Wednesday 26 June 2024 Calendar with holidays, observances and special days

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

By resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987, the General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an express..→

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Torture seeks to annihilate the victim’s personality and denies the inherent dignity of the human being. The United Nations has condemned torture from the outset as one o..→

Holidays and observances

• Army and Navy Day in Azerbaijan
• Beautician's Day
• Canoe Day
• Clinical Pathologist's Day in Mexico
• Crimean Tatars National Flag Day in Ukraine
• Fusion Festival
• Gladmat in Stavanger, Norway (One of Norway’s biggest and most important food festivals is taking place yearly in Stavanger)
• Madagascar Independence Day (celebrates the independence of Madagascar from France in 1960)
• National Chocolate Pudding Day in USA
• National Coconut Day in USA
• Patron's Day of Castro-Urdiales and Zarauz
• Pedagogue Day in Mexico
• Ratcatcher's Day (Hamelin, Germany)
• Romania Flag Day
• Sunthorn Phu Day in Thailand
• World Refrigeration Day

Events

• 2015 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• 2013 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• 2006 – Mari Alkatiri, the first Prime Minister of East Timor, resigns after weeks of political unrest.
• 1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• 1975 – Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.
• 1974 – The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
• 1963 – U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall.
• 1959 – Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavy weight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on technical knockout after two minutes and three seconds in the third round at Yankee Stadium.
• 1952 – The Pan-Malayan Labour Party is founded in Malaya, as a union of statewide labour parties.
• 1948 – The first supply flights are made in response to the Berlin Blockade.
• 1948 – William Shockley files the original patent for the grown-junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.
• 1942 – The first flight of the Grumman F6F Hellcat.
• 1936 – Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.
• 1934 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.
• 1924 – The American occupation of the Dominican Republic ends after eight years.
• 1917 – The American Expeditionary Forces begin to arrive in France. They will first enter combat four months later.
• 1906 – The first Grand Prix motor racing event held.
• 1889 – Bangui is founded by Albert Dolisie and Alfred Uzac in what was then the upper reaches of the French Congo.
• 1886 – Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time.
• 1870 – The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
• 1857 – The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.
• 1794 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Fleurus marked the first successful military use of aircraft.

