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American history, reported as it happened
Made for the 250thOn this day › August 26
What happened on August 26 in American history
August 26 is the 238th day of the year (the 239th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 7 stories from August 26 spanning 1791 to 2021. Among them: in 1791, Fitch gets his patent, but so does everyone else claiming the steamboat; and in 1920, Colby signs the paper: women's suffrage is now the law of the land.
1791
Fitch gets his patent, but so does everyone else claiming the steamboat
The federal Patent Commission hands identical recognition to four rival inventors on the same afternoon.
1920
Colby signs the paper: women's suffrage is now the law of the land
No ceremony, no witnesses, just a secretary of state's signature at his home in Washington.
1968
Democrats open in Chicago; protesters scale a Civil War statue in Grant Park
Police pull a demonstrator down and break his arm as chants of "kill the pigs" rise over the park.
1970Member story · 1776 Club
Fifty years after the vote, tens of thousands strike for equality
Police tried to hold the Fifth Avenue crowd to one lane; the marchers took the whole street instead.
1980Member story · 1776 Club
A van marked IBM delivers a bomb to Harvey's casino floor
The note inside says even its builder cannot disarm it without $3 million.
2011Member story · 1776 Club
Regulators clear the 787 Dreamliner to fly paying passengers
Seven years after launch and years behind schedule, Boeing's composite airliner has the paperwork it needs.
2021Member story · 1776 Club
Bomber strikes Abbey Gate; 13 U.S. troops and at least 169 Afghans killed at Kabul airport
Gunfire follows the blast at the crowded evacuation gate, and every entrance to the airfield slams shut.
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