Today is Monday, Oct. 26, the 299th day of 2026. There are 66 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On October 26, 1881, four lawmen, including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, exchanged gunfire with five outlaws, killing three of them, in the “Shootout at the O.K. Corral” in Tombstone, Arizona.
Also on this date:
In 1774, the First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.
In 1825, the Erie Canal opened in upstate New York, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River.
In 1861, the legendary Pony Express officially ceased operations, giving way to the transcontinental telegraph. (The last run of the Pony Express was completed the following month.)
In 1942, during the Battle of Santa Cruz near the Solomon Islands in World War II, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, famous for launching the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo earlier that year, was heavily damaged by Japanese bombers, forcing its crew to abandon ship. The Hornet was sunk by Japanese torpedoes the next day.
In 1979, South Korean President Park Chung-hee was shot to death by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-kyu.
In 1984, “Baby Fae,” a newborn with a severe heart defect, was given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in Loma Linda, California. (She lived 21 days with the animal heart.)
In 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA Patriot Act, giving authorities unprecedented ability to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop in their pursuit of possible terrorists.
In 2002, a hostage siege by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater ended with 129 of the 800-plus captives dead, most from a knockout gas used by Russian special forces who stormed the theater; 41 rebels also died.
In 2020, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court by a deeply divided Senate, installing President Donald Trump’s nominee days before the U.S. general election.
In 2024, Israel launched predawn airstrikes against military targets in Iran in retaliation for a barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired on Israel on Oct. 1. It was the first time Israel’s military had openly attacked Iran.
Today’s Birthdays: Musician Milton Nascimento is 84. Actor Jaclyn Smith is 81. TV host Pat Sajak is 80. Politician, diplomat and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is 79. Musician Bootsy Collins is 75. Artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel is 75. Actor James Pickens Jr. is 72. Actor-singer Rita Wilson is 70. Actor Dylan McDermott is 65. Actor Cary Elwes is 64. Singer Natalie Merchant is 63. Country singer Keith Urban is 59. Writer-producer Seth MacFarlane (TV: “Family Guy”) is 53. Actor Jon Heder is 49. Pro wrestler CM Punk is 48. Rapper Schoolboy Q is 40. Actor Julian Dennison is 24.