Births

• 1993 – Ariana Grande, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress. After she grew interested in pursuing a music career, Grande recorded songs for the soundtrack of Victorious, and signed with Republic Records in 2011 after the label's executives discovered videos of her covering songs that she uploaded onto YouTube.
• 1984 – Deron Williams, American basketball player. The three-time NBA All-Star has also played for Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League during the 2011 NBA lockout, and was a gold medal winner on the United States national team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
• 1984 – Elijah Dukes, American baseball player. A right-handed outfielder, he played in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Washington Nationals.
• 1984 – José Juan Barea, Puerto Rican-American basketball player. J." Barea Mora (born June 26, 1984) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
• 1984 – Raymond Felton, American basketball player. Raymond Bernard Felton, Jr. (born June 26, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
• 1980 – Chris Shelton, American baseball player. Shelton is a cousin of Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith.
• 1980 – Jason Schwartzman, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Isle of Dogs (2018).
• 1980 – Michael Vick, American football player. Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former professional American football quarterback who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles.
• 1979 – Ryan Tedder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists, including Adele, Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Big Time Rush, Camila Cabello, Charlie Puth, Demi Lovato, Ed Sheeran, Foster the People, Hailee Steinfeld, Hilary Duff, Jennifer Lopez, Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Lil Nas X, Logic, Maroon 5, MØ, One Direction, Paul McCartney, Pink, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, U2, Westlife, and Zedd.
• 1977 – Quincy Lewis, American basketball player. Quincy Lavell Lewis (born June 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who last played with the pro club Iurbentia Bilbao Basket in Spain.
• 1976 – Chad Pennington, American football player and sportscaster. He played for the Jets from 2000 to 2007 and for the Miami Dolphins from 2008 to 2010.
• 1974 – Derek Jeter, American baseball player. Derek Sanderson Jeter (/ˈdʒiːtər/ JEE-tər; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive.
• 1974 – Jason Kendall, American baseball player. He is the son of former catcher Fred Kendall, who played in the majors from 1969–1980.
• 1973 – Gretchen Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party.
• 1970 – Chris O'Donnell, American actor. O'Donnell currently stars as special Agent G.
• 1970 – Irv Gotti, American record producer, co-founded Murder Inc Records. He is the creator of the BET series Tales.
• 1970 – Nick Offerman, American actor. Nicholas Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer and carpenter.
• 1970 – Paul Thomas Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter. An alumnus of the Sundance Institute, Anderson made his feature film debut with Hard Eight in 1996.
• 1970 – Sean Hayes, American actor. Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, singer and producer.
• 1968 – Shannon Sharpe, American football player and sportscaster. Shannon Sharpe (born June 26, 1968) is a former American football tight end who played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL), as well as a former analyst for CBS Sports on its NFL telecasts.
• 1966 – Jürgen Reil, American drummer. Jürgen "Ventor" Reil (born 26 June 1966) is the long-time drummer for German thrash metal band Kreator.
• 1963 – Mark McClellan, American economist and politician. Mark Barr McClellan (born June 26, 1963) is the director of the Robert J Margolis Center for Health Policy and the Margolis Professor of Business, Medicine and Health Policy at Duke University.
• 1962 – Jerome Kersey, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015), was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Portland Trail Blazers (1984–1995), Golden State Warriors (1995–96), Los Angeles Lakers (1996–97), Seattle SuperSonics (1997–98), San Antonio Spurs (1998–2000), and Milwaukee Bucks (2000–01).
• 1961 – Greg LeMond, American cyclist. Gregory James "Greg" LeMond (born June 26, 1961) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, entrepreneur, and anti-doping advocate.
• 1961 – Terri Nunn, American singer-songwriter and actress. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the new wave/synthpop band Berlin.
• 1957 – Patty Smyth, American singer-songwriter and musician. She went on to record and perform on her own.
• 1956 – Chris Isaak, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is known for his signature 1950s rock & roll style and crooner sound, as well as his falsetto and reverb-laden music.
• 1955 – Gedde Watanabe, American actor. He is perhaps best known for voicing the character of Ling in the 1998 animated film Mulan and its 2004 sequel, Mulan II as well as playing Long Duk Dong in the 1984 film Sixteen Candles.
• 1949 – Fredric Brandt, American dermatologist and author (d. 2015), was an American physician, researcher, lecturer, author, and radio host specializing in cosmetic dermatology. Among the first to use botulinum toxin ("botox") and fillers, Brandt was noted for his role in the FDA approval of numerous fillers and botulinum toxins for cosmetic use in the United States.
• 1949 – Mary Styles Harris, American biologist and geneticist. Harris worked her way up from a postdoctoral position to being the president and genetics consultant of her own company, Harris & Associates, Ltd in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 1946 – Candace Pert, American neuroscientist and pharmacologist (d. 2013), was an American neuroscientist and pharmacologist who discovered the opiate receptor, the cellular binding site for endorphins in the brain.
• 1943 – Warren Farrell, American author and educator. Warren Thomas Farrell (born June 26, 1943) is an American educator, activist and author of seven books on men's and women's issues.
• 1942 – J.J. Dillon, American wrestler and manager. James Morrison (born June 26, 1942) is an American retired professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, J.J.
• 1939 – Chuck Robb, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 64th Governor of Virginia. Charles Spittal Robb (born June 26, 1939) is an American politician and former officer in the United States Marine Corps.
• 1938 – Billy Davis Jr., American pop-soul singer. Along with his wife, Marilyn McCoo, he had hit records during 1976 and 1977 with "I Hope We Get to Love in Time", "Your Love", and "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)".
• 1938 – Gerald North, American climatologist and academic. North (June 28, 1938 – ) is Distinguished Professor and Holder of the Harold J.
• 1938 – Neil Abercrombie, American sociologist and politician, 7th Governor of Hawaii. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
• 1937 – Reggie Workman, American bassist and composer. Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey.
• 1937 – Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013), was an American experimental physicist whose area of research included sub-millikelvin temperature studies of helium-3. Richardson, along with David Lee, as senior researchers, and then graduate student Douglas Osheroff, shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics for their 1972 discovery of the property of superfluidity in helium-3 atoms in the Cornell University Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics.
• 1936 – Edith Pearlman, American short story writer. Edith Pearlman (born June 26, 1936) is an American short story writer.
