March 26

Events

590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

908 – Emperor Zhu Wen of Later Liang has Li Zhu, the last Tang Dynasty emperor, poisoned.

1027 – Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.

1169 – Saladin becomes the emir of Egypt.

1344 – The Siege of Algeciras, one of the first European military engagements where gunpowder was used, comes to an end.

1351 – Combat of the Thirty : Thirty Breton knights call out and defeat thirty English knights.

1484 – William Caxton prints his translation of Aesop's Fables.

1552 – Guru Amar Das becomes the Third Sikh guru.

1636 – Utrecht University is founded in the Netherlands.

1812 – An earthquake destroys Caracas, Venezuela.

1812 – A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette coins the term "gerrymander" to describe oddly shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelection.

1830 – The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.

1839 – The first Henley Royal Regatta is held.

1871 – The elections of Commune council of the Paris Commune are held.

1885 – The Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel begin the North-West Rebellion against Canada.

1913 – Balkan Wars: Bulgarian forces capture Adrianople.

1915 – Ice hockey: The Vancouver Millionaires sweep the Ottawa Senators three-games-to-none to win the 1915 Stanley Cup Finals, the first championship played between the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the National Hockey Association.

1917 – World War I: First Battle of Gaza – British troops are halted after 17,000 Turks block their advance.

1922 – The German Social Democratic Party is founded in Poland.

1931 – Swissair is founded as the national airline of Switzerland.

1931 – Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union is founded in Vietnam.

1934 – The United Kingdom driving test is introduced.

1939 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists begin their final offensive of the war.

1942 – World War II: The first female prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.

1945 – World War II: The Battle of Iwo Jima ends as the island is officially secured by American forces.

1954 – Nuclear weapons testing: The Romeo shot of Operation Castle is detonated at Bikini Atoll. Yield: 11 megatons.

1958 – The United States Army launches Explorer 3.

1958 – The African Regroupment Party is launched at a meeting in Paris.

1967 – Ten thousand people gather for one of many Central Park be-ins in New York City.

1970 – South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu implements a land reform program to solve the problem of land tenancy

1971 – East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Liberation War begins.

1975 – The Biological Weapons Convention comes into force.

1979 – Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C.

1981 – Social Democratic Party (UK) founded as a party.

1982 – A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, D.C..

1991 – Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay sign the Treaty of Asunción, establishing Mercosur, the South Common Market.

1997 – Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven's Gate mass suicides.

1998 – Oued Bouaicha massacre in Algeria: Fifty-two people, including 32 babies, are killed with axes and knives.

2005 – The Taiwanese government calls on one million Taiwanese to demonstrate in Taipei, in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China. Around 200,000 to 300,000 attend the demonstration.

2005 – The BBC broadcasts "Rose" (starring Christopher Eccleston), the first returning episode Doctor Who, after its cancellation in 1989. It is now the world's longest running science fiction drama.

2010 – The ROKS Cheonan sinks off the west coast of South Korea near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 seamen.

Births

1031 – Malcolm III of Scotland (d. 1093)

1516 – Conrad Gessner, Swiss botanist and zoologist (d. 1565)

1554 – Charles, Duke of Mayenne (d. 1611)

1584 – John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (d. 1635)

1634 – Domenico Freschi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1710)

1656 – Nicolaas Hartsoeker, Dutch mathematician and physicist (d. 1725)

1687 – Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (d. 1757)

1698 – Prokop Diviš, Czech priest, scientist and inventor (d. 1765)

1749 – William Blount, American politician (d. 1800)

1753 – Benjamin Thompson, American-French physicist and politician, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1814)

1773 – Nathaniel Bowditch, American mathematician and navigator (d. 1838)

1794 – Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (d. 1872)

1804 – David Humphreys Storer, American physician and academic (d. 1891)

1829 – Théodore Aubanel, French poet (d. 1886)

1842 – Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveydre, French occultist (d. 1909)

1850 – Edward Bellamy, American author, socialist, and utopian visionary (d. 1898)

1852 – Élémir Bourges, French author (d. 1925)

1854 – Maurice Lecoq, French target shooter (d. 1925)

1856 – William Massey, Irish-New Zealand farmer and politician, 19th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1925)

1859 – A. E. Housman, English poet and scholar (d. 1936)

1859 – Adolf Hurwitz, German-Swiss mathematician and academic (d. 1919)

1860 – André Prévost, French tennis player (d. 1919)

1866 – Fred Karno, English producer and manager (d. 1941)

1868 – Fuad I of Egypt (d. 1936)

