Today in History: Women’s Equality Day

The following is a chronological list of notable events that occurred on August 26 throughout history:

-Battle of al‑Harrah near Medina (683 CE): Umayyad forces under Muslim ibn Uqba decisively defeated the defenders of Medina at Harrat Waqim on 26 August 683 CE.

-Battle of Manzikert between Byzantines and Seljuqs (1071): The pivotal battle took place on 26 August 1071, where the Seljuqs captured Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV, reshaping Anatolia’s fate.

-Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years’ War (1346):

On 26 August 1346, the English, led by Edward III, won a decisive victory over a larger French force near Crécy in northern France.

-Introduction of cannon fire at the Battle of Crécy (1346): Cannon fire—among the earliest in European warfare—was reportedly used (likely by the English) during the 26 August 1346 Battle of Crécy, striking psychological impact despite limited physical damage.

-Adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in France (1789): France’s National Constituent Assembly formally adopted this foundational human rights declaration on 26 August 1789.

-Certification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920): U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification, granting women the right to vote, on 26 August 1920.

-Women’s Equality Day (1920): In the United States, August 26 is celebrated as Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the 19th Amendment’s certification on that date in 1920.

-First post-Amendment U.S. election with women’s participation (1920): On 26 August 1920, the first election held after the enactment of the 19th Amendment occurred in Hannibal, Missouri, where newly enfranchised women voted in a city council race.

-First televised Major League Baseball game broadcast (1939): The first-ever MLB game was televised—a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers—on 26 August 1939 by W2XBS (later WNBC).

-Sigmund Jähn becomes the first German in space (1978): East German cosmonaut Sigmund Jähn launched aboard Soyuz 31 to Salyut 6 on 26 August 1978, becoming the first German astronaut.