October 26: Ben Franklin on mission to France, Austria declares permanent neutrality

October 26, 10:28 PMPortland History ExaminerNatalie Leavitt

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Maine Fast Fact: The city seal of Portland is of a phoenix rising from the ashes because the city was destroyed four times by two Native American massacres in the 1600’s, a bombardment from the British Royal Navy during the Revolutionary War and a massive fire in 1866.

Births:

• 1854: C.W. Post, American breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer
• 1912: Don Siegel, American film director
• 1947: Hillary Rodham Clinton, American politician, 67th United States Secretary of State; Jaclyn Smith, American actress, known for her role as Kelly Garrett on the television series Charlie’s Angels
• 1953: Keith Strickland, American musician, one of the founding members The B-52’s
• 1956: Rita Wilson, American actress
• 1961: Dylan McDermott, American actor
• 1963: Natalie Merchant, American singer; Thomas Cavanagh, Canadian actor
• 1967: Keith Urban, Australian country music singer
• 1973: Seth MacFarlane, American animator, writer, producer, actor, singer and director, creator of the animated television series Family Guy and American Dad!
• 1977: Jon Heder, American actor and screenwriter, known for his role as Napoleon in the film Napoleon Dynamite
• 1984: Sasha Cohen, American figure skater

Deaths:

• 1902: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American feminist and suffragette
• 1952: Hattie McDaniel, American actress, known for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, first African American performer to win an Academy Award
• 1972: Igor Sikorsky, Russian-American pioneer of aviation, designed and flew the world’s first multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft

History:

• 1774: The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1775: Britain’s King George III goes before Parliament declaring the American colonies are rebelling and is authorized a military response to end the American revolution.
• 1776: Benjamin Franklin leaves America for France to get French support for the American Revolution.
• 1825: The Erie Canal opens, a passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie.
• 1861: The Pony Express, a horseback mail service from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, officially ends operations.
• 1881: The gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurs in Tombstone, Arizona.
• 1905: Norway declares its independence from Sweden.
• 1944: The Battle of Leyte Gulf between the Japanese Navy and the U.S. ends with an American victory.
• 1955: Austria declares permanent neutrality after the last Allied troop leaves the country, following the provisions of the Austrian Independence Treaty.
• 1958: The first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 is made by Pan American Airways from New York City to Paris, France.
• 1965: The Beatles are appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire.
• 1977: The last case of smallpox is reported in Somalia.
• 1984: Baby Fae becomes the first infant subject of an organ transplant when she receives the heart of a baboon, she lived for 21 more days.
• 1994: The countries of Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty.
• 2001: The USA Patriot Act is signed into law, giving authorities the abilities to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop in pursuit of terrorists.
• 2002: Special forces in Russia storm the Moscow Theater, killing 129 of the 800 captives.
• 2003: The Cedar Fire breaks out in San Diego county, the second-largest fire in California history, killing 15 people, destroying 2,200 homes around San Diego and consuming 250,000 acres.
• 2004: Israel’s parliament approves Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.
• 2005: The Chicago White Sox win their first World Series since 1917 when they defeat the Houston Astros 1-0 in Game 4.

October 26 is National Day in Austria, a celebration of the anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality in Austria which was declared on this date in 1955.