So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

August 26th


- Christian Feast Day:
- Heroes' Day (Namibia)
- Women's Equality Day (United States)

August 26th


- 2008 - Russia unilaterally recognizes the independence of the former Georgian breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
- 2003 - The Columbia Accident Investigation Board releases its final reports on Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
- 1997 - Beni-Ali massacre in Algeria; 60-100 people killed.
- 1992 - In Brno Václav Klaus and Vladimír Me?iar sign an agreement to divide Czechoslovakia.
- 1987 - President Ronald Reagan proclaims September 11, as 9-1-1 Emergency Number Day.
- 1980 - John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada.
- 1978 - Papal conclave, 1978 (August): Pope John Paul I is elected to the Papacy.
- 1978 - Sigmund Jähn becomes first German cosmonaut, on board Soyuz 31.
- 1977 - The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec
- 1971 - The United States Congress declares August 26th as an annual Women's Equality Day.
- 1970 - The then new feminist movement, led by Betty Friedan, leads a nation-wide Women's Strike for Equality.
- 1966 - The Namibian War of Independence starts with the battle at Omugulugwombashe.
- 1957 - The USSR announces the successful test of an ICBM – a "super long distance intercontinental multistage ballistic rocket ... a few days ago," according to the Soviet news agency, ITAR-TASS.
- 1944 - World War II: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
- 1942 - Holocaust in Chortkiav, western Ukraine: At 2.30 am the German Schutzpolizei starts driving Jews out of their houses, divides them into groups of 120, packs them in freight cars and deports 2000 to Belzec death camp. 500 of the sick and children are murdered on the spot.
- 1940 - Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor.
- 1939 - The first Major League Baseball game is telecast, a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, in Brooklyn, New York.
- 1920 - The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.
- 1914 - World War I: the British Expeditionary Force fights a rear-guard action at the Battle of Le Cateau that briefly checks the German advance.
- 1914 - World War I: the German colony of Togoland is invaded by French and British forces, who take it after 5 days.
- 1883 - The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa begins its final, paroxysmal, stage.
- 1862 - American Civil War: the Second Battle of Bull Run begins.
- 1858 - First news dispatch by telegraph.
- 1789 - The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by National Assembly at Palace of Versailles.
- 1778 - The first recorded ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia.
- 1768 - Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour.
- 1748 - The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1498 - Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pietà.
- 1466 - A conspiracy against Piero di Cosimo de' Medici in Florence, led by Luca Pitti, is discovered.
- 1346 - Hundred Years' War: the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights is established at the Battle of Crécy.
- 1303 - Ala ud din Khilji captures Chittorgarh.
- 1278 - Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolph I of Germany defeat Premysl Ottokar II of Bohemia in the Battle of Marchfield near Dürnkrut in (then) Moravia.
- 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert.

