Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on December 26th?

President Wilson issues a declaration that he had nationalized the railroad system under the Federal Possession and Control Act. Wilson appointed his son-in-law, Treasury Secretary William McAdoo, as administrator for the United States Railroad Administration. After the end of WWI in the railroads became private property once again on March 2020.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the Federal Thanksgiving Day holiday ending the confusion that had taken place since 1939 when FDR had changed the official Thanksgiving to the second to last Thursday of the month since there were five Thursdays and the last Thursday of the month was the last day of the month and there was a worry that it would shorten the Christmas shopping season. Only 32 states had issued similar proclamations while 16 states refused to accept the change creating confusion. More

The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake in the Indian Ocean and resulting Tsunami kill approximately 230,000 people, making it one of the deadliest disasters in modern history. More