. The record was released the following March and was a best seller, establishing jazz as popular music.
The Original Dixieland 'Jass' Band was a group of white musicians from New Orleans and became largely responsible for making the New Orleans style popular on a national level.
Right to Vote - 15th Amendment
February 26, 1869
The 15th amendment is passed by the U.S. Congress, giving blacks the right to vote. "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It was ratified in 1870. However, some states continued to use tactics such as poll taxes and literacy tests to disenfranchise African Americans. Whites were not subject to some of these laws through the use of grandfather clauses.
Desert Storm
February 26, 1991
Two U.S. A-10 aircraft mistakenly fire on British armored personnel carriers, killing nine British soldiers.
Ferdinand Marcos
February 26, 1986
The Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos flees the country, ending his 20-year rule, following reports of widespread fraud during the presidential election.
1993 movie Money for Nothing
1993 movie Money for Nothing
Money for Nothing
February 26, 1981
The story for the 1993 movie Money for Nothing is provided when Joey Coyle picks up $1.2 million that fell out of an armored car and goes on a spending spree. He was arrested six days later, but acquitted by reason of temporary insanity. Coyle committed suicide less than one month before the film was released.
Presidential Term Limits
February 26, 1951
The 22nd Amendment ratified, limiting the number of times a U.S. President may be elected to two.
Photo Credit: Elektrik Fanne
Photo Credit: Elektrik Fanne
Radar
February 26, 1935
Radar is first demonstrated, by British physicist Robert Watson-Watt. RADAR is an acronym for "RAdio Detection And Ranging."
Birthdays
Jackie Gleason (John Herbert Gleason)
Born February 26, 1916 d. 1987
American Tony-winning actor. Known as "The Great One". Broadway: Take Me Along (1959, Tony, as the hard-drinking Uncle Sid). TV: Cavalcade of Stars (1950-52, host), The Jackie Gleason Show (1952-58), The Honeymooners (1955-56, Ralph Kramden). Film: Smokey and the Bandit (1977, Sheriff Buford T. Justice).
Gleason also had a successful music career. In the 1950s and 1960s, he produced a series of best-selling "mood music" albums. His first album, Music for Lovers Only, holds the record for the longest stay on the Billboard Top Ten Charts (153 weeks).
World's Shortest Woman
Pauline Musters
Born February 26, 1876 d. 1895
Dutch dwarf, world's shortest adult woman. She was 24 inches (61 cm) tall at the time of her death at age 19. She was just over 12 inches at birth and at age nine weighed only three pounds. Pauline began performing as an infant adding dancing and acrobatics to her act as she grew older. She died in New York City from a combination of pneumonia and meningitis.
Émile Coué
Born February 26, 1857 d. 1926
French psychologist and pharmacist. He created the psychotherapeutic technique of Coueism, which is based on repeating the saying "Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better." This was to be repeated up to 20 times a day, preferably in the morning and before going to bed.
Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody)
Born February 26, 1846 d. 1917
American showman. He became a Pony Express rider at age 15 and formed the famous Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1883. He also served for the Union during the American Civil War and as a civilian scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars, receiving the Medal of Honor in 1872.
His father was stabbed while giving an anti-slavery speech in Kansas. The complications from the stabbing along with a respiratory infection he got while bringing anti-slavery families to Kansas led to his death in 1857, forcing 11-year-old Bill to begin working as a horseback messenger for a wagon train.
Maker of Blue Jeans
Levi Strauss (Löb Strauß)
Born February 26, 1829 d. 1902
Bavarian-born American businessman. Jacob Davis, one of Strauss' customers, was one of the inventors of riveted denim pants. He and Levi went into business together (1873) to produce blue jeans.
Marta Kristen
Born February 26, 1945
Norwegian-born American actress. TV: Lost in Space (1965-68, Judy Robinson the oldest daughter).
