A complete timeline of historical events, famous births, notable deaths, and holidays that occurred on February 26 throughout history.
104
Events
15
Births
6
Deaths
The Roman Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo demanding he abandon his belief in heliocentrism, which states the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun
The Bank of England, which is now the central bank of the United Kingdom, British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, has issued banknotes since 1694.
Napoléon Bonaparte and his supporters leave Elba to start a 100-day reconquest of France
From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium.
RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) is first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt and Arnold Wilkins in Daventry, England
Coalition planes bomb Iraqi forces retreating from Kuwait, killing hundreds and creating the so-called 'Highway of Death' during the Gulf War
President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak orders the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections, asking the Egyptian parliament to amend Article 76
Vera Miles stars in the "Mirror Image" episode of the CBS anthology series "The Twilight Zone"
First jazz records are recorded: "Dixie Jazz Band One Step" and "Livery Stable Blues" by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company in NYC
First Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool: Jem Mason wins aboard 5/1 favorite Lottery
American astronomer Edwin Hubble (34) weds Grace Burke (34) in Pasadena, California, until his death in 1953
American actress Mary Astor (21) weds American film director Kenneth Hawks (30) at her family home "Moorcrest" in the Hollywood Hills, until his death in 1930
Hungarian-American theoretical physicist Edward Teller (25) weds Hungarian-American computer scientist Augusta Maria "Mici" Schütz-Harkányi (24) in Hungary, until her death in 2000
Actor Max Von Sydow (49) divorces actress Christina Olin after 28 years of marriage
Nabû-nāṣir was the king of Babylon from 747 to 734 BC. He deposed a foreign Chaldean usurper named Nabu-shuma-ishkun, bringing native rule back to Babylon after twenty-three years of Chaldean rule.
Valentinian I (Latin: Valentinianus; 321 – 17 November 375), sometimes known as Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375.
The Battle of Benevento was a major medieval battle fought on 26 February 1266, near Benevento in present-day Southern Italy, between the forces of Charles I of Anjou and those of King Manfred of...
English Catholic priest William Sawtrey convicted of heresy and later becomes 1st Lollard martyr to be publicly burnt at the stake
Pope Paul II affirms George van Egmond as Bishop of Utrecht
Piri Reis (Turkish: Pîrî Reis; born Muhiddin Piri; c. 1470–1553) was an Ottoman Turkish cartographer, admiral, navigator, and corsair.
Mauritius of Nassaus sails to Breda
First known European landing in Australia by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon at the Pennefather River, Cape York, northern Australia
First Mass celebrated in the first American Catholic church, St. Joseph's, Philadelphia
State of Pennsylvania approves construction of Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia; it will become the first experiment with the practice of solitary confinement in the United States
Christiansborg Palace is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark.
1st US interstate crime compact (NY-NJ) ratified
2nd French Republic proclaimed
British troopship Birkenhead sinks off South Africa, 458 die, 193 survive
Battle of Woodburn, Kentucky
New York Legislature forms NYC Metropolitan Board of Health
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color,...
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that serves four of the five boroughs of New York City, New York: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
-27] Natal: British troops under Major General Colley occupy Majuba Hill
Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond and Sunset districts on the West Side of San Francisco, California, United States.
2 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge, in Michigan
Michael Owens of Toledo, Ohio, patents a glass-blowing machine to make glass bottles
Austria and Turkey conclude an agreement in which Turkey recognizes Austria's 1908 annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is to receive compensation
Coal miners strike in Britain (settle on 1st March)
MV Britannic was a British transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in 1929 and scrapped in 1961. She was the penultimate ship built for White Star Line before its 1934 merger with Cunard Line.
Malancourt, Argonne 1st (German) flamethrower
Germans sink French transport ship Provence II, killing 930
1st Annual fair at Utrecht Harbor (Netherlands)
Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse & burn, killing 604
Acadia National Park is a national park of the United States located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (German: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a 1920 German silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer.
The USSR signs treaties respecting the integrity of Persia and of Afghanistan
The British Fascists (originally called the British Fascisti) were the first political organisation in the United Kingdom to claim the label of fascism, formed in 1923.
