June 26 in history — What Happened Today in History

J. K. Rowling publishes the first of her Harry Potter novel series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in the United Kingdom.

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani deposes his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in a bloodless coup d'état.

Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav People's Army begins the Ten-Day War in Slovenia.

The first crash of an Airbus A320 occurs when Air France Flight 296Q crashes at Mulhouse–Habsheim Airfield in Habsheim, France, during an air show, killing three of the 136 people on board.

Dan-Air Flight 240, flying to East Midlands Airport, crashes in Nailstone, Leicestershire. All three crew members perish.

Air Canada Flight 189, flying to Toronto, overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of the 107 passengers on board perish.

Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.

The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

Karol Wojtyła (later John Paul II) is made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

Cold War: U.S. President John F. Kennedy gives his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall.

The former British Protectorate of British Somaliland gains its independence as Somaliland.

Madagascar gains its independence from France.

Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavyweight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on technical knockout after two minutes and three seconds in the third round at Yankee Stadium.

The South African Congress Alliance adopts the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in Kliptown.

Lavrentiy Beria, head of MVD, is arrested by Nikita Khrushchev and other members of the Politburo.

The Pan-Malayan Labour Party is founded in Malaya, as a union of statewide labour parties.

Cold War: The first supply flights are made in response to the Berlin Blockade.

William Shockley files the original patent for the grown-junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.

The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 Allied nations in San Francisco, California.

World War II: San Marino, a neutral state, is mistakenly bombed by the RAF based on faulty information, leading to 35 civilian deaths.

World War II: The Battle of Osuchy in Osuchy, Poland, one of the largest battles between Nazi Germany and Polish resistance forces, ends with the defeat of the latter.

The first flight of the Grumman F6F Hellcat.

World War II: Soviet planes bomb Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia), giving Hungary the impetus to declare war the next day.

World War II: Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.

Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.

United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.

The American occupation of the Dominican Republic ends after eight years.

World War I: Allied forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince in the Battle of Belleau Wood.

Ariana Grande, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress

Joel Campbell, Costa Rican footballer

Rudy Gobert, French basketball player

Jennette McCurdy, American actress and singer-songwriter

Houssem Chemali, French footballer

Diego Falcinelli, Italian footballer

Dustin Martin, Australian rules footballer

Belaynesh Oljira, Ethiopian runner

Iman Shumpert, American basketball player

Igor Subbotin, Estonian footballer

Brandon Sklenar, American actor

Oliver Stang, German footballer

King Bach, Canadian-American actor, comedian, director, producer, writer and social media personality

Chris Thompson, American screenwriter and producer (born 1952)

Howard Baker, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 12th White House Chief of Staff (born 1925)

Bill Frank, American-Canadian football player (born 1938)

Rollin King, American businessman, co-founded Southwest Airlines (born 1931)

Bob Mischak, American football player and coach (born 1932)

Julius Rudel, Austrian-American conductor (born 1921)

Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (born 1931)

Henrik Otto Donner, Finnish trumpet player and composer (born 1939)

Edward Huggins Johnstone, Brazilian-American sergeant and judge (born 1922)

Byron Looper, American politician (born 1964)

Justin Miller, American baseball player (born 1977)

Marc Rich, Belgian-American businessman (born 1934)

Sverker Åström, Swedish diplomat, Swedish Permanent Representative to the United Nations (born 1915)