Major events recorded on August 26

Nicosia, Cyprus. August 26 has been marked by significant events including the ratification of women’s voting rights in the United States, diplomatic developments and political transitions.

Early events

In 1920, American women won the right to vote when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified.

In 1972, English adventurer Sir Francis Chichester died. In 1966-67, he became the first person to sail solo around the world by rounding the two great capes.

In 1974, American aviator Charles Lindbergh died. He made the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight in 1927.

Political developments

In 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a friendship treaty with the Czech Republic after condemning the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

In 1997, South Africa’s last white president, F.W. de Klerk, announced he was stepping down as leader of the opposition National Party.

In 2003, Rwanda’s electoral commission announced that incumbent President Paul Kagame had won the country’s first presidential election since 1994. The opposition disputed the result.

In 2004, Cuba cut diplomatic ties with Panama after outgoing Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso pardoned four Cuban exiles who had plotted to kill President Fidel Castro in 2000.

In 2005, former Hutu rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza became Burundi’s president, pledging to honour the peace accord that brought him to power and ended a 12-year civil war.

Medical technology

In 1998, the world’s first bionic arm was fitted and tested in Edinburgh.