26 December - Indira Gandhi was released from jail in 1978

 

It's not common in India for a Prime Minister to be jailed. However, the political and social scenario in the late 1970s forced the Indian judicial system to apprehend the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on charges of "planning the killing of all opposition leaders in jail during the Emergency."

Indira Gandhi's arrest triggered nationwide strikes and protests. The Congress party supporters demanded her immediate release. They even hijacked an Air India flight in protest of their leader's arrest. In the face of such national unrest, Gandhi was freed from prison on the night of December 26, after spending one week in detention for breach of privilege and contempt of the Indian Parliament. 

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/indira-gandhi-released-from-jail-839095-2016-12-26

26 December - Tsunami in 2004

 

On 26 December 2004 a earthquake of 9.3 magnitude creates a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives and edges of the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people.

26 December - Boxing Day

 

Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day, occuring on the second day of Christmastide. Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. Boxing Day is on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or one or two days later (if necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday).

In parts of Europe, such as Catalonia,Czechia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia[4] and Scandinavia, 26 December is celebrated as a second Christmas Day.