Today in History: September 26, 1988 — Ben Johnson fails dope test

1988 - Olympic 100 metres champion Ben Johnson of Canada has failed a dope test, an official of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) medical commission said in Seoul. Professor Gustavo Tuccine said Johnson, who emerged as the star of the games with his devastating world record of 9.79 seconds in the final, had tested positive for an anabolic steroid. Johnson is the seventh athlete caught for doping and by far the most prominent.

Other major events on September 26

1777 - British troops occupy Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

1907 - New Zealand becomes a self-governing dominion within the British Commonwealth.

1962 - Imam Badr is driven from power in Yemen, ending a more than 1,000-year-old dynasty.

1984 - Britain and China ink agreement that will return Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997.

2011 - Emirati footballer Diab Awana is killed in a road accident in Abu Dhabi.

2014 - India and China agree to end border face-off.

2017 - Saudi Arabia issues a decree to allow women to drive cars.