November 26, 1939

1939Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysian civil servant and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia (died 2025)^[†]

Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi, also known as Pak Lah, was a Malaysian politician and civil servant who served as the fifth prime minister of Malaysia from 2003 to 2009. A member of UMNO, he was the party's president from 2004 to 2009, and also led the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition during his premiership. Abdullah was granted the soubriquet "Father of Human Capital Development" of Malaysia.

1939Wayland Flowers, American actor and puppeteer (died 1988)^[†]

Wayland Parrott Flowers Jr. was an American actor, comedian and puppeteer. Flowers was best known for the comedy act he created with his puppet Madame. His performances as "Wayland Flowers and Madame" were a major national success on stage and on screen in the 1970s and 1980s.

1939John Gummer, English politician, Secretary of State for the Environment^[†]

John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, FRASE is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suffolk Coastal and Lewisham West, now a member of the House of Lords. He was Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1983 to 1985 and held various government posts including Secretary of State for the Environment from 1993 to 1997.

1939Mark Margolis, American actor (died 2023)^[†]

Mark Margolis was an American actor best known for his portrayal of the character Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad (2009–2011) and Better Call Saul (2016–2022). His performance in Breaking Bad was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2012.

1939Grey Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie, Irish-Scottish politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (died 2021)^[†]

Alexander Patrick Greysteil Hore-Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie,, usually known as Grey Gowrie or Lord Gowrie, was an Irish-born British hereditary peer, politician, and businessman. Lord Gowrie was also the hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Ruthven in Scotland. He was educated at Eton and Oxford, and held posts in academia for a period, in the US and London, including time working with poet Robert Lowell and at Harvard University.

1939Art Themen, English saxophonist and surgeon^[†]

Arthur Edward George Themen is a British jazz saxophonist and formerly orthopaedic surgeon. Critic John Fordham has described him as "an appealing presence on the British jazz circuit for over 40 years.... Originally a Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins disciple ... Themen has proved himself remarkably attentive to the saxophone styles of subsequent generations."

1939Tina Turner, American-Swiss singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (died 2023)^[†]

Tina Turner was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", Turner's vocal prowess, dynamic voice and electrifying stage presence helped to break racial gender barriers in rock music. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 100 million records worldwide.

1939Shelling of Mainila: The Soviet Army orchestrates an incident which is used to justify the start of the Winter War with Finland four days later.^[†]

The Shelling of Mainila, or the Mainila incident, was a military incident on 26 November 1939 in which the Soviet Union's Red Army shelled the Soviet border village of Mainila near Beloostrov. The Soviet Union declared that the fire originated from Finland across the nearby border and claimed to have had losses in personnel. Through that false flag operation, the Soviet Union gained a great propaganda boost and a casus belli for launching the Winter War four days later.