1978 48 years ago Historical Events August 26 2 sources

Papal conclave: Albino Luciani is elected as Pope John Paul I.

On August 26, in the year 1978, Papal conclave: Albino Luciani is elected as Pope John Paul I. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 26, one of 412 recorded events on this date across all of history.

A conclave was held on 25 and 26 August 1978 to elect a new pope to succeed Paul VI, who had died on 6 August 1978. Of the 114 eligible cardinal electors, all but three attended. On the fourth ballot, the conclave elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, the patriarch of Venice. After accepting his election, he took the name John Paul I.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 26, 1978 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 8 July 2026.

On This Date in History 412

Type Year Date Event
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Notable Deaths 2020 Aug 26 Joe Ruby, American animator (born 1933)
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Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 26 Neil Simon, American playwright and author (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2017 Aug 26 Tobe Hooper, American film director (born 1943)
Historical Events 2015 Aug 26 Two U.S. journalists are shot and killed by a disgruntled former coworker while conducting a live report in Moneta,…
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 26 Amelia Boynton Robinson, American activist (born 1905)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 26 Donald Eric Capps, American theologian, author, and academic (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 26 P. J. Kavanagh, English poet and author (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 26 Stefanos Manikas, Greek politician (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 26 Francisco San Diego, Filipino bishop (born 1935)
Selected Events 2015 Aug 26 Two American journalists were murdered on live television while conducting an interview in Moneta, Virginia.
Historical Events 2014 Aug 26 The Jay Report into the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal is published.
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 26 Christian Bourquin, French lawyer and politician (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 26 Peter Bacon Hales, American historian, photographer, and author (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 26 Caroline Kellett, English journalist (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 26 Chūsei Sone, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 26 Hélie de Saint Marc, French soldier (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 26 John J. Gilligan, American soldier and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 26 Bill Schmitz, American football player and coach (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 26 Jack Sinagra, American lawyer and politician (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 26 Clyde A. Wheeler, American soldier and politician (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 26 Russ Alben, American composer and businessman (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 26 Reginald Bartholomew, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 26 Jacques Bensimon, Canadian director and producer (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 26 Krzysztof Wilmanski, Polish-German physicist and academic (born 1940)
Historical Events 2011 Aug 26 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's all-new composite airliner, receives certification from the EASA and the FAA.
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 26 George Band, Taiwanese-English mountaineer and author (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 26 Patrick C. Fischer, American computer scientist and academic (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 26 John McAleese, Scottish sergeant (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2010 Aug 26 Raimon Panikkar, Catalan priest and scholar (born 1918)
Historical Events 2009 Aug 26 Kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard is discovered alive in California after being missing for over 18 years. Her captors,…
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 26 Dominick Dunne, American journalist and novelist (born 1925)
Selected Events 2008 Aug 26 After a ceasefire was reached in the Russo-Georgian War, Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South…
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 26 Gaston Thorn, Luxembourger jurist and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 26 Rainer Barzel, Polish-German lawyer and politician, Minister of Intra-German Relations (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 26 Clyde Walcott, Barbadian cricketer and coach (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 26 William Garnett, American landscape photographer (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 26 Denis D'Amour, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 26 Robert Denning, American art collector and interior designer (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 26 Moondog King, Canadian wrestler and politician (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 26 Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter and actress (born 1952)
Historical Events 2003 Aug 26 A Beechcraft 1900 operating as Colgan Air Flight 9446 crashes after taking off from Barnstable Municipal Airport in…
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 26 Jim Wacker, American football player and coach (born 1937)
Notable Births 2002 Aug 26 Lil Tecca, American rapper
Notable Births 2001 Aug 26 Patrick Williams, American basketball player

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

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