Nov. 26 (UPI) -- On this date in history:
In 1789, U.S. President George Washington declared Nov. 26, 1789, to be Thanksgiving Day. It was the first U.S. holiday by presidential proclamation.
Advertisement
1 of 3 | An attendee poses in front of a giant model of a Polaroid instant camera during the 2018 International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 9. On November26, 1948, the first commercial Polaroid camera was sold. The inventor of the device and founder of Polaroid Corp., Edwin H. Land, obtained some 533 patents before his death in 1991. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo
In 1842, the University of Notre Dame was founded in South Bend, Ind.
In 1922, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, British archaeologists Howard Carter and George Carnarvon became the first humans to enter King Tutankhamen's treasure-laden tomb in more than 3,000 years.
UPI File Photo
In 1941, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull submitted U.S. proposals to Japanese peace envoys in Washington.
In 1948, the first commercial Polaroid camera was sold. The inventor of the device and founder of Polaroid Corp., Edwin H. Land, obtained some 533 patents before his death in 1991.
In 1956, bandleader Tommy Dorsey died at age 51. His records sold more than 110 million copies.
In 1965, France launched a satellite into space, becoming the world's third space power after the United States and the Soviet Union.
Advertisement
In 1984, the United States and Iraq restored diplomatic relations, ending a 17-year break.
In 2001, a three-day Afghanistan prison revolt claimed the life of a CIA operative, Johnny Michael Spann, 32, a former U.S. Marine captain. His was the first U.S. combat death in the war.
File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI
In 2005, a 67-year-old textile tycoon in India, Vijaypat Singhania, set the world record for the highest flight in a hot-air balloon, reaching 69,852 feet over Mumbai.
In 2008, militants launched a series of coordinated attacks on Mumbai landmarks and commercial hubs popular with foreign tourists. More than 170 people died and about 300 were injured in the three-day siege.
In 2011, the United States launched an Atlas V rocket to look for life on Mars. Aboard was the rover Curiosity, which would explore the planet, searching for signs of life.
In 2012, rebels in Syria said airstrikes and other violence in the war-torn country killed at least 117 people, including children on a playground.
Advertisement
In 2017, two people died when a factory explosion went off in the Chinese port city of Ningbo. The blast leveled 30 buildings.
File Photo courtesy of EPA-EFE
