What Happened on August 26?

August 26 is Women’s Equality Day — marking certification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 — on the same date the first televised Major League Baseball game aired in 1939, English longbows won at Crécy in 1346, and Krakatoa roared in 1883.

• 1346 — English forces win the Battle of Crécy

  On August 26, 1346, English troops under Edward III defeated a larger French army at Crécy during the Hundred Years’ War. Read the full story →

• 1768 — Captain Cook’s Endeavour sails from England

  On August 26, 1768, Lieutenant James Cook departed Plymouth aboard HMS Endeavour on a voyage that mapped the Pacific and observed Venus’s transit. Read the full story →

• 1883 — Krakatoa’s catastrophic eruptions intensify

  On August 26, 1883, the volcano Krakatoa in Indonesia entered its most violent phase, leading to explosions heard thousands of miles away. Read the full story →

• 1920 — Secretary of State certifies the 19th Amendment

  On August 26, 1920, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the 19th Amendment, securing women’s right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. Read the full story →

• 1939 — First televised Major League Baseball game is broadcast

  On August 26, 1939, a Reds–Dodgers doubleheader at Ebbets Field became the first MLB game shown on television. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Mother Teresa (1910–1997) · Branford Marsalis (1960) · Macaulay Culkin (1980) · Chris Pine (1980)

Days & observances

Women's Equality Day · National Dog Day · National Toilet Paper Day · National Cherry Popsicle Day