1. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution on February 26, 1865. This amendment officially abolished slavery in the United States.

2. On February 26, 1960, Delaware Governor J. Caleb Boggs signed a bill into law that created the Delaware Technical & Community College system. The first campuses of the system opened later that year in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown.

3. February 26, 2008 marked the beginning of a historic visit by the Dalai Lama to the University of Delaware. During his four-day stay, the spiritual leader of Tibet gave several public talks and met with students, faculty, and community members.

4. Famous Delawarean and baseball legend Mike Schmidt was born on February 26, 1949 in Dayton, Ohio. Schmidt spent his entire career playing third base for the Philadelphia Phillies and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.

5. In the early morning hours of February 26, 1778, British soldiers attacked the town of Lewes, Delaware. The town was briefly occupied, and many of its citizens were taken prisoner before the British eventually withdrew. The Battle of Lewes is now commemorated annually with a reenactment of the event.