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.

May 26th


- Christian Feast Day
- Crown Prince's Birthday (Denmark)
- Independence Day, commemorate the day of the First Republic in 1918. (Georgia)
- Independence Day, celebrate the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom in 1966.
- Mother's Day (Poland)
- National Paper Airplane Day (United States)
- National Sorry Day (Australia)

May 26th


- 2006 - The May 2006 Java earthquake kills over 5,700 people, leaves 200,000 homeless.
- 2004 - The New York Times publishes an admission of journalistic failings, claiming that its flawed reporting and lack of skepticism towards sources during the buildup to the 2003 war in Iraq helped promote the belief that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.
- 2004 - The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
- 1998 - The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
- 1992 - Charles Geschke, co-founder of Adobe Systems, Inc. is kidnapped at gunpoint from the Adobe parking lot in Mountain View, California and is held hostage for a ransom of $650,000 in a rented house in Hollister, California. The FBI rescues him four days later.
- 1991 - Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.
- 1991 - Lauda Air Flight 004 explodes over rural Thailand, killing 223.
- 1986 - The European Community adopts the European flag.
- 1983 - A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan, triggering a tsunami that kills at least 104 people and injures thousands. Many people go missing and thousands of buildings are destroyed.
- 1982 - Aston Villa win the European Cup, defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam, Netherlands thanks to a Peter Withe goal.
- 1981 - Prime Minister of Italy Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).
- 1977 - George Willig climbs the South Tower of New York City's World Trade Center.
- 1972 - Willandra National Park is established in Australia.
- 1972 - The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
- 1970 - The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.
- 1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing.
- 1966 - British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.
- 1959 - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix retires the first 36 Milwaukee Braves batters to face him, only to lose his bid for a perfect game in the 13th inning.
- 1948 - The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 557 which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
- 1942 - World War II: The Battle of Bir Hakeim takes place.
- 1940 - World War II: Battle of Dunkirk – In France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
- 1938 - The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.
- 1936 - In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation Bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for 10 hours.
- 1918 - The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.
- 1917 - Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon, killing 101 people and injuring 689.
- 1908 - At Masjed Soleyman (???? ??????) in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the United Kingdom.
- 1906 - Vauxhall Bridge is opened in London.
- 1896 - Nicholas II becomes Tsar of Russia.
- 1896 - Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
- 1896 - James Dunham murders six people in Campbell, California.
- 1889 - Opening of the first Eiffel Tower elevator to the public.
- 1879 - Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.
- 1869 - Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- 1868 - The impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Johnson ends with Johnson being found not guilty by one vote.
- 1865 - American Civil War: Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, is the last general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.
- 1864 - Montana is organized as a United States territory.
- 1857 - Dred Scott is emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners.
- 1830 - The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress; it is signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later.
- 1828 - Feral child Kaspar Hauser is discovered wandering the streets of Nuremberg.
- 1822 - 116 people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway's history.
- 1805 - Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in the Duomo di Milano, the gothic cathedral in Milan.
- 1783 - A Great Jubilee Day is held in Trumbull, Connecticut to celebrate the end of the American Revolution.
- 1770 - The Orlov Revolt, an attempt to revolt against the Ottoman Empire before the Greek War of Independence, ends in disaster for the Greeks.
- 1736 - Battle of Ackia: British and Chickasaw soldiers repel a French and Choctaw attack on the Chickasaw village of Ackia, near present-day Tupelo, Mississippi. The French, under Louisiana governor Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, had sought to link Louisiana with Acadia and the other northern colonies of New France.
- 1670 - In Dover, England, Charles II of Great Britain and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover.
- 1647 - Alse Young, hanged in Hartford, Connecticut, becomes the first person executed as a witch in the British American colonies.
- 1637 - Pequot War: A combined Protestant and Mohegan force under English Captain John Mason attacks a Pequot village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Native Americans.
- 1538 - Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.
- 1328 - William of Ockham, Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.
- 1293 - An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 30,000.
- 1135 - Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in the Cathedral of Leon as Imperator totius Hispaniae, "Emperor of all of Spain".
- 451 - Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place. The Empire defeats the Armenians militarily but guarantees them freedom to openly practice Christianity.
- 17 - Germanicus returns to Rome as conquering hero, he celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti and other German tribes west of the Elbe.

