On This Day

What Happened on February 26 in History

9 events that happened on February 26, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.

The Young Republic and the Civil War Era

1869
Congress passed the 15th Amendment, barring denial of the vote because of race.
The amendment said no citizen could be denied the right to vote on account of race, color or previous servitude. It was ratified in February 1870.
Source: archives.gov; constitutioncenter.org

1917
President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for authority to arm U.S. merchant ships.
German submarines had resumed unrestricted attacks on shipping weeks earlier. The same day, Wilson learned of the Zimmermann Telegram, which proposed a German alliance with Mexico.
Source: presidency.ucsb.edu; history.com
1929
Congress established Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
President Calvin Coolidge signed the law protecting the Teton Range and the lakes at its base. The park was greatly enlarged in 1950.
Source: history.com
1945
U.S. forces completed the recapture of Corregidor in Manila Bay.
Japanese defenders set off an underground ammunition store as the battle ended, killing and wounding many Americans. The island fortress had fallen to Japan in May 1942.
Source: history.com

1962
The Supreme Court ruled in Bailey v. Patterson that states may not require segregation in transportation.
The case came from Jackson, Mississippi, where laws required separate facilities for Black and white travelers. The justices said such segregation was plainly unconstitutional.
Source: law.cornell.edu; millercenter.org
1987
The Tower Commission delivered its report on the Iran-Contra affair.
The review board found that President Ronald Reagan had not controlled his national security staff. Reagan accepted the report at the White House.
Source: presidency.ucsb.edu; millercenter.org
1990
Nicaragua's Sandinista government conceded defeat to Violeta Chamorro in national elections.
The vote ended more than a decade of Sandinista rule, which the United States had long opposed. Chamorro took office in April.
Source: history.com; presidency.ucsb.edu

1993
A truck bomb exploded in a parking garage beneath the World Trade Center in New York City.
The blast killed six people, injured more than 1,000 and tore a crater several stories deep. Islamist militants behind the plot were later convicted.
Source: history.com; archive.nytimes.com
2012
Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida.
The 17-year-old was walking back from a convenience store when neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot him. Zimmerman's acquittal in 2013 helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement.
Source: history.com