In History, Today on September 26

The United Nations Climate Action Summit was held in New York City, where global leaders discussed strategies to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions.

Mount Everest region suffers a major avalanche that resulted in the destruction of the first and second base camps. The avalanche was part of a broader series of seismic activities affecting Nepal.

The Indian spacecraft Mangalyaan, also known as the Mars Orbiter Mission, successfully entered orbit around Mars, making India the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit and the first nation in the world to do so on its first attempt.

NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere over the southern Pacific Ocean. The satellite had been decommissioned in 2005, and its re-entry marked the return of a large piece of space debris.

Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy became the first person to fly a jet-powered wing across the English Channel, completing the flight in just under 10 minutes.

The Senegalese passenger ferry MV Le Joola capsized off the coast of The Gambia, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,863 people, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history.

The Siege of Aknada in Timor-Leste, part of the wider conflict surrounding the country's independence referendum, comes to an end as the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) took control, marking a significant step in East Timor's path to sovereignty.

An earthquake in central Italy kills 11 people and damages the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.

Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov averts a potential nuclear disaster by correctly identifying a false alarm in the Soviet Union's missile detection system.

'The Brady Bunch', an American sitcom, debuted on ABC television.

The first televised presidential debate in U.S. history takes place between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

The musical 'West Side Story' made its debut on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre.

Warsaw's surrender in World War II is demanded by Germany, but the city refuses to surrender.

The Bali Tiger is declared extinct in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting.

The RMS Queen Mary is launched by the Cunard Line at the John Brown & Company shipyards in Clydebank, Scotland.

The Voting Rights Act of 1928 is enacted, allowing women in the United Kingdom equal voting rights to men.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is established in the United States.

New Zealand and Newfoundland become dominions within the British Empire.

The U.S. establishes Yosemite National Park as a protected area.

The hunting and massacre of Hakkoda worsens relations between the United States and Japan.

Ivan Pavlov, a future Nobel Prize-winning physiologist known for his work on classical conditioning, was born.

King Charles X of France signed the September Ordinances, marking an all-encompassing royal ordinance in his effort to consolidate power.

The Holy Alliance is formed by Russia, Austria, and Prussia to suppress revolutionary movements in Europe.

Thomas Jefferson is appointed the first United States Secretary of State.

British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolutionary War.

The Parthenon in Athens is severely damaged when a Venetian mortar round ignites an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building during the siege of the Acropolis.

Sir Francis Drake completes his circumnavigation of the globe, becoming the first Englishman to do so.

The Battle of Menzhyk took place during the Galicia–Volhynia Wars, a conflict involving the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania against the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia.

William II is crowned King of England, succeeding his father, William the Conqueror.

Ragenfrid, the mayor of the palace of Neustria, is defeated by Charles Martel at the Battle of Compiègne, solidifying Charles's power in the Frankish kingdom.