February 26Nabonassar's name in Akkadian747 BC According to Ptolemy, the reign of the Babylonian king Nabonassar (name in Akkadian pictured) began, marking a new era characterized by the systematic maintenance of chronologically precise historical records.1914 RMS Britannic, the third and largest Olympic-class ocean liner of the White Star Line after RMSOlympic and RMS Titanic, was launched at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.1979 The Superliner railcar entered revenue service with Amtrak.1995 Barings Bank, the oldest merchant bank in London, was declared insolvent after its head derivatives trader in Singapore, Nick Leeson, lost 827million while making unauthorised trades on futures contracts.2014 Former editor-in-chief of Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao Kevin Lau was stabbed, prompting concerns and protests about media freedom.Fatima bint al-Ahmar (d.1349)Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (b.1629)Recep Tayyip Erdoan (b.1954)Jennie Smillie Robertson (d.1981)More anniversaries: February 25February 26February 27ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout