📜 This Day in History

February 26

• 747 BCAccording to Ptolemy, the reign of the Babylonian king Nabonassar began, marking a new era characterized by the systematic maintenance of chronologically precise historical records.
• 1903Storm Ulysses struck Ireland, felling thousands of trees and causing damage to up to a quarter of all houses in Dublin.
• 1935Adolf Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe reinstated, violating the Treaty of Versailles signed at the end of World War I.
• 1936Imperial Japanese Army troops attempted a coup d'etat, occupying parts of Tokyo, and killing several politicians, including finance minister Takahashi Korekiyo.
• 2008In the first significant cultural visit from the United States to North Korea since the Korean War, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra performed in Pyongyang.
• 2014Former editor-in-chief of Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao Kevin Lau was stabbed, prompting concerns and protests about media freedom.

Born on this day

• 1564Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (died 1593)
• 1802Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1885)
• 1928Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (died 2014)
• 1959Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish political scientist, academic, and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Turkey