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 on 26th May!
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 May”.
1805: Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned King of Italy
Napoléon Bonaparte is one of the most celebrated personages in the history of the West. He revolutionized military organization and training, reorganized education, and established the long-lived Concordat with the papacy. On this day in 1805, he was crowned King of Italy at the Milan cathedral, by the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan.
1966: Guyana declares independence from UK
On 26th May 1966, Guyana officially gains independence from British rule with Forbed Burnham as prime minister. During the Napoleonic wars of 1792 to 1815, Guyana changed hands several times between the Dutch, French, and British. In 1831, Guyana was officially declared a British colony until its independence in 1966.
1983: NASA launches EXOSAT
The European X-ray Observatory Satellite (EXOSAT) was a European Space Agency (ESA) mission launched on May 26th, 1983, from the Vandenberg complex in the USA. It was an X-ray telescope operational until April 1986 and during its operation made 1780 observations of most classes of astronomical objects.
2014: Narendra Modi becomes the 15th Prime Minister of India
On 26th May 2014, India’s current Prime Minister- Narendra Modi was sworn into office. The BJP leader is the country’s longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister.
2021: Buddha Purnima
Every year Buddha Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day of the Vaisakha month of the Buddhist calendar and the Hindu calendar. In 2021, Budha Purnima falls on 26th May. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama (later Gautama Buddha), the founder of Buddhism.
