On This Day for August 26 - Joan of Arc's arrival in the outskirts of Paris, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. August 26 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1429 Joan of Arc's arrival in the outskirts of Paris READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2018: American playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer Neil Simon—who was one of the most popular playwrights in the history of American theatre, known for such plays as The Odd Couple and Biloxi Blues—died at age 91. [Test your knowledge of the theatre.] 2015: American civil rights activist Amelia Boynton Robinson—an organizer of the Selma March (1965), which was a landmark event in the civil rights movement that led directly to the passage of the Voting Rights Act—died at age 104. [ Read about 10 milestones in U.S. civil rights history .] 1975: Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I—who steered his country into the mainstream of African politics after World War II and oversaw its entrance into the League of Nations and the United Nations —died, possibly assassinated. [Test your knowledge of African leaders.] 1346: During the Hundred Years' War the English, led by Edward III, defeated the French at the Battle of Crécy. [Take our history of war quiz.] 1978: Albino Cardinal Luciani was elected pope as John Paul I, but he died of a heart attack 33 days later. [Take our quiz about popes.] 1936: The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty established Egypt as a sovereign state after 50 years of British occupation. [How much do you know about Egyptian history?] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1970 Melissa McCarthy American actress 1819 Albert, Prince Consort British prince 1743 Antoine Lavoisier French chemist 1898 Peggy Guggenheim American art collector 1951 Edward Witten American mathematical physicist 1676 Robert Walpole, 1st earl of Orford prime minister of Great Britain SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help