1873 – Dorothea Bleek, South African-German anthropologist and philogist (d. 1948)

1874 – Robert Frost, American poet and playwright (d. 1963)

1875 – Max Abraham, Polish-German physicist and academic (d. 1922)

1875 – Syngman Rhee, South Korean journalist and politician, 1st President of South Korea (d. 1965)

1876 – William, Prince of Albania (d. 1945)

1879 – Othmar Ammann, Swiss-American engineer, designed the George Washington Bridge and Verrazano–Narrows Bridge (d. 1965)

1879 – Waldemar Tietgens, German rower (d. 1917)

1881 – Guccio Gucci, Italian fashion designer, founded Gucci (d. 1953)

1882 – Hermann Obrecht, Swiss politician (d. 1940)

1884 – Wilhelm Backhaus, German pianist and educator (d. 1969)

1884 – Georges Imbert, French chemical engineer and inventor (d. 1950)

1886 – Hugh Mulzac, Vincentian-American soldier and politician (d. 1971)

1888 – Elsa Brändström, Swedish nurse and philanthropist (d. 1948)

1893 – James Bryant Conant, American chemist, academic, and diplomat, 1st United States Ambassador to West Germany (d. 1978)

1893 – Palmiro Togliatti, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Justice (d. 1964)

1894 – Viorica Ursuleac, Ukrainian-Romanian soprano and actress (d. 1985)

1895 – Vilho Tuulos, Finnish triple jumper (d. 1967)

1898 – Rudolf Dassler, German businessman, founded Puma SE (d. 1974)

1898 – Charles Shadwell, English conductor and bandleader (d. 1979)

1904 – Joseph Campbell, American mythologist and author (d. 1987)

1904 – Emilio Fernández, Mexican actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1986)

1904 – Attilio Ferraris, Italian footballer (d. 1947)

1904 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004)

1905 – Monty Berman, English cinematographer and producer (d. 2006)

1905 – André Cluytens, Belgian-French conductor and director (d. 1967)

1905 – Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (d. 1997)

1906 – Rafael Méndez, Mexican trumpet player and composer (d. 1981)

1907 – Azellus Denis, Canadian lawyer and politician, Postmaster General of Canada (d. 1991)

1907 – Mahadevi Varma, Indian poet and activist (d. 1987)

1908 – Franz Stangl, Austrian-German SS officer (d. 1971)

1910 – K. W. Devanayagam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 10th Sri Lankan Minister of Justice (d. 2002)

1911 – Lennart Atterwall, Swedish javelin thrower (d. 2001)

1911 – J. L. Austin, English philosopher and academic (d. 1960)

1911 – Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)

1911 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet (d. 1983)

1913 – Jacqueline de Romilly, French philologist, author, and scholar (d. 2010)

1913 – Paul Erdős, Hungarian-Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1996)

1914 – Toru Kumon, Japanese mathematician and academic (d. 1995)

1914 – William Westmoreland, American general (d. 2005)

1915 – Lennart Strandberg, Swedish sprinter (d. 1989)

1915 – Hwang Sun-won, North Korean author and poet (d. 2000)

1916 – Christian B. Anfinsen, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)

1916 – Bill Edrich, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1986)

1916 – Sterling Hayden, American actor and author (d. 1986)

1917 – Rufus Thomas, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2001)

1919 – Strother Martin, American actor (d. 1980)

1919 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1965)

1920 – Sergio Livingstone, Chilean footballer and journalist (d. 2012)

1922 – Oscar Sala, Italian-Brazilian physicist and academic (d. 2010)

1922 – Guido Stampacchia, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1978)

1923 – Gert Bastian, German general and politician (d. 1992)

1923 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2016)

1925 – Maqsood Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1999)

1925 – Pierre Boulez, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2016)

1925 – Vesta Roy, American politician, Governor of New Hampshire (d. 2002)

1925 – Edward Graham, Baron Graham of Edmonton, English soldier and politician

1925 – Ben Mondor, Canadian-American businessman (d. 2010)

1925 – James Moody, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2010)

1927 – Harold Chapman, English photographer

1929 – Edward Sorel, American illustrator and caricaturist

1929 – Edwin Turney, American businessman, co-founded Advanced Micro Devices (d. 2008)

1930 – Sandra Day O'Connor, American lawyer and jurist

1930 – Gregory Corso, American poet (d. 2001)

1931 – Leonard Nimoy, American actor (d. 2015)

1932 – Leroy Griffith, American businessman

1933 – Tinto Brass, Italian director and screenwriter

1934 – Alan Arkin, American actor

1934 – Edvaldo Alves de Santa Rosa, Brazilian footballer (d. 2002)

