Important Events From This day in History – 26 March

Today in History

• 2000 Vladimir Putin is elected President of Russia

  The ex-KGB officer has been praised for leading Russia out of the 1990 economic crisis, but he has also been chastised for establishing a regime that many have described as authoritarian and undemocratic.

• 1995 The Schengen Agreement enters into force

  Within the Schengen Area, which encompasses most of Europe, regular border checks have been abolished.

• 1991 4 South American countries establish Mercosur

  Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay were the founding members of the Southern Common Market.

• 1979 The Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty is signed

  Egypt’s President Anwar al-Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the treaty, which ended the two countries’ 30-year war.

• 1975 The Biological Weapons Convention comes into effect

  The treaty prohibits the development, manufacture, and storage of biological and toxin weapons. Most countries around the world have now ratified it.