Jihad against Turkish government
Dark Street in the Bronx renamed Lustre Street
1st red & green traffic lights installed in Manhattan, NYC
Christopher Isherwood and W. H. Auden's "Ascent of F6" premieres in London
1st passenger ship equipped with radar
US Air Defense Command forms at Mitchel Field, LI, NY
2 fighters unable to continued slugfest, referee declares double KO
German battle cruiser Gneisenau deactivated by bomb
German assault moves to Beja, North Tunisia
First female US Navy captain, Sue Dauser of the Nurse Corps, appointed
World War II (1939–1945) involved sustained strategic bombing of railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory.
Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 48,885 as of the City of Columbia's 2024 Special Census conducted by the US Census Bureau.
USAF plane began 1st nonstop around-the-world flight
Bread rationing in Czechoslovakia begins
Netherlands-Indonesian Unity conference
First typesetting machine (photo engraving) used in Quincy, Massachusetts
1st aviator to bail out at supersonic speed-GF Smith
David Jenkins wins the men's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after Carol Heiss wins women's event
3rd Daytona 500: Marvin Panch wins in a 1960 Pontiac owned by Smokey Yunick when race leader Fireball Roberts' car suffered a blown engine with 13 laps remaining
Dutch government of Marijnen falls
KBIM TV channel 10 in Roswell, NM (CBS) begins broadcasting
USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
Clandestine Radio Voice of Iraqi People (Communist) final transmission
Hey Jude (original title: The Beatles Again) is a 1970 collection of non-album singles and B-sides by the Beatles.
Ireland-Wales Five Nations Rugby match scheduled for Lansdowne Road, Dublin is cancelled because of escalating political situation; Championship not completed for first time since World War II
Price of gold hits record $188 an ounce in Paris
1st televised kidney transplant (Today Show)
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1st flight of Space Shuttle (atop a Boeing 747)
CBS' premiere of NYC sitcom "Flatbush", which received many derision phone calls about it from Brooklynites to CBS
Egypt & Israel exchange ambassadors for 1st time
3 Anglican missionaries detained in Iran since Aug 1980 are released
The Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) was an international peacekeeping force created in August 1982 following a 1981 U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)...
Evert van Benthem wins 14th Frisian 11-Cities skating race (6:55:16)
1st release of Beatles on compact disc: "Please Please Me"; "With The Beatles"; "A Hard Day's Night"; and "Beatles For Sale" [1]
Asanka Gurusinha scores twin Test Cricket tons v NZ (119 & 102)
+ Azerbaijanis, mostly civilians are killed by local Armenian forces and the 366th CIS regiment in the Khojaly massacre in Nagorno-Karabakh
"World Trade Center bombing of 1993": truck bomb explodes in parking garage of NYC World Trade Center at 12:18pm, killing 6 and injuring over 1,000 in what was the deadliest act of terrorism perpetrated on US soil at the time
The Ottawa Senators (French: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa.
London finance house Barings collapses after huge losses in Singapore by rogue trader Nick Leeson
Taliban destroy two giant, 1500-year-old Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a holy site for Buddhists on the Silk Road
Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash during thick fog and heavy rain near Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 2006 Winter Olympics (Italian: 2006 Olimpiadi invernali), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games (Italian: XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport...
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norwegian: Svalbard globale frøhvelv) is a secure backup facility for the world's crop diversity on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the remote Arctic Svalbard...
Yugoslav Army General Nebojsa Pavkovic is convicted of committing crimes against humanity during the Kosovo War and sentenced to 22 years in prison [1]
Opera "Madame White Snake", by Boston Opera composed by Zhou Long, premieres at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston (Pulitzer Prize for Music 2011)
17-year old black teenager Trayvon Martin shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, highlighted issue of racial profiling in the US
A flexible battery capable of being charged wirelessly and folded and stretched is developed
Iranian elections: reformers and moderates win control of parliament
59th Daytona 500: Kurt Busch wins after Kyle Larson runs out of gas on last lap; Jeffrey Earnhardt makes NASCAR history, 1st ever 4th generation driver to compete in Daytona 500
7.5 magnitude earthquake in central Papa New Guinea kills at least 100
Catholic Cardinal George Pell convicted of child sexual abuse in Melbourne, Australia. As treasurer at the Vatican, the highest-ranking church official to be convicted; overturned in 2020
Saudi Arabia bars overseas pilgrims from accessing religious sites of Mecca and Medina because of COVID-19 fears for 1st time in living memory
Amnesty International Report says that Eritrean troops might have committed crimes against humanity, killing hundreds of civilians, in attack on Ethiopian city of Aksum 28-29 November [1]
'Rain bomb' due to a slow-moving low pressure trough begins major flooding in south-east Queensland, Australia, leaving at least seven people dead [1]
At least 59 migrants are killed after a boat breaks up in rough seas off the eastern coast of Calabria, Italy, with 80 survivors [1]
First death from measles in the US occurs in Texas in a decade, and the first child to die in 22 years amid an outbreak affecting 124 people [1]
Victor Hugo, French writer and politician, known for french writer and politician, was born on 1802-02-26.
