What Happened on May 26?

May 26 is National Paper Airplane Day — and the day the Dunkirk evacuation began in 1940, Bram Stoker's Dracula was published in 1897, and Apollo 10 splashed down ahead of the Moon landing.

• 1864 — Montana Territory is organized as the Civil War rages

  Congress organized Montana Territory on May 26, 1864, amid gold rushes and westward expansion — years before the land would become a state and home to America's first national park. Read the full story →

• 1897 — Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is published in London

  Irish author Bram Stoker's Gothic horror novel Dracula appeared in bookshops on May 26, 1897 — creating the template for modern vampire stories from movies to Halloween costumes. Read the full story →

• 1908 — Explorers strike oil at Masjed Soleiman — the first major Middle East petroleum discovery

  On May 26, 1908, a British-led team struck oil in Persia (today Iran) at Masjed Soleiman — the first big petroleum find in the Middle East, transforming global energy and politics. Read the full story →

• 1924 — President Coolidge signs the Immigration Act of 1924

  On May 26, 1924, Calvin Coolidge signed a law that sharply limited immigration to the United States using national-origin quotas — favoring northern Europeans and excluding many others for decades. Read the full story →

• 1940 — Operation Dynamo begins evacuating Allied soldiers from Dunkirk

  On May 26, 1940, Britain launched Operation Dynamo — a desperate rescue pulling more than 338,000 trapped Allied troops off the beaches of Dunkirk, France, using warships and civilian boats. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

John Wayne (1907–1979) · Sally Ride (1951–2012) · Stevie Nicks (1948) · Helena Bonham Carter (1966)

Days & observances

National Paper Airplane Day · National Blueberry Cheesecake Day · National Don't Fry Day · World Redhead Day