August 26th


- 1993 - Keke Palmer, American actress
- 1992 - Yang Yilin, Chinese gymnast
- 1990 - Lil' Chris, English singer-songwriter and TV personality
- 1988 - Elvis Andrus, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1988 - Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
- 1988 - Evan Ross, American actor
- 1988 - Danielle Savre, American actress
- 1988 - Tori Black, Pornographic actress
- 1986 - Cassie, American singer
- 1986 - Colin Kazim-Richards, Turkish footballer
- 1985 - Brandon McDonald, American football player
- 1983 - Félix Porteiro, Spanish racing driver
- 1982 - Angelo Iorio, Italian footballer
- 1982 - David Long, New Zealand musician
- 1982 - Noah Welch, American ice hockey player
- 1981 - Tino Best, West Indian cricketer
- 1981 - Andreas Glyniadakis, Greek basketball player
- 1981 - Vangelis Moras, Greek footballer
- 1981 - Jesse Martin, Australian yachtsman
- 1981 - Petey Williams, Canadian professional wrestler
- 1980 - Macaulay Culkin, American actor
- 1980 - Brendan Harris, American baseball player
- 1980 - Manolis Papamakarios, Greek basketball player
- 1980 - Chris Pine, American actor
- 1979 - Jamal Lewis, American football player
- 1979 - Cristian Mora, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1979 - Rubén Pazos, Spanish footballer
- 1979 - Allison Robertson, American musician
- 1979 - Ya?mur Sar?gül, Turkish Musician (maNga)
- 1978 - Raja Kashif, Pakistani singer
- 1977 - Liam Botham, British cricketer and rugby player
- 1977 - Saeko Chiba, Japanese seiy?
- 1977 - Morris Peterson, American basketball player
- 1977 - Simone Motta, Italian footballer
- 1976 - Amaia Montero, Spanish singer
- 1976 - Zemfira, Russian singer
- 1975 - Morgan Ensberg, American baseball player
- 1975 - Tyler Connolly, Canadian Singer
- 1974 - Kelvin Cato, American basketball player
- 1971 - Thalía, Mexican singer
- 1970 - Olimpiada Ivanova, Russian athlete
- 1970 - Brett Schultz, South African cricketer
- 1968 - Byron Lawson, Canadian actor
- 1967 - Michael Gove, British politician
- 1966 - Jacques Brinkman, Dutch field hockey player
- 1966 - Shirley Manson, Scottish singer
- 1966 - Avner Ben-Gal, Israeli artist and painter
- 1965 - Carolina Arregui, Chilean actress
- 1965 - Chris Burke, American actor
- 1965 - Bobby Duncum, Jr., American wrestler (d. 2000)
- 1965 - Jon Hensley, American actor
- 1963 - David Byas, English cricketer
- 1962 - Bob Mionske, American cyclist and attorney
- 1961 - Daniel Lévi, French singer-songwriter, composer and pianist
- 1961 - Jeff Parrett, American baseball player
- 1960 - Branford Marsalis, American saxophonist and bandleader
- 1960 - Nancy Martinez, Canadian-born singer
- 1960 - Wanda De Jesus, American actress
- 1959 - Stan Van Gundy, American basketball coach
- 1958 - Jan Nevens, Belgian cyclist
- 1957 - Dr. Alban, Nigerian-born Swedish singer
- 1957 - Rick Hansen, Canadian paraplegic athlete
- 1956 - Mark Mangino, American football coach
- 1956 - Brett Cullen, American actor
- 1954 - Efren Reyes, Filipino pool player
- 1954 - Steve Wright, British DJ
- 1953 - Pat Sharkey, Irish footballer
- 1952 - Bryon Baltimore, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1952 - Michael Jeter, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1952 - Will Shortz, American crossword editor
- 1950 - Benjamin Hendrickson, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1947 - Emiliano Díez, Cuban actor
- 1947 - Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer (d. 2007)
- 1946 - Valerie Simpson, American singer
- 1946 - Mark Snow, American composer
- 1946 - Zhou Ji, Chinese Communist Party official
- 1946 - Chantal Renaud, Quebec singer and actress
- 1945 - Jo Freeman, American feminist scholar
- 1945 - Tom Ridge, first United States Secretary of Homeland Security
- 1944 - Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, British prince
- 1944 - Stephen Greif, English actor
- 1944 - Maureen Tucker, American musician
- 1942 - Vic Dana, American singer
- 1942 - Dennis Turner, British politician
- 1941 - Barbet Schroeder, Swiss film director
- 1941 - Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (d. 2005)
- 1941 - Jane Merrow, British actress
- 1941 - Akiko Wakabayashi, Japanese actress
