In History, Today on September 26

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

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

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.

British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolutionary War.

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

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

New Zealand and Newfoundland become dominions within the British Empire.

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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.