May 26th


- 1991 - Julianna Rose Mauriello, American actress
- 1988 - Joel Selwood, Australian footballer
- 1987 - Valerie Garcia, Filipina actress
- 1987 - Josh Thomas, Australian comedian
- 1983 - Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer
- 1983 - Henry Holland, British fashion designer
- 1982 - Yoko Matsugane, Japanese model
- 1982 - Jon Tester, American Musician (Tora! Tora! Torrance!, Voytek)
- 1982 - David Reed, British writer and comedian
- 1981 - Robert Copeland, Australian Australian rules footballer
- 1981 - Eda-Ines Etti, Estonian singer
- 1981 - Irini Merkouri, Greek singer
- 1981 - Isaac Slade, American musician (The Fray)
- 1981 - Jason Manford, British comedian
- 1979 - Elisabeth Harnois, American actress
- 1979 - Ashley Massaro, American model and professional wrestler
- 1979 - Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player
- 1978 - Phil Elverum, American singer-songwriter
- 1977 - Misaki Ito, Japanese actress and model
- 1977 - Raina Telgemeier, American cartoonist
- 1977 - Luca Toni, Italian footballer
- 1977 - Nikos Hatzivrettas, Greek basketball player
- 1977 - Mark Hunter, American musician (Chimaira)
- 1976 - Justin Pierre, American singer (Motion City Soundtrack)
- 1976 - Kenny Florian, American Mixed Martial Artist
- 1975 - Nicki Aycox, American actress
- 1975 - Travis Lee, American baseball player
- 1974 - Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
- 1972 - Patsy Palmer, British actress
- 1971 - Timothy Allen, British photojournalist
- 1971 - Matt Stone, American animator and filmmaker
- 1970 - Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese cartoonist
- 1969 - John Baird, Canadian politician
- 1969 - Musetta Vander, South African actress
- 1968 - Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
- 1968 - Pat Kenney, American professional wrestler
- 1968 - Fernando León de Aranoa, Spanish film director
- 1968 - Steve Sedgley, English footballer
- 1967 - Phil Doyle, Australian writer
- 1967 - Kevin Moore, American musician (OSI)
- 1966 - Helena Bonham Carter, English actress
- 1966 - Zola Budd, South African athlete
- 1965 - Hazel Irvine, British television presenter
- 1964 - Caitlín R. Kiernan, Irish-American writer
- 1964 - Lenny Kravitz, American musician
- 1964 - Argiris Pedoulakis, Greek basketball coach and former player
- 1962 - Genie Francis, American actress
- 1962 - Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor
- 1961 - Tarsem Singh, Indian film director
- 1960 - Masahiro Matsunaga, Japanese racing driver
- 1960 - Rob Murphy, American baseball player
- 1959 - Steve Hanley, English musician (The Fall, Tom Hingley and the Lovers)
- 1959 - Ole Bornedal, Danish film director, actor and producer
- 1957 - Margaret Colin, American actress
- 1957 - Diomedes Diaz, Colombian singer
- 1957 - François Legault, French Canadian politician
- 1957 - Kristina Olsen, American musician
- 1957 - Roberto Ravaglia, Italian racing driver
- 1957 - Pontso S.M. Sekatle, Lesotho academic and politician
- 1956 - Frédéric Dutoit, French politician
- 1955 - Masaharu Morimoto, Japanese chef
- 1955 - Wesley Walker, American football player
- 1954 - Marian Gold, German singer (Alphaville)
- 1954 - Alan Hollinghurst, British novelist
- 1954 - Danny Rolling, American murderer (d. 2006)
- 1953 - Kay Hagan, U.S. Senator from North Carolina
- 1953 - Michael Portillo, British politician
- 1952 - David Meece, Christian musician
- 1951 - Sally Ride, American astronaut
- 1951 - Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, Irish politician
- 1949 - Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer and inventor
- 1949 - Pam Grier, American actress
- 1949 - Philip Michael Thomas, American actor
- 1949 - Joe Alaskey, American voice actor
- 1949 - Hank Williams Jr., American singer
- 1948 - Stevie Nicks, American songwriter
- 1946 - Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian Rhythmic gymnas and coach.
- 1946 - Mick Ronson, English musician (d. 1993)
- 1945 - Garry Peterson, Canadian drummer (The Guess Who)
- 1945 - Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian politician
