CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

On This Day — Nov. 26: Washington's Thanksgiving, King Tut's Tomb and a Hot-Air Balloon World Record

This day-in-history roundup highlights notable events that took place on Nov. 26 across centuries. Key moments include President George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving proclamation, the 1922 opening of King Tutankhamen's tomb and France's 1965 entry into space. Modern milestones include Vijaypat Singhania's 2005 hot-air balloon altitude record, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2011 Curiosity rover launch and Paul Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize win.

02:53 PM, 11/26/2025Culture
On This Day — Nov. 26: Washington's Thanksgiving, King Tut's Tomb and a Hot-Air Balloon World Record

Notable events from history that took place on Nov. 26, spanning discoveries, milestones in science and exploration, and tragic modern events.

1789 — President George Washington designated Nov. 26, 1789, as Thanksgiving Day, the first U.S. holiday proclaimed by a president.

1922 — In Egypt's Valley of the Kings, British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon became the first people in more than 3,000 years to enter the treasure-filled tomb of King Tutankhamen.

1941 — U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull presented American proposals to Japanese peace envoys in Washington during tense pre‑war negotiations.

1948 — The first commercial Polaroid camera went on sale. Its inventor and Polaroid founder Edwin H. Land would eventually hold roughly 533 patents.

1956 — Bandleader Tommy Dorsey died at 51. Over his career his recordings sold in excess of 110 million copies.

1965 — France launched its first satellite into orbit, becoming the world’s third spacefaring nation after the United States and the Soviet Union.

1984 — The United States and Iraq restored diplomatic relations, ending a 17-year rupture between the two countries.

2001 — A three-day prison uprising in Afghanistan claimed the life of CIA operative Johnny Michael Spann, 32, a former U.S. Marine captain; his death was the first U.S. combat fatality in that conflict.

2005 — Vijaypat Singhania, a 67-year-old Indian textile magnate, set a world record for hot-air balloon altitude by reaching 69,852 feet over Mumbai.

2008 — Coordinated militant attacks struck multiple sites across Mumbai, targeting landmarks and commercial hubs frequented by tourists; the three-day siege killed more than 170 people and left about 300 wounded.

2011 — The United States launched an Atlas V rocket carrying the Curiosity rover to Mars; the mission aimed to assess the planet’s past habitability and search for signs of past life.

2023 — Irish novelist Paul Lynch won the Booker Prize for his dystopian novel Prophet Song, a work widely described as a harrowing portrait of tyranny and social collapse.

Similar Articles

Trending