Holidays Calendar for August 26, 2023
August 26 is Heroes' Day in Namibia. This public holiday in known within the United Nations as Namibia Day, but Namibians themselves appose this name of the holiday.
People of Papua New Guinea observe Repentance Day every year on August 26. This religious holiday was established in 2011 by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.
The Gaura Festival (Gaura Parva) is a Nepalese holiday that honors the Hindu goddess Gauri. Gauri is one of the aspects of Parvati, the wife of the Hindu deity Shiva. She is worshiped as the protectress of women and goddess of harvest.
International Bat Night is held annually on the last full weekend of August. It takes place in more than 30 countries, primarily those covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Population of European Bats.
On August 26, which corresponds to the 4th of Shahrivar in the Iranian calendar, Iranians celebrate Employee Day. The holiday was initiated in 1981 by President of Iran Mohammad-Ali Rajai.
Ukrainians, employed in civil aviation, celebrate their professional holiday, Aviation Day, on the last Saturday in August. This holiday was established by presidential decree in 1993.
National WebMistress Day is celebrated on August 26 to recognize women in web development and encourage girls to seek careers in STEM. It has been observed annually since 2016.
On the last Saturday of August, all Russian long-haul truck drivers celebrate their professional holiday. Although Long-Haul Truck Driver Day is not an official observance in Russia, it is supported by a number of large oil companies.
Finnish Nature Day is an annual holiday dedicated to the uniqueness of Finland’s nature. It is celebrated on the last Saturday of August. In 2017, Finnish Nature Day was declared an official flag day, alongside holidays such as Mother’s Day and Kalevala Day.
Every year United States President proclaims Women’s Equality Day to commemorate anniversary of the day women in the U.S. were granted the right to vote. It has been observed on August 26 since 1971.
Herero Day, also known as Red Flag Heroes’ Day and Red Flag Day, is an annual commemoration held in the Namibian city of Okahandja. It honors the memory of deceased chieftains of the Herero people, an ethnic group residing in Namibia, Botswana and Angola.
On August 26, treat yourself to a cherry popsicle as it is the National Cherry Popsicle Day. A popsicle is a flavored frozen snack also referred to as ice pop, freeze pop, ice lolly, ice pole, ice block, ice lollipop, and chihiro.
National Toilet Paper Day is celebrated annually on August 26 in honor of one of the most essential items in many households. It may seem like a joke, but the holiday actually helps to raise awareness about the lack of access to personal hygiene products and toilets in many regions of the world.
National Dog Day is an annual holiday celebrated on August 26. Its founder is Colleen Paige, Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate who has also created a number of other animal-related observances.
National Day of Solidarity is an Argentine holiday celebrated on August 26. It was established at the request of the country’s religious organizations to commemorate the birthday of Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic nun and missionary known for her charitable work.
Festivals on August 26, 2023
- Long Night of Museums in Berlin, Germany
- Balingup Medieval Carnivale in Balingup, Australia
- Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival in West Newton, USA
- Bloemencorso Vollenhove in Vollenhove, Netherlands
- New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, USA
- Epic Con Saint Petersburg in Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Seoul POPCON in Seoul, South Korea
- Veganmania in Vienna, Austria
- Big Feastival in Kingham, United Kingdom
- European Medieval Festival in Horsens, Denmark
- Northwest Art and Air Festival in Albany (OR), USA
- Reading and Leeds Festivals in Reading, United Kingdom
- Reading and Leeds Festivals in Leeds, United Kingdom
- Shrewsbury Folk Festival in Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
- Tønder Festival in Tønder, Denmark
This Day in History
- 2023 Three people were killed in a mass shooting that took place at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. The incident occurred exactly five years after the Jacksonville Landing shooting.
- 2023 Died: Bob Barker, American media personality and animal rights advocate. He hosted The Price Is Right, the longest-running game show in North American television history, from 1972 to 2007.
- 2021 A suicide bombing took place at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan during the evacuation from Afghanistan. At least 183 people were killed.