Levi Strauss, American german-american businessman, known for german-american businessman, was born on 1829-02-26.
Giulio Natta, Italian chemist, known for italian chemist, was born on 1903-02-26. Giulio Natta was an Italian chemical engineer and Nobel laureate.
Helen Clark is born
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is born
Wang Dan is born
Jackie Gleason, American comedian and actor, known for american comedian and actor, was born on 1916-02-26.
Tony Randall, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1920-02-26. Anthony Leonard Randall was an American actor, comedian, director, producer and singer, active in film, television and…
Fats Domino musician, known for american pianist and singer, was born on 1928-02-26. Antoine Caliste Domino Jr.
Johnny Cash musician, known for american country singer, was born on 1932-02-26. John R. Cash was an American singer-songwriter.
Grover Cleveland Alexander, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1887-02-26.
Everton Weekes is born
Li Na is born
Herbert Henry Dow, American chemical industrialist, known for american chemical industrialist, was born on 1866-02-26.
Ariel Sharon is born
Roger II dies
Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, known for american lawyer, politician, and diplomat, died on 1813-02-26.
Richard Jordan Gatling, American inventor, known for american inventor, died on 1903-02-26. Richard Jordan Gatling (September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903) was an American inventor.
Jimmie Lee Jackson, American civil rights activist, known for american civil rights activist, died on 1965-02-26.
Howard Hanson, American composer and music theorist, known for american composer and music theorist, died on 1981-02-26.
Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach, known for american basketball player and coach, died on 2015-02-26.
Valentinian I (Latin: Valentinianus; 321 – 17 November 375), sometimes known as Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375.
Nabû-nāṣir was the king of Babylon from 747 to 734 BC. He deposed a foreign Chaldean usurper named Nabu-shuma-ishkun, bringing native rule back to Babylon after twenty-three years of Chaldean rule.
Roger II dies
The Battle of Benevento was a major medieval battle fought on 26 February 1266, near Benevento in present-day Southern Italy, between the forces of Charles I of Anjou and those of King Manfred of...
English Catholic priest William Sawtrey convicted of heresy and later becomes 1st Lollard martyr to be publicly burnt at the stake
Pope Paul II affirms George van Egmond as Bishop of Utrecht
Piri Reis (Turkish: Pîrî Reis; born Muhiddin Piri; c. 1470–1553) was an Ottoman Turkish cartographer, admiral, navigator, and corsair.
Mauritius of Nassaus sails to Breda
First known European landing in Australia by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon at the Pennefather River, Cape York, northern Australia
The Roman Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo demanding he abandon his belief in heliocentrism, which states the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun
First Mass celebrated in the first American Catholic church, St. Joseph's, Philadelphia
State of Pennsylvania approves construction of Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia; it will become the first experiment with the practice of solitary confinement in the United States
Christiansborg Palace is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Bank of England, which is now the central bank of the United Kingdom, British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, has issued banknotes since 1694.
Victor Hugo, French writer and politician, known for french writer and politician, was born on 1802-02-26.
Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, known for american lawyer, politician, and diplomat, died on 1813-02-26.
Napoléon Bonaparte and his supporters leave Elba to start a 100-day reconquest of France
Levi Strauss, American german-american businessman, known for german-american businessman, was born on 1829-02-26.
1st US interstate crime compact (NY-NJ) ratified
First Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool: Jem Mason wins aboard 5/1 favorite Lottery
2nd French Republic proclaimed
British troopship Birkenhead sinks off South Africa, 458 die, 193 survive
Battle of Woodburn, Kentucky
New York Legislature forms NYC Metropolitan Board of Health
Herbert Henry Dow, American chemical industrialist, known for american chemical industrialist, was born on 1866-02-26.
