What Happened on October 26?

October 26 is National Pumpkin Day — peak autumn gourd season — on the same date the Erie Canal opened in 1825, the O.K. Corral gunfight flashed in 1881, Austria regained sovereignty in 1955, and the last natural smallpox case was reported in 1977.

• 1776 — Benjamin Franklin sails for France to seek an alliance

  On October 26, 1776, Benjamin Franklin left America for France — a diplomatic mission that helped win crucial support for independence. Read the full story →

• 1825 — The Erie Canal opens, linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic

  On October 26, 1825, New York celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal — a 363-mile water highway from Buffalo to the Hudson River. Read the full story →

• 1881 — The gunfight at the O.K. Corral erupts in Tombstone

  On October 26, 1881, lawmen including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday faced the Clanton-McLaury group in a brief, deadly shootout near Tombstone's O.K. Corral. Read the full story →

• 1955 — Austria celebrates regained independence after the State Treaty

  On October 26, 1955, the last Allied occupation troops left Austria after the State Treaty restored the nation's independence — now marked as Austrian National Day. Read the full story →

• 1977 — The last natural case of smallpox is reported in Somalia

  On October 26, 1977, health workers recorded the world's last known natural smallpox infection — a milestone on the road to eradicating the disease. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Mahalia Jackson (1911–1972) · Hillary Clinton (1947) · François Mitterrand (1916–1996) · Seth MacFarlane (1973)

Days & observances

National Pumpkin Day · Intersex Awareness Day · Austrian National Day · National Mincemeat Day