1935 – Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian politician, 2nd President of the State of Palestine

1937 – Wayne Embry, American basketball player and manager

1937 – Barbara Jones, American sprinter

1937 – Norman Ackroyd, English painter and illustrator

1937 – James Lee, Canadian businessman and politician, 26th Premier of Prince Edward Island

1938 – Anthony James Leggett, English-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1940 – James Caan, American actor and singer

1940 – Nancy Pelosi, American lawyer and politician, 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

1941 – Richard Dawkins, Kenyan-English ethologist, biologist, and academic

1942 – Erica Jong, American novelist and poet

1943 – Mustafa Kalemli, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of the Interior

1943 – Bob Woodward, American journalist and author

1944 – Diana Ross, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

1945 – Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast and coach (d. 2004)

1946 – Johnny Crawford, American actor and singer

1946 – Alain Madelin, French politician, French Minister of Finance

1947 – Paul Bérenger, Mauritian politician, Prime Minister of Mauritius

1948 – Kyung-wha Chung, South Korean violinist and educator

1948 – Steven Tyler, American singer-songwriter and actor

1949 – Rudi Koertzen, South African cricketer and umpire

1949 – Vicki Lawrence, American actress, comedian, talk show host, and singer

1949 – Fran Sheehan, American bass player

1949 – Patrick Süskind, German author and screenwriter

1949 – Ernest Lee Thomas, American actor

1950 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (d. 2010)

1950 – Graham Barlow, English cricketer

1950 – Martin Short, Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, and producer

1950 – Alan Silvestri, American composer and conductor

1951 – Carl Wieman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1952 – Didier Pironi, French race car driver (d. 1987)

1952 – T. A. Barron, American novelist

1953 – Lincoln Chafee, American academic and politician, 74th Governor of Rhode Island

1953 – Elaine Chao, Taiwanese-American banker and politician, 24th United States Secretary of Labor

1953 – Tatyana Providokhina, Russian runner

1954 – Clive Palmer, Australian businessman and politician

1954 – Curtis Sliwa, American talk show host and activist, founded Guardian Angels

1954 – Dorothy Porter, Australian poet and playwright (d. 2008)

1956 – Charly McClain, American country singer

1956 – Park Won-soon, South Korean lawyer and politician, 35th Mayor of Seoul

1957 – Fiona Bruce, Scottish lawyer and politician

1957 – Leeza Gibbons, American talk show host and television personality

1957 – Paul Morley, English journalist, producer, and author

1958 – Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (d. 1986)

1959 – Chris Hansen, American journalist

1960 – Marcus Allen, American football player and sportscaster

1960 – Jennifer Grey, American actress and dancer

1960 – Graeme Rutjes, Australian-Dutch footballer

1961 – William Hague, English historian and politician, First Secretary of State

1962 – Richard Coles, English pianist, saxophonist, and priest

1962 – Kevin Seitzer, American baseball player and coach

1962 – Yuri Gidzenko, Russian pilot and cosmonaut

1962 – John Stockton, American basketball player and coach

1963 – Natsuhiko Kyogoku, Japanese author

1964 – Martin Bella, Australian rugby league player

1964 – Martin Donnelly, Irish race car driver

1964 – Maria Miller, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

1964 – Ulf Samuelsson, Swedish-American ice hockey player and coach

1965 – Trey Azagthoth, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1965 – Violeta Szekely, Romanian runner

1966 – Lilian Greenwood, English politician

1966 – Michael Imperioli, American actor and screenwriter

1966 – Nick Wirth, English engineer, founded Wirth Research

1968 – Laurent Brochard, French cyclist

1968 – Kenny Chesney, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1969 – Alessandro Moscardi, Italian rugby player

1970 – Paul Bosvelt, Dutch footballer

1970 – Jelle Goes, Dutch footballer and coach

1970 – Thomas Kyparissis, Greek footballer

1970 – Martin McDonagh, English-born Irish playwright, screenwriter, and director

1971 – Behzad Ghorbani, Iranian zoologist

1971 – Martyn Day, Scottish politician

1971 – Rennae Stubbs, Australian tennis player and sportscaster

1971 – Paul Williams, English footballer and manager

1972 – Leslie Mann, American actress

1972 – Jason Maxwell, American baseball player

1973 – Larry Page, American computer scientist and businessman, co-founder of Google

1973 – T. R. Knight, American actor

1973 – Matt Burke, Australian rugby player and sportscaster

1974 – Irina Spîrlea, Romanian tennis player

1974 – Vadimas Petrenko, Lithuanian footballer

1974 – Michael Peca, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1976 – Alex Varas, Chilean footballer