- 1944 - Sam Posey, American race car driver, TV commentator and author
- 1943 - Erica Terpstra, President of the Dutch Olympic Committee
- 1942 - Ganapathi Sachchidananda, Spiritual Leader
- 1941 - Cliff Drysdale, South African tennis player
- 1941 - John Kaufman, sculptor
- 1941 - Reg Bundy, British performer (d. 2003)
- 1940 - Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, French Canadian politician
- 1940 - Levon Helm, American musician (The Band)
- 1939 - Merab Kostava, Georgian anti-Soviet leader (d. 1989)
- 1939 - Brent Musburger, American sports broadcaster
- 1938 - William Bolcom, American composer
- 1938 - Pauline Parker, New Zealander murderer
- 1938 - Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian playwright and novelist
- 1938 - Teresa Stratas, Canadian soprano
- 1935 - Sheila Steafel, South African–born British actress
- 1932 - Grigor Vachkov, Bulgarian actor (d. 1980)
- 1930 - Karim Emami, Iranian Translator (d. 2005)
- 1926 - Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (d. 1991)
- 1926 - Phyllis Gotlieb, Canadian author
- 1925 - Alec McCowen, English actor
- 1923 - James Arness, American actor
- 1923 - Roy Dotrice, British actor
- 1920 - Peggy Lee, American singer (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Anton Christoforidis, Greek boxer (d. 1985)
- 1917 - Eva Szorenyi, Hungarian actress, freedom activist for Hungary (d. 2009)
- 1916 - Moondog, American composer, musician and poet (d. 1999)
- 1916 - Henriette Roosenburg, Dutch journalist (d. 1972)
- 1915 - Sam Edwards, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1915 - Antonia Forest, British children's author (d. 2003)
- 1914 - Frankie Manning, American Lindy Hop dancer (d. 2009)
- 1913 - Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
- 1912 - János Kádár, Prime minister of Hungary (d. 1989)
- 1912 - Jay Silverheels, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1911 - Ben Alexander, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1910 - Imi Lichtenfeld, Founder of Krav Maga (d. 1998)
- 1909 - Nikolay Guryanov, Russian Orthodox Christian mystic and priest (d. 2002)
- 1909 - Adolfo López Mateos, President of Mexico (d. 1969)
- 1909 - Sir Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1994)
- 1908 - Robert Morley, English actor (d. 1992)
- 1908 - Nguyen Ngoc Tho, Prime Minister of South Vietnam
- 1907 - Jean Bernard, French physician (d. 2006)
- 1907 - John Wayne, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1904 - George Formby, English singer and comedian (d. 1961)
- 1904 - Vlado Perlemuter, Polish pianist (d. 2002)
- 1899 - Antonio Barrette, French Canadian politician (d. 1968)
- 1895 - Dorothea Lange, American photographer (d. 1965)
- 1895 - Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (d. 1971)
- 1893 - Norma Talmadge, American actress (d. 1957)
- 1893 - Eugčne Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer (d. 1962)
- 1886 - Al Jolson, American singer (d. 1950)
- 1883 - Mamie Smith, American singer (d. 1946)
- 1880 - W. Otto Miessner, American composer and music educator (d. 1967)
- 1873 - Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian artist (d. 1958)
- 1867 - Mary of Teck, queen consort of George V of the United Kingdom (d. 1953)
- 1865 - Robert W. Chambers, American artist (d. 1933)
- 1863 - Robert Fitzsimmons, Boxing champion (d. 1917)
- 1822 - Edmond de Goncourt, French writer (d. 1896)
- 1799 - Aleksandr Pushkin, Russian author (d. 1837)
- 1764 - Edward Livingston, American jurist and statesman (d. 1836)
- 1700 - Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, German religious and social reformer (d. 1760)
- 1689 - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (d. 1762)
- 1669 - Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist (d. 1722)
- 1667 - Abraham de Moivre, French mathematician (d. 1754)
- 1650 - John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, British general (d. 1722)
- 1602 - Philippe de Champaigne, French painter (d. 1674)
- 1566 - Mehmed III, Ottoman Emperor (d. 1603)
- 1478 - Pope Clement VII (d. 1534)
- 1264 - Prince Koreyasu, Japanese shogun (d. 1326)