Jane Wagner
Born February 26, 1935
American Emmy-Peabody-winning playwright, actress. Lily Tomlin's comic writer and life partner. Writings: The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) and The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1991). Quote: "The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Johnny Cash (John R. Cash)
Born February 26, 1932 d. 2003
American Country Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy-winning country music singer, "The Man in Black."
Fats Domino (Antoine Domino Jr.)
Born February 26, 1928 d. 2017
American singer. Music: Blueberry Hill (1956). He recorded The Fat Man (1949), which is considered the first million-selling rock & roll record.
Ariel "Arik" Sharon
Born February 26, 1928 d. 2014
Israeli general, politician. 11th Prime Minister of Israel (2001-2006). He was a commander in the Israeli Army from its creation in 1948.
Tony Randall (Leonard Rosenberg)
Born February 26, 1920 d. 2004
American actor. TV: The Odd Couple (1970-75, Felix Unger), Love, Sidney (1981-83, Sidney Shorr), The Tony Randall Show (1976-78, Judge Franklin), and Mister Peepers (1952-55, history teacher Harvey Weskit).
After his first wife of 54 years died, 75-year-old Randall married 25-year-old Heather Harlan and they had two children together.
Mason Adams
Born February 26, 1919 d. 2005
American actor. TV: Lou Grant (1977-82, managing editor Charlie Hume). Advertising: Smucker's -"With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good."
Rudolph Dirks
Born February 26, 1877 d. 1968
American cartoonist. Creator of The Katzenjammer Kids (1897). Dirks was the first cartoonist to regularly express comic strip dialogue in speech balloons.
Herbert Henry Dow
Born February 26, 1866 d. 1930
American chemist, pioneer in the U.S. chemical industry.
John Harvey Kellogg
Born February 26, 1852 d. 1943
American surgeon, invented grain flakes cereal.
Victor Marie Hugo
Born February 26, 1802 d. 1885
French poet, author. Writings: Les Misérables (1862). He was exiled from France (1851) for his opposition to Louis Napoleon.
Deaths
Drafter of the Declaration of Independence
Robert R. Livingston
Died February 26, 1813 b. 1746
American patriot, member of the Continental Congress. He was a member of the "Committee of Five" that drafted the Declaration of Independence, along with Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Roger Sherman. He administered the oath of office to George Washington in 1789.
In 1798 he secured a monopoly for steam navigation in New York State and in 1801 was appointed minister to France, where he met Robert Fulton and began funding Fulton's steamboat development.
Joseph Wapner
Died February 26, 2017 b. 1919
American judge, TV personality. Presided over The People's Court (1981-93). The People's Court was the first of the arbitration-based reality court shows.
Earl Lloyd
Died February 26, 2015 b. 1928
American basketball player. He was the first African American to play in a regular season game in the National Basketball Association (NBA), which he played in 1950 with the Washington Capitols against the Rochester Royals. They lost 78-70.
Lloyd was an All–American player for West Virginia State University, where he helped lead the team to an undefeated season in 1948. Lloyd also helped lead the Syracuse Nationals to the 1955 NBA Championship and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Prior to the NBA, Lloyd played with the Harlem Globetrotters.
David Doyle
Died February 26, 1997 b. 1929
American actor. TV: Charlie's Angels (1976-81, Bosley) and Rugrats (1991-97, voice of Grandpa Pickles).
Florence Li Tim-Oi
Died February 26, 1992 b. 1907
Chinese religious leader. She was the first woman Anglican priest (1944, China). The Japanese invasion during World War II had created a shortage of male priests in China.
Karl Jaspers
Died February 26, 1969 b. 1883
German philosopher, promoter of the philosophy of existentialism.
Richard Jordan Gatling
Died February 26, 1903 b. 1818
American physician, invented the rapid-fire machine gun (1862) that bears his name.
Alexander Wood
Died February 26, 1884 b. 1817
Scottish physician. He invented the first hypodermic needle that used a true syringe and hollow needle (1853). It was originally used for the injection of morphine and opiates, although he foresaw its potential for injecting healing drugs.