1. On October 26, 1825, the historic Saco-Biddeford textile mill (now called the Pepperell Mill Campus) began operation in Biddeford, Maine. The mill was a major employer in the area and helped to establish Biddeford as a center of textile manufacturing in New England.

2. The famous Maine artist and illustrator, Dahlov Ipcar, was born on October 26, 1917, in Windsor, Maine. Ipcar is known for her colorful, folk-inspired paintings and illustrations, which often feature animals and the natural world.

3. On October 26, 1958, the Great Northeast Storm struck Maine and other parts of New England, causing widespread damage and flooding. The storm had winds of up to 120 mph and caused 12 deaths in Maine alone.

4. Maine's first death penalty sentence was handed down on October 26, 1790, when a man named Peter Nason was convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged. In total, Maine executed 17 people before abolishing the death penalty in 1887.

5. On October 26, 1947, the University of Maine's first nuclear reactor, the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company, began operation in Orono, Maine. The reactor was used for research purposes and to provide power to the university, but was decommissioned in the 1970s due to concerns about nuclear safety.