1976 – Amy Smart, American actress and former model

1977 – Kevin Davies, English footballer

1977 – Bianca Kajlich, American actress

1977 – Sylvain Grenier, Canadian wrestler

1978 – Anastasia Kostaki, Greek basketball player

1979 – Nacho Novo, Spanish footballer

1979 – Ben Blair, New Zealand rugby union footballer

1979 – Hiromi Uehara, Japanese pianist and composer

1979 – Pierre Womé, Cameroonian footballer

1979 – Jay Sean, English R&B singer

1980 – Richie Wellens, English footballer

1981 – Baruch Dego, Ethiopian-Israeli footballer

1981 – Massimo Donati, Italian footballer

1981 – Jay Sean, English singer-songwriter and producer

1981 – Josh Wilson, American baseball player

1982 – Mikel Arteta, Spanish footballer

1982 – Brendan Ryan, American baseball player

1982 – Nate Kaeding, American football player

1983 – Andreas Hinkel, German footballer

1983 – Floriana Lima, American actress

1983 – Roman Bednář, Czech footballer

1983 – Mike Mondo, American wrestler

1984 – Jimmy Howard, American ice hockey player

1984 – Drew Mitchell, Australian rugby player

1984 – Felix Neureuther, German skier

1984 – Marco Stier, German footballer

1984 – Gregory Strydom, Zimbabwean cricketer

1985 – Keira Knightley, English actress

1985 – Matt Grevers, American swimmer

1985 – Jonathan Groff, American actor and singer

1985 – Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwean cricketer

1986 – Maxime Biset, Belgian footballer

1986 – Emma Laine, Finnish tennis player

1987 – Jermichael Finley, American football player

1987 – Steven Fletcher, Scottish footballer

1987 – Rob Kearney, Irish rugby player

1989 – Simon Kjær, Danish footballer

1990 – Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2016)

1990 – Yuya Takaki, Japanese idol, singer, dancer, model and actor

1991 – Matt Davidson, American baseball player

1994 – Jed Wallace, English footballer

Deaths

752 – Pope-elect Stephen

809 – Ludger, Frisian missionary

903 – Sugawara no Michizane, Japanese poet

908 – Ai, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 892)

922 – Mansur Al-Hallaj, Persian mystic and poet (b. 858)

983 – 'Adud al-Dawla, Iranian ruler (b. 936)

1130 – Sigurd the Crusader, Norwegian king (b. 1090)

1132 – Geoffrey of Vendôme, French cardinal and theologian (b. 1065)

1212 – Sancho I of Portugal (b. 1154)

1324 – Marie de Luxembourg, Queen of France (b. 1304)

1326 – Alessandra Giliani, anatomist (b. c. 1307)

1402 – David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, heir to the throne of Scotland (b. 1378)

1437 – Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, Scottish nobleman and regicide

1517 – Heinrich Isaac, Flemish composer (b. 1450)

1535 – Georg Tannstetter, Austrian mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer (b. 1482)

1546 – Thomas Elyot, English scholar and diplomat (b. 1490)

1566 – Antonio de Cabezón, Spanish organist and composer (b. 1510)

1649 – John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

1679 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish historian and author (b. 1621)

1697 – Godfrey McCulloch, Scottish politician (b. 1640)

1726 – John Vanbrugh, English playwright and architect, designed Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard (b. 1664)

1772 – Charles Pinot Duclos, French author and politician (b. 1704)

1776 – Samuel Ward, American jurist and politician, 31st Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island (b. 1725)

1780 – Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (b. 1713)

1793 – John Mudge, English physician and engineer (b. 1721)

1797 – James Hutton, Scottish geologist and physician (b. 1726)

1814 – Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician and politician (b. 1738)

1827 – Ludwig van Beethoven, German pianist and composer (b. 1770)

1858 – John Addison Thomas, American lieutenant, engineer, and politician, 3rd United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1811)

1862 – Uriah P. Levy, American commander (b. 1792)

1881 – Roman Sanguszko, Polish general and activist (b. 1800)

1885 – Anson Stager, American general and businessman, co-founded Western Union (b. 1825)

1888 – Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar (b. 1837)

1892 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (b. 1819)

1902 – Cecil Rhodes, English-South African colonialist, businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (b. 1853)

1905 – Maurice Barrymore, American actor (b. 1849)

1910 – Auguste Charlois, French astronomer (b. 1864)

