What Happened Today in History on July 26

Atahualpa, the last Inca, is executed by Spanish conquistadors in Cajamarca, Peru. Atahualpa  was initially sentenced to be burned at the stake, but this was commuted to strangulation after he agreed to be baptized. The Spanish had forced him to pay a large ransom of tons of gold and silver. Although Atahualpa produced the ransom, the Spanish went ahead and executed him anyway.  Expand +

The States-General of the Netherlands declare independence from Spain with the Act of Abjuration.

The Battle of Dettingen takes place during the War of the Austrian Succession, marking the last time a reigning British monarch, King George II, personally leads his troops in battle.

The U.S. postal system is established by the Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin is appointed first Postmaster General at the beginning of the American Revolution. Congress formally established the office of the United States postmaster general by act of government on September 22, 1789. More

The State of New York ratifies the Articles of Confederation becoming the 11th State of the Union.

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, declares its independence. Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It has a population of around 5.5 million. More

The Bureau of Investigation, forerunner of the FBI, is established. More

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 8832, freezing Japanese assets in the United States and eleven days later, on August 1, declares an embargo on oil and gasoline exports to Japan, bringing commercial relations between the nations to an effective end. On December 7 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. More at: WWII Museum and the The Independent Institute.

Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister after a decisive general election win by the Labor Party. He continued as the leader of the Conservative Party and was re-elected Prime minister in 1951 and served until 1951 due to poor health forced him to resign in 1955, making way for his Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Anthony Eden. More

President Harry Truman signs The National Security Act of 1947 . The Act mandated a major reorganization of the foreign policy and military establishments of the U.S. Government and created many of the institutions that Presidents found useful when formulating and implementing foreign policy, including the National Security Council (NSC).

President Harry S. Truman signs executive order 9981 banning segregation in the Armed Forces. More

Fidel Castro's revolutionary "26th of July Movement." is established. It eventually overthrows dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Although he once declared that Cuba would never again be ruled by a dictator, Castro's government became a Communist dictatorship.

Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the foreign-owned Suez Canal Company, which administered the canal and was owned primarily by British and French shareholders. On October 29, Israel invades the Egyptian Sinai. and on November 5, Britain and France landed paratroopers along the Suez Canal. Political pressure from the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations led to a withdrawal by the three invaders. The episode humiliated the United Kingdom and France and strengthened Nasser. It later became clear that Israel, France and Britain had conspired to plan the invasion. More

Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives and historically known as the Maldive Islands Independence Day.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. A landmark civil rights legislation which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in various areas, including employment, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. The ADA ensures that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. it covers five main areas: employment, state and local government services, public accommodations (like restaurants and stores), telecommunications, and transportation. More