- 1940 - Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (d. 2008)
- 1939 - Pinchas Goldstein, Israeli politician (d. 2007)
- 1938 - Jet Black, British musician (The Stranglers)
- 1936 - Yvette Vickers, American actress
- 1935 - Geraldine Ferraro, American politician
- 1934 - Tom Heinsohn, American basketball player and commentator
- 1932 - Luis Salvadores, Chilean basketball player.
- 1930 - Joe Solomon, West Indian cricketer
- 1928 - Peter Appleyard, Canadian jazz vibraphonist
- 1928 - Naïm Kattan, Canadian novelist and essayist
- 1927 - B. V. Doshi, Indian architect
- 1926 - Anahit Tsitsikian, Armenian Violinist
- 1925 - Jack Hirshleifer, American economist (d. 2005)
- 1925 - Alain Peyrefitte, French politician and writer (d. 1999)
- 1925 - Sangharakshita, Indian religious figure
- 1924 - Alex Kellner, American baseball player (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Wolfgang Sawallisch, German conductor and pianist
- 1922 - Irving R. Levine, American journalist (d. 2009)
- 1921 - Shimshon Amitsur, Israeli mathematician and Israel Prize recipient (d. 1994)
- 1921 - Benjamin Bradlee, American journalist
- 1920 - Brant Parker, American cartoonist (d. 2007)
- 1920 - Prem Tinsulanonda, Thai soldier and politician
- 1914 - Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (d. 1984)
- 1910 - Mother Teresa, Macedonian-born Indian missionary; Nobel Peace Prize recipient (d. 1997)
- 1909 - Jim Davis, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1909 - Gene Moore, American baseball player (d. 1978)
- 1909 - Eric Davies, South African cricketer (d. 1976)
- 1908 - W. B. Henning, Prussian-born Iranist (d. 1967)
- 1908 - Aubrey Schenck, British film producer (d. 1999)
- 1908 - Bill Hunt, Australian cricketer (d. 1983)
- 1907 - Lester Lanin, American bandleader (d. 2004)
- 1906 - Albert Sabin, American polio researcher (d. 1993)
- 1904 - Christopher Isherwood, English-born writer (d. 1986)
- 1901 - Hans Kammler, German engineer and SS officer (disappeared in 1945)
- 1901 - Maxwell Taylor, American general (d. 1987)
- 1901 - Chen Yi, Chinese communist military commander and politician (d. 1972)
- 1900 - Hellmuth Walter, German engineer and inventor (d. 1980)
- 1899 - Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter (d. 1991)
- 1898 - Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (d. 1979)
- 1897 - Yoon Boseon, President of South Korea (d. 1990)
- 1896 - Ivan Mihailov, Bulgarian revolutionary (d. 1990)
- 1896 - Besse Cooper, American supercentenarian
- 1894 - Sparky Adams, Baseball player (d. 1989)
- 1890 - Tommy Andrews, Australian cricketer (d. 1970)
- 1885 - Jules Romains, French author (d. 1972)
- 1882 - James Franck, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1964)
- 1880 - Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet and art critic (d. 1918)
- 1875 - John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, Scottish novelist, Governor General of Canada (d. 1940)
- 1874 - Zona Gale, American novelist (d. 1938)
- 1873 - Lee DeForest, American inventor (d. 1961)
- 1865 - Arthur James Arnot, Scottish inventor (d. 1946)
- 1864 - Anna Ulyanova, older sister of Vladimir Lenin (d. 1935)
- 1862 - Herbert Booth, American son of William and Catherine Booth (d. 1926)
- 1854 - Arnold Fothergill, England cricketer (d. 1932)
- 1850 - Charles Richet, French physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
- 1845 - Mary Ann Nichols, English victim of Jack the Ripper (d. 1888)
- 1826 - Princess Alexandra of Bavaria (d. 1875)
- 1819 - Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (d. 1861)
- 1792 - Manuel Oribe, Uruguayan political figure (d. 1857)
- 1789 - Abbas Mirza, Prince of Persia (d. 1833)
- 1775 - William Joseph Behr, German writer (d. 1851)
- 1743 - Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist (d. 1794)
- 1740 - Joseph Montgolfier, French inventor (d. 1810)
- 1736 - Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l'Isle, French chemist (d. 1790)
- 1728 - Johann Heinrich Lambert, Swiss scientist (d. 1777)
- 1694 - Elisha Williams, American rector of Yale College (d. 1755)
- 1676 - Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1745)
- 1540 - King Magnus of Livonia (d. 1583)
- 1469 - Ferdinand II of Naples (d. 1496)