THIS DAY IN HISTORY ― NOVEMBER 26

November 26 is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 35 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Thursday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Tuesday or Wednesday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Friday or Sunday (56). 

NATIONAL FRENCH TOAST DAY  

1789 – A national Thanksgiving Day is observed in the United States as proclaimed by President George Washington at the request of Congress.

1812 – The Battle of Berezina begins during Napoleon's retreat from Russia.

1825 – At Union College in Schenectady, New York, a group of college students form the Kappa Alpha Society, the first college social fraternity.

1842 – The University of Notre Dame is founded in South Bend, IN.

1863 – United States President Abraham Lincoln proclaims November 26 as a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated annually on the final Thursday of November. (Since 1941, it has been on the fourth Thursday.)

1922 – Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.

1939 – Shelling of Mainila: The Soviet Army orchestrates an incident which is used to justify the start of the Winter War with Finland four days later.

1944 – World War II: A German V-2 rocket hits a Woolworth's shop in London, United Kingdom, killing 168 people.

1950 – Korean War: Troops from the People's Republic of China launch a massive counterattack in North Korea against South Korean and United Nations forces (Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River and Battle of Chosin Reservoir), ending any hopes of a quick end to the conflict.

1968 – Vietnam War: United States Air Force helicopter pilot James P. Fleming rescues an Army Special Forces unit pinned down by Viet Cong fire. He is later awarded the Medal of Honor.

1977 – An unidentified hijacker named Vrillon, claiming to be the representative of the "Ashtar Galactic Command", takes over Britain's Southern Television for six minutes, starting at 5:12 pm.

1983 – Brink's-Mat robbery: In London, 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million are stolen from the Brink's-Mat vault at Heathrow Airport.

1986 – Iran–Contra affair: U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces the members of what will become known as the Tower Commission.

2000 – George W. Bush is certified the winner of Florida's electoral votes by Katherine Harris, going on to win the United States presidential election, despite losing in the national popular vote.


2003 – The Concorde super-sonic jet airliner makes its final flight, over Bristol, England.

2011 – NATO attack in Pakistan: NATO forces in Afghanistan attack a Pakistani check post in a friendly fire incident, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 13 others.

2011 – The Mars Science Laboratory launches to Mars with the Curiosity Rover.


TODAY'S BIRTHS

1607 – John Harvard, English minister and philanthropist (d. 1638)

1853 – Bat Masterson, American police officer and journalist (d. 1921)

1876 – Willis Carrier, American engineer, invented air conditioning (d. 1950)

1895 – Bill W., American activist, co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (d. 1971)

1899 – Richard Hauptmann, German-American murderer, Charles Lindbergh's son (d. 1936)

From Wikipedia and Google, except as noted.