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color,...
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that serves four of the five boroughs of New York City, New York: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
-27] Natal: British troops under Major General Colley occupy Majuba Hill
From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium.
Grover Cleveland Alexander, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1887-02-26.
Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond and Sunset districts on the West Side of San Francisco, California, United States.
2 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge, in Michigan
Michael Owens of Toledo, Ohio, patents a glass-blowing machine to make glass bottles
Giulio Natta, Italian chemist, known for italian chemist, was born on 1903-02-26. Giulio Natta was an Italian chemical engineer and Nobel laureate.
Richard Jordan Gatling, American inventor, known for american inventor, died on 1903-02-26. Richard Jordan Gatling (September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903) was an American inventor.
Austria and Turkey conclude an agreement in which Turkey recognizes Austria's 1908 annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is to receive compensation
Coal miners strike in Britain (settle on 1st March)
MV Britannic was a British transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in 1929 and scrapped in 1961. She was the penultimate ship built for White Star Line before its 1934 merger with Cunard Line.
Malancourt, Argonne 1st (German) flamethrower
Germans sink French transport ship Provence II, killing 930
Jackie Gleason, American comedian and actor, known for american comedian and actor, was born on 1916-02-26.
First jazz records are recorded: "Dixie Jazz Band One Step" and "Livery Stable Blues" by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company in NYC
1st Annual fair at Utrecht Harbor (Netherlands)
Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse & burn, killing 604
Acadia National Park is a national park of the United States located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (German: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a 1920 German silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer.
Tony Randall, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1920-02-26. Anthony Leonard Randall was an American actor, comedian, director, producer and singer, active in film, television and…
The USSR signs treaties respecting the integrity of Persia and of Afghanistan
The British Fascists (originally called the British Fascisti) were the first political organisation in the United Kingdom to claim the label of fascism, formed in 1923.
American astronomer Edwin Hubble (34) weds Grace Burke (34) in Pasadena, California, until his death in 1953
Jihad against Turkish government
Everton Weekes is born
Dark Street in the Bronx renamed Lustre Street
American actress Mary Astor (21) weds American film director Kenneth Hawks (30) at her family home "Moorcrest" in the Hollywood Hills, until his death in 1930
Fats Domino musician, known for american pianist and singer, was born on 1928-02-26. Antoine Caliste Domino Jr.
Ariel Sharon is born
1st red & green traffic lights installed in Manhattan, NYC
Johnny Cash musician, known for american country singer, was born on 1932-02-26. John R. Cash was an American singer-songwriter.
Hungarian-American theoretical physicist Edward Teller (25) weds Hungarian-American computer scientist Augusta Maria "Mici" Schütz-Harkányi (24) in Hungary, until her death in 2000
RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) is first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt and Arnold Wilkins in Daventry, England
Christopher Isherwood and W. H. Auden's "Ascent of F6" premieres in London
1st passenger ship equipped with radar
US Air Defense Command forms at Mitchel Field, LI, NY
2 fighters unable to continued slugfest, referee declares double KO
German battle cruiser Gneisenau deactivated by bomb
German assault moves to Beja, North Tunisia
First female US Navy captain, Sue Dauser of the Nurse Corps, appointed
World War II (1939–1945) involved sustained strategic bombing of railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory.
Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 48,885 as of the City of Columbia's 2024 Special Census conducted by the US Census Bureau.
USAF plane began 1st nonstop around-the-world flight
Bread rationing in Czechoslovakia begins
Helen Clark is born
Netherlands-Indonesian Unity conference
First typesetting machine (photo engraving) used in Quincy, Massachusetts
1st aviator to bail out at supersonic speed-GF Smith
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is born
Vera Miles stars in the "Mirror Image" episode of the CBS anthology series "The Twilight Zone"
David Jenkins wins the men's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after Carol Heiss wins women's event
3rd Daytona 500: Marvin Panch wins in a 1960 Pontiac owned by Smokey Yunick when race leader Fireball Roberts' car suffered a blown engine with 13 laps remaining
Dutch government of Marijnen falls
Jimmie Lee Jackson, American civil rights activist, known for american civil rights activist, died on 1965-02-26.
