1942 84 years ago Historical Events May 26 2 sources

World War II: The Battle of Gazala begins, in present-day Libya.

On May 26, in the year 1942, World War II: The Battle of Gazala begins, in present-day Libya. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of May 26, one of 382 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Battle of Gazala, also the Gazala Offensive was fought near the village of Gazala during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops consisting of German and Italian units fought the British Eighth Army composed mainly of British Commonwealth, Indian and Free French troops.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 26, 1942 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 8 May 2026.

On This Date in History 382

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2025 May 26 65 people are injured when a car rams into a crowd on Water Street, near Liverpool F
Notable Deaths 2022 May 26 Andy Fletcher, English musician (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 26 Ray Liotta, American actor (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 26 Alan White, English drummer (born 1949)
Historical Events 2021 May 26 Ten people are killed in a shooting at a VTA rail yard in San Jose, California, United States
Historical Events 2020 May 26 Protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd erupt in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, later becoming widespread across the U
Notable Deaths 2019 May 26 Prem Tinsulanonda, Former Prime Minister of Thailand (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2017 May 26 Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-born American politician (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2016 May 26 Hedy Epstein, German-born American human rights activist and Holocaust survivor (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 26 Vicente Aranda, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 26 Les Johnson, Australian politician and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 26 Robert Kraft, American astronomer and academic (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 26 João Lucas, Portuguese footballer (born 1979)
Historical Events 2014 May 26 Narendra Modi takes oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India
Notable Deaths 2014 May 26 Baselios Thoma Didymos I, Indian metropolitan (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 26 Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American academic and neuropharmacologist (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 26 William R
Notable Deaths 2014 May 26 Hooshang Seyhoun, Iranian-Canadian architect, sculptor, and painter (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 26 Ray Barnhart, American businessman and politician (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 26 John Bierwirth, American lawyer and businessman (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 26 Roberto Civita, Italian-Brazilian businessman (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 26 Tom Lichtenberg, American football player and coach (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 26 Otto Muehl, Austrian painter (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 26 Jack Vance, American author (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 26 Arthur Decabooter, Belgian cyclist (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 26 Leo Dillon, American illustrator (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 26 Stephen Healey, Welsh captain and footballer (born 1982)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 26 Hiroshi Miyazawa, Japanese politician (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 26 Hans Schmidt, Canadian wrestler (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 26 Jim Unger, English-Canadian illustrator (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 26 Arisen Ahubudu, Sri Lankan scholar, author, and playwright (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 26 Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 26 Chris Moran, English air marshal and pilot (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 26 Kieran Phelan, Irish politician (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 26 Mihalis Papagiannakis, Greek journalist and politician (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 26 Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (born 1965)
Historical Events 2008 May 26 Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1
Notable Deaths 2008 May 26 Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2008 May 26 Zita Urbonaitė, Lithuanian cyclist (born 1973)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 26 Jack Edward Oliver, English illustrator (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 26 Howard Porter, American basketball player (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 26 Édouard Michelin, French businessman (born 1963)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 26 Kevin O'Flanagan, Irish footballer and physician (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 26 Eddie Albert, American actor (born 1906)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 26 Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 26 Ruth Laredo, American pianist and educator (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 26 Leslie Smith, English businessman, co-founded Lesney Products (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2004 May 26 Nikolai Chernykh, Russian astronomer (born 1931)
Historical Events 2003 May 26 Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines Flight 4230 crashes in the Turkish town of Maçka, killing 75
Notable Deaths 2003 May 26 Kathleen Winsor, American journalist and author (born 1919)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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