1. On October 26, 1918, Spanish influenza cases were on the rise in North Dakota, and Governor Lynn J. Frazier issued a statewide ban on all public gatherings in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease.

2. The University of North Dakota was founded on October 26, 1883, making it the oldest university in the state.

3. North Dakota's first oil well was drilled on October 26, 1951, in the Clarence Iverson No. 1 Well near Tioga. It was the first of many oil wells that would be drilled in the Bakken Formation, which continues to be a major source of oil production in North Dakota.

4. On October 26, 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The purchase of Alaska, also known as Seward's Folly, added a huge swath of land to the United States and helped to expand the country's borders westward.

5. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, had a strong connection to North Dakota. He first visited the state in 1883 to hunt bison and later owned a cattle ranch in the western part of the state. Roosevelt also made several political appearances in North Dakota during his time as president.