KBIM TV channel 10 in Roswell, NM (CBS) begins broadcasting
USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
Clandestine Radio Voice of Iraqi People (Communist) final transmission
Hey Jude (original title: The Beatles Again) is a 1970 collection of non-album singles and B-sides by the Beatles.
Wang Dan is born
Ireland-Wales Five Nations Rugby match scheduled for Lansdowne Road, Dublin is cancelled because of escalating political situation; Championship not completed for first time since World War II
Price of gold hits record $188 an ounce in Paris
1st televised kidney transplant (Today Show)
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1st flight of Space Shuttle (atop a Boeing 747)
Actor Max Von Sydow (49) divorces actress Christina Olin after 28 years of marriage
CBS' premiere of NYC sitcom "Flatbush", which received many derision phone calls about it from Brooklynites to CBS
Egypt & Israel exchange ambassadors for 1st time
3 Anglican missionaries detained in Iran since Aug 1980 are released
Howard Hanson, American composer and music theorist, known for american composer and music theorist, died on 1981-02-26.
Li Na is born
The Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) was an international peacekeeping force created in August 1982 following a 1981 U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)...
Evert van Benthem wins 14th Frisian 11-Cities skating race (6:55:16)
1st release of Beatles on compact disc: "Please Please Me"; "With The Beatles"; "A Hard Day's Night"; and "Beatles For Sale" [1]
Coalition planes bomb Iraqi forces retreating from Kuwait, killing hundreds and creating the so-called 'Highway of Death' during the Gulf War
Asanka Gurusinha scores twin Test Cricket tons v NZ (119 & 102)
+ Azerbaijanis, mostly civilians are killed by local Armenian forces and the 366th CIS regiment in the Khojaly massacre in Nagorno-Karabakh
"World Trade Center bombing of 1993": truck bomb explodes in parking garage of NYC World Trade Center at 12:18pm, killing 6 and injuring over 1,000 in what was the deadliest act of terrorism perpetrated on US soil at the time
The Ottawa Senators (French: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa.
London finance house Barings collapses after huge losses in Singapore by rogue trader Nick Leeson
Taliban destroy two giant, 1500-year-old Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a holy site for Buddhists on the Silk Road
Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash during thick fog and heavy rain near Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina
President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak orders the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections, asking the Egyptian parliament to amend Article 76
The 2006 Winter Olympics (Italian: 2006 Olimpiadi invernali), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games (Italian: XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport...
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norwegian: Svalbard globale frøhvelv) is a secure backup facility for the world's crop diversity on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the remote Arctic Svalbard...
Yugoslav Army General Nebojsa Pavkovic is convicted of committing crimes against humanity during the Kosovo War and sentenced to 22 years in prison [1]
Opera "Madame White Snake", by Boston Opera composed by Zhou Long, premieres at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston (Pulitzer Prize for Music 2011)
17-year old black teenager Trayvon Martin shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, highlighted issue of racial profiling in the US
A flexible battery capable of being charged wirelessly and folded and stretched is developed
Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach, known for american basketball player and coach, died on 2015-02-26.
Iranian elections: reformers and moderates win control of parliament
59th Daytona 500: Kurt Busch wins after Kyle Larson runs out of gas on last lap; Jeffrey Earnhardt makes NASCAR history, 1st ever 4th generation driver to compete in Daytona 500
7.5 magnitude earthquake in central Papa New Guinea kills at least 100
Catholic Cardinal George Pell convicted of child sexual abuse in Melbourne, Australia. As treasurer at the Vatican, the highest-ranking church official to be convicted; overturned in 2020
Saudi Arabia bars overseas pilgrims from accessing religious sites of Mecca and Medina because of COVID-19 fears for 1st time in living memory
Amnesty International Report says that Eritrean troops might have committed crimes against humanity, killing hundreds of civilians, in attack on Ethiopian city of Aksum 28-29 November [1]
'Rain bomb' due to a slow-moving low pressure trough begins major flooding in south-east Queensland, Australia, leaving at least seven people dead [1]
At least 59 migrants are killed after a boat breaks up in rough seas off the eastern coast of Calabria, Italy, with 80 survivors [1]
First death from measles in the US occurs in Texas in a decade, and the first child to die in 22 years amid an outbreak affecting 124 people [1]