This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 26th February.”
1802: Victor Hugo’s Birth
Victor Marie Hugo, a very reputed icon of French literature and culture was born on this day. ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ are his most loved works. It took him 15 years to complete Les Miserables, which was written during his exile period. “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”, is one of his most famous quotes.
1815: Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile.
Napoleon was the Emperor and military leader of France. He was forced into exile on the island of Elba by the coalition against him. On this day after an exile of 10 months, Napoleon escaped Elba to return to France only to rule for 100 days which were terminated by his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo.
1946: Mrinal Pande was born
Padma Shri awardee, journalist and author Mrinal Pande was born on this day. She is the daughter of Shivani, a renowned novelist of Hindi literature. Mrinal Pande was the chief editor of Hindi daily Hindustan until 2009. She has also been the chairperson of Prasar Bharti. With some splendid short stories and books to her credit, she is a popular figure in literary circles.
1952: Britain’s first atomic bomb ready.
On this day, the then President of Britain, Winston Churchill announced that they have successfully made an Atomic Bomb. The bomb was tested at an Australian island, Montebello. In the words of Lieutenant Commander, Robert Scrivenor, “ There was a brilliant orange flash, followed by a boiling cloud of smoke, dust and water, shooting up into the sky with dramatic speed. ”
1993: Car bombing at the World Trade Center.
On February 26, 1993, a bomb exploded in a parking garage of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. Six people were killed whereas more than 1000 were injured. Six people were captured and convicted with Ramzi Yousef, the alleged leader. In the horrific attack of 26/11 on WTC, Yousef’s uncle, Khalid Sheikh was named as the chief conspirator.
