Notable Birthdays for December 26
Thomas Nelson (1738-1789) - Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence.
George Dewey (1837-1917) - Highly decorated Navy Admiral.
Bazoline Estelle Usher (1885-1992) - Founder of the first Girl Scout troop for Black girls in Atlanta.
Steve Kordek (1911-2012) - Pinball machine designer.
Steve Allen (1921-2000) - Co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show.
Norman Orentreich (1922-2019) - Dermatologist known as the Father of Modern Hair Transplantation.
Martin Cooper (1928-Still Living) - Inventor of the mobile phone.
Caroll Spinney (1933-2019) - Puppeteer and voice actor who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street.
John Walsh (1945-Still Living) - Creator and original host of America's Most Wanted.
Susan Butcher (1954-2006) - Dog musher and Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race 4x champion.
Chris Daughtry (1979-Still Living) - Lead singer of the rock band Daughtry.
Alexander Wang (1983-Still Living) - Fashion designer.
Memorable Events for December 26
1773 - Tea ships are expelled from Philadelphia.
1805 - The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts is established in PA.
1862 - The first hospital ship is commissioned by the U.S. Navy.
1865 - The first coffee percolator is patented by James Mason.
1878 - The first store installs electric lights.
1919 - Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition.
1941 - President Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
1944 - Patton's Third Army breaks the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne, Belgium.
1966 - The first Kwanzaa is celebrated at California State University.