• 1936 – Hal Greer, American basketball player, was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1958 through 1973.
• 1936 – Nancy Willard, American author and poet (d. 2017), was an American writer: novelist, poet, author and occasional illustrator of children's books. She won the 1982 Newbery Medal for A Visit to William Blake's Inn.
• 1935 – Dwight York, American singer. York (born June 26, 1945), also known as Malachi Z.
• 1934 – Dave Grusin, American pianist and composer. Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, and pianist.
• 1930 – Jackie Fargo, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2013), was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jackie Fargo. He competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
• 1929 – Milton Glaser, American illustrator and graphic designer. In 1954, he also co-founded Push Pin Studios, co-founded New York magazine with Clay Felker, and established Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974.
• 1928 – Jacob Druckman, American composer and academic (d. 1996), was an American composer born in Philadelphia. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Druckman studied with Vincent Persichetti, Peter Mennin, and Bernard Wagenaar.
• 1928 – Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Japanese inventor. Yoshiro Nakamatsu (中松 義郎, Nakamatsu Yoshirō, born June 26, 1928), also known as Dr.
• 1922 – Eleanor Parker, American actress (d. 2013), was an American actress who appeared in some 80 movies and television series. An actress of notable versatility, she was called Woman of a Thousand Faces by Doug McClelland, author of a biography of Parker by the same title.
• 1922 – Walter Farley, American author (d. 1989), was an American author, primarily of horse stories for children. His first and most famous work was The Black Stallion (1941).
• 1920 – Jean-Pierre Roy, Canadian-American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2014), was a Canadian pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in three games during the 1946 season for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
• 1919 – Jimmy Newberry, American pitcher, was an African-American pitcher in the Negro Leagues and in the Japanese Pacific League. He played professionally from 1944 to 1956, playing with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League and Hankyu Braves.
• 1919 – Richard Neustadt, American political scientist and academic (d. 2003), was an American political scientist specializing in the United States presidency. He also served as adviser to several presidents.
• 1918 – Raleigh Rhodes, American combat fighter pilot (d. 2007), was an American World War II combat fighter pilot and the third leader of the Blue Angels flight team.
• 1916 – Virginia Satir, American psychotherapist and author (d. 1988), was an American author and therapist, known especially for her approach to family therapy and her pioneering work in the field of family reconstruction therapy. She is widely regarded as the "Mother of Family Therapy" Her most well-known books are Conjoint Family Therapy, 1964, Peoplemaking, 1972, and The New Peoplemaking, 1988.
• 1915 – Charlotte Zolotow, American author and poet (d. 2013), was an American writer, poet, editor, and publisher of many books for children. She wrote about 70 picture book texts.
• 1915 – Paul Castellano, American gangster (d. 1985), was an American crime boss who succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family. Castellano was killed in an unsanctioned assassination on December 16, 1985, ordered by John Gotti, who subsequently became boss.
• 1911 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American golfer and basketball player (d. 1956), was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics, before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships.
• 1909 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-American talent manager (d. 1997), was the Dutch-born manager of Elvis Presley. Their partnership was uniquely successful, Elvis being an entirely new force in popular music, and Parker an entrepreneur able to market him.
• 1909 – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (d. 1985), was a German American animator, director, and producer who was one of Disney's Nine Old Men.
• 1907 – Debs Garms, American baseball player (d. 1984). Garms (June 26, 1907 – December 16, 1984) was a professional baseball player for 12 seasons as an outfielder and third baseman for the St.
• 1906 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and educator (d. 2008), was an American industrial designer as well as a teacher, sculptor, and artist. His wide-ranging work included noted pottery designs, industrial design, bicycle design and seminal research on radar feedback.
• 1905 – Lynd Ward, American author and illustrator (d. 1985), was an American artist and storyteller, known for his series of wordless novels using wood engraving, and his illustrations for juvenile and adult books. His wordless novels have influenced the development of the graphic novel.
• 1904 – Peter Lorre, Slovak-American actor and singer (d. 1964), was a Hungarian-born American character actor of Jewish descent. Lorre began his stage career in Vienna before moving to Germany where he worked first on the stage, then in film in Berlin in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
• 1903 – Big Bill Broonzy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1958), was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country blues to mostly African-American audiences.
• 1901 – Stuart Symington, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Air Force (d. 1988), was an American businessman and politician from Missouri. He served as the first Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1953 to 1976.
• 1898 – Chesty Puller, American general (d. 1971). Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller (June 26, 1898 – October 11, 1971) served as a United States Marine Corps officer.
• 1893 – Dorothy Fuldheim, American journalist and author (d. 1989), was an American journalist and anchor, spending the majority of her career for The Cleveland Press and WEWS-TV, both based in Cleveland, Ohio.
• 1892 – Pearl S. Buck, American novelist, essayist, short story writer Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973), was an American writer and novelist. As the daughter of missionaries, Buck spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, China.
• 1880 – Mitchell Lewis, American actor (d. 1956), was an American film actor whose career as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player encompassed both silent and sound films.
• 1865 – Bernard Berenson, Lithuanian-American historian and author (d. 1959), was an American art historian specializing in the Renaissance. His book Drawings of the Florentine Painters was an international success.
• 1839 – Sam Watkins, American soldier and author (d. 1901). He fought through the entire Civil War and saw action in many battles.
• 1835 – Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (d. 1896), was a journalist, author, and world traveler, known primarily for his work as a New York Herald correspondent during the American Civil War. As an author, Knox wrote over 45 books, including a popular series of travel adventure books for boys.
• 1819 – Abner Doubleday, American general (d. 1893), was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg.
• 1703 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (d. 1767), was an American academic and educator, a Congregational minister, and college administrator. He was both the fifth rector and the earliest official to be called "president" of Yale College (1740–1766).
• 1689 – Edward Holyoke, American pastor and academic (d. 1769), was an early American clergyman, and the 9th President of Harvard College.