1920 – William Chester Minor, American surgeon and lexicographer (b. 1834)

1923 – Sarah Bernhardt, French actress and screenwriter (b. 1844)

1926 – Constantin Fehrenbach, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1852)

1932 – Henry M. Leland, American machinist, inventor, engineer, automotive entrepreneur and founded of Cadillac and Lincoln (b. 1843)

1934 – John Biller, American jumper and discus thrower (b. 1877)

1940 – Wilhelm Anderson, German-Estonian astrophysicist (b. 1880)

1940 – Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (b. 1873)

1942 – Jimmy Burke, American baseball player and manager (b. 1874)

1945 – David Lloyd George, English-Welsh lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1863)

1951 – James F. Hinkle, American banker and politician, 6th Governor of New Mexico (b. 1864)

1954 – Charles Perrin, French rower (b. 1875)

1957 – Édouard Herriot, French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1872)

1958 – Phil Mead, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1887)

1959 – Raymond Chandler, American crime novelist and screenwriter (b. 1888)

1966 – Victor Hochepied, French swimmer (b. 1883)

1969 – John Kennedy Toole, American novelist (b. 1937)

1973 – Noël Coward, English playwright, actor, and composer (b. 1899)

1973 – Johnny Drake, American football player (b. 1916)

1979 – Beauford Delaney, American-French painter (b. 1901)

1979 – Jean Stafford, American author and academic (b. 1915)

1980 – Roland Barthes, French linguist and critic (b. 1915)

1983 – Anthony Blunt, English historian and spy (b. 1907)

1984 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (b. 1922)

1987 – Eugen Jochum, German conductor (b. 1902)

1987 – Walter Abel, American actor (b. 1898)

1990 – Halston, American fashion designer (b. 1932)

1992 – Barbara Frum, American-Canadian journalist and radio host (b. 1937)

1993 – Louis Falco, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1942)

1995 – Eazy-E, American rapper and producer (b. 1963)

1996 – Edmund Muskie, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 58th United States Secretary of State (b. 1914)

1996 – David Packard, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (b. 1912)

2000 – Alex Comfort, English physician and author (b. 1920)

2002 – Randy Castillo, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1950)

2003 – Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American sociologist and politician, 12th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (b. 1927)

2004 – Jan Sterling, American actress (b. 1921)

2005 – James Callaghan, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1912)

2005 – Frederick Rotimi Williams Nigerian lawyer and politician (b. 1920)

2006 – Anil Biswas, Indian journalist and politician (b. 1944)

2006 – Paul Dana, American race car driver (b. 1975)

2006 – Nikki Sudden, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1956)

2008 – Robert Fagles, American poet and academic (b. 1933)

2008 – Manuel Marulanda, Colombian rebel leader (b. 1930)

2009 – Shane McConkey, Canadian skier and BASE jumper (b. 1969)

2010 – Charles Ryskamp, American art collector and curator (b. 1928)

2011 – Roger Abbott, English-Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1946)

2011 – Geraldine Ferraro, American lawyer and politician (b. 1935)

2011 – Diana Wynne Jones, English author (b. 1934)

2012 – Sisto Averno, American football player (b. 1925)

2012 – Michael Begley, Irish carpenter and politician (b. 1932)

2012 – Thomas M. Cover, American theorist and academic (b. 1938)

2012 – David Craighead, American organist and educator (b. 1924)

2012 – Manik Godghate, Indian poet and educator (b. 1937)

2012 – Helmer Ringgren, Swedish theologian and academic (b. 1917)

2013 – Tom Boerwinkle, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1945)

2013 – Krzysztof Kozłowski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Interior (b. 1931)

2013 – Dave Leggett, American baseball player (b. 1933)

2013 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1964)

2014 – Roger Birkman, American psychologist and author (b. 1919)

2014 – Dick Guidry, American businessman and politician (b. 1929)

2014 – Marcus Kimball, Baron Kimball, English politician (b. 1928)

2015 – Dinkha IV, Iraqi patriarch (b. 1935)

2015 – Friedrich L. Bauer, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (b. 1924)

2015 – Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1931)

2016 – Jim Harrison American novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 1937)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Castulus

Emmanuel and companions

Felicitas

Harriet Monsell (Church of England)

Larissa

Ludger

Margaret Clitherow

Richard Allen (Episcopal Church (USA))

March 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Independence Day and National Day (Bangladesh), celebrates the declaration of independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Martyr's Day or Day of Democracy (Mali)

Prince Kūhiō Day (Hawaii, United States)

Purple Day (Canada and United States)

Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (Eastern Christianity)