On This Day in History: May 26

Alfonso VII of Spain is crowned Emperor of Spain at the Cathedral of Leon on May 26, 1135. When he died in 1157, the Kingdom of Leon was inherited by his son Fernando II of León and the Kingdom of Castille was inherited by his oldest son Sancho III de Castilla. Expand +

The English colonists at Jamestown, Virginia, faced immediate hostility after arriving, from Powhatan warriors (specifically the Paspahegh) launching a significant attack on May 26, 1607  The attack wounded several colonists and killed at least one, prompting the urgent construction of a wooden fort and setting the stage for the beginning of the First Anglo-Powhatan War.

In the final vote of President Andrew Johnson's Impeachment trial; the U.S. Senate votes 35 to 19 to acquit him on articles 2 and 3 and adjourns as court of impeachment. Ten days earlier on May 16, the Senate, with the same margin, voted to acquit on article 11 More

The first Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was published, with a daily closing value of 40.94 this average was calculated using the share prices of 12 industrial stocks; American Cotton Oil, American Sugar, American Tobacco, Chicago Gas, Distilling & Cattle Feeding, General Electric, Laclede Gas, National Lead, North American, Tennessee Coal and Iron, U.S. Leather, and U.S. Rubber. The Index was created by Charles Dow, co-founder of the Wall Street Journal, and his business associate, statistician Edward Jones. Currently, the DJIA tracks the performance of 30 leading U.S. companies, providing a snapshot of the overall stock market.

President Calvin Coolidge signs the Immigration Act of 1924 into law. The act, also known as the Johnson-Reed Act. limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. The annual quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census with a minimum quota of 100 for each nationality. It completely excluded immigrants from Asia including Japan. The act also introduced visa requirements for immigrants and established the U.S. Border Patrol, which had previously been part of the Labor Department. More

The last of the Model T Ford comes off the line and Henry Ford and his son Edsel drive the 15 millionth Model T Ford out of their factory and closing the Model T production line. In 19 years, the company made 15,007,033 of the model T cars. More

The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) is formed under Martin Dies as chairman. Initially, to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and organizations suspected of having Communist ties. HUAC became particularly prominent during the Cold War and the Red Scare, focusing on alleged communist infiltration of various sectors, including Hollywood, government, and education. More

The War World II Dunkirk evacuation begins. Also known as Operation Dynamo or the Miracle of Dunkirk, a combination of naval ships and hundreds of merchant marine, leisure vessels and other civilian boats rescued more than 300,000 British and Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France in eight days. The trapped forces resulted from the lighting German invasion of France which caught the French and the British Expeditionary Force off guard. More

South Africa's National Party, led by D. F. Malan, wins the general election and implements apartheid, a system of racial segregation and discrimination. Prior to this, racial segregation and white-minority rule were already in place, but the National Party's apartheid policy intensified these measures with strict penalties for non-Whites entering designated White areas and other discriminatory laws. The election marked a turning point leading to 46 years of control by the National Party. More

Guyana gains Independence from the United Kingdom after a 170-year history as a British colony and before that a colony of the Dutch. More

U.S. and Soviet Union sign strategic arms control agreement known as SALT I.

Lauda Air Flight 004, a Boeing 767-300ER crashed following an uncommanded deployment of the thrust reverser on the No. 1 engine during the climb phase, causing the aircraft to enter an uncontrolled dive, and in-flight breakup,. All 213 passengers and ten crew members on board were killed. The plane’s black box was destroyed, making the cause of the crash difficult to determine.," The following official investigation analysis of mechanical evidence and the voice recorder pointed to a serious problem with the jet’s thrust reverser. Boeing was forced to recall and modify the 767’s thrust reversing system. It was the deadliest aviation accident in Thailand's history as of 2024.