Deaths

• 2015 – Chris Thompson, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1952)
• 2014 – Bill Frank, American-Canadian football player (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Bob Mischak, American football player and coach (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Howard Baker, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 12th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Julius Rudel, Austrian-American conductor (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Rollin King, American businessman, co-founded Southwest Airlines (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Byron Looper, American politician (b. 1964)
• 2013 – Edward Huggins Johnstone, Brazilian-American sergeant and judge (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Marc Rich, Belgian-American businessman (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Doris Singleton, American actress (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Pat Cummings, American basketball player (b. 1956)
• 2012 – Risley C. Triche, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
• 2011 – Edith Fellows, American actress (b. 1923)
• 2007 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne (b. 1929)
• 2004 – Yash Johar, Indian film producer, founded Dharma Productions (b. 1929)
• 2003 – Denver Randleman, American sergeant (b. 1920)
• 2003 – Strom Thurmond, American general, lawyer, and politician, 103rd Governor of South Carolina (b. 1902)
• 2002 – Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
• 1997 – Don Hutson, American football player and coach (b. 1913)
• 1993 – Roy Campanella, American baseball player and coach (b. 1921)
• 1993 – William H. Riker, American political scientist and academic (b. 1920)
• 1964 – Léo Dandurand, American-Canadian businessman (b. 1889)
• 1956 – Clifford Brown, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1930)
• 1956 – Richie Powell, American pianist (b. 1931)
• 1938 – Daria Pratt, American golfer (b. 1859)
• 1938 – James Weldon Johnson, American poet, lawyer and politician (b. 1871)
• 1932 – Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (b. 1900)
• 1879 – Richard H. Anderson, American general (b. 1821)
• 1810 – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor, co-invented the hot air balloon (b. 1740)
• 1784 – Caesar Rodney, American lawyer and politician, 4th Governor of Delaware (b. 1728)