- 2018 Died: Neil Simon, American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly adaptations of his plays.
- 2013 The so-called Million People March was held at Luneta Park in Manila, Philippines. It called for the total abolition of the Pork Barrel fund.
- 2004 Died: Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter and actress best known for her 1982 hit "Gloria" that sold over 2 million singles in the US.
- 1998 Died: Frederick Reines, American physicist who was awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physics for his co-detection of the neutrino with Clyde Cowan.
- 1993 Born: Keke Palmer, American actress, singer, television host, and author. She had her breakthrough starring in the 2006 drama film Akeelah and the Bee.
- 1991 Born: Dylan O'Brien, American actor and musician best known for his roles as Stiles Stilinski on Teen Wolf and Thomas in the Maze Runner film trilogy.
- 1989 Died: Irving Stone (born Tannenbaum), American writer primarily known for his biographical novels of noted politicians, intellectuals and artists.
- 1987 Died: Georg Wittig, German chemist who was awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, sharing it with Herbert Charles Brown.
- 1980 Born: Chris Pine, American actor best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot films and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods.
- 1980 Born: Macaulay Culkin, American actor who became famous as a child actor for his roles in the films Home Alone, Home Alone 2, and Richie Rich.
- 1978 The Papal conclave of August 1978 elected Cardinal Albino Luciani as the new pope. Luciani took the pontifical name of John Paul I.
- 1977 The National Assembly of Quebec adopted the Charter of the French Language, defining French as the official language of the province of Quebec.
- 1974 Died: Charles Lindbergh, American aviator, inventor, explorer, author and social activist. He was the first to make a nonstop flight from New York to Paris.
- 1970 Born: Melissa McCarthy, American actress, screenwriter, and producer. She is known for her roles in Bridesmaids, Tammy, Spy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Little Mermaid, and other films.
- 1966 The Namibian War of Independence began when SWAPO guerrilla forces attacked the South African Defense Force at Omugulugwombashe.
- 1957 Born: Dr. Alban (stage name of Alban Uzoma Nwapa), Nigerian-born Swedish musician and record producer best known for his 1992 hit "It's My Life".
- 1946 Died: Jeanie MacPherson, American actress, screenwriter and director, a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- 1930 Died: Lon Chaney, American actor of stage and screen, director and screenwriter. He is known for his starring roles in famous silent horror films.
- 1914 France and Great Britain captured the Herman colony of Togoland in West Africa during the West African Campaign of the First World War.
- 1910 Born: Mother Teresa (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu), Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary who was awarded the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1895 Died: Friedrich Miescher, Swiss biologist and physician. He is remembered as the first scientist to isolate and identify nucleic acids (DNA).
- 1883 The eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies) began. It was one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in history.
- 1882 Born: James Franck, German physicist who was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize in Physics, sharing it with Gustav Herz (the Franck-Hertz experiment).
- 1873 Born: Lee de Forest, American inventor whose best known invention is the Audion, an electronic amplifying vacuum tube created in 1906.
- 1850 Died: Louis Philippe I, King of the French from 1830 to 1848. He died in exile after being forced to abdicate during the February Revolution.
- 1791 American inventor John Fitch was granted a United States patent for a steam-powered boat, following a patent battle with James Rumsey.
- 1789 France's National Constituent Assembly passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen during the French Revolution.
- 1768 The first voyage of Captain James Cook began. Cook departed from Plymouth aboard HMS Endeavor, accompanied by 94 crew members.
- 1743 Born: Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist known as the "father of modern chemistry". He discovered the role of oxygen in combustion.
- 1740 Born: Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor who co-developed the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon with his younger brother Jacques-Étienne.
- 1728 Born: Johann Heinrich Lambert, renowned Swiss polymath remembered for his contributions to physics, astronomy, philosophy, and mathematics.
- 1723 Died: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch scientist who is commonly known as the father of microbiology. He is best known for his work on the microscope.
- 1346 The Battle of Crécy was fought during the Hundred Years' War. It resulted in decisive English victory which made Calais an exclave of England.