From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
April 26 is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 249 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 1336 Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux
- 1478 The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in the Duomo of Florence.
- 1607 English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
- 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious ιmigrιs of the French Revolution to return to France, as part of a reconciliary gesture with the factions of the Ancien Regime and to eventually consolidate his own rule.
- 1805 United States Marines captured Derne, Tripoli under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon.
- 1865 American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina.
- 1865 Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Lincoln, in Virginia.
- 1925 Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
- 1928 Los Angeles City Hall dedicated.
- 1933 The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
- 1937 Spanish Civil War: Guernica (or Gernika in Basque, Spain is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
- 1942 The Benxihu Colliery accident occurs in Manchukuo : 1549 Chinese miners are dead.
- 1944 Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.
- 1945 World War II: Battle of Bautzen last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
- 1954 The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
- 1956 First container ship left Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas.
- 1958 Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
- 1962 NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
- 1963 In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections.
- 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
- 1965 A Rolling Stones concert in London, Ontario is shut down by police after 15 minutes due to rioting.
- 1966 An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 destroys Tashkent.
- 1966 A new government is formed in the Republic of Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
- 1970 The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force
- 1982 57 people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.
- 1986 A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.
- 1989 The deadliest tornado in world history strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.
- 1991 Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak's end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year's only F5 tornado (see Andover, Kansas Tornado Outbreak).
- 1994 China Airlines flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.
- 1994 Physicists announce first evidence of the top quark subatomic particle.
- 2002 Robert Steinhδuser infiltrates and kills 17 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
- 2005 Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country ( Syrian occupation of Lebanon ).
[edit] Births
- 121 Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (d. 180)
- 570 Muhammed, founder of Islam, according to the Shi'a sect. Other sources suggest April 20. (d. 632)
- 1538 Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter (d. 1600)
- 1573 Marie de' Medici, wife of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
- 1648 King Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
- 1662 Maria Luisa of Orleans, queen consort of Spain (d. 1689)
- 1710 Thomas Reid, British philosopher (d. 1796)
- 1718 Esek Hopkins, Commander of the US Navy during the Revolutionary War (d. 1802)
- 1774 Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist (d. 1853)
- 1782 Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies, Queen Consort of the French (d. 1866)
- 1785 John James Audubon, French-American naturalist and illustrator (d. 1851)
- 1787 Ludwig Uhland, German poet (d. 1862)
- 1798 Eugθne Delacroix, French painter (d. 1863)
- 1801 Ambrose Dudley Mann, American diplomat (d. 1889)
- 1804 Charles Goodyear, American politician (d. 1876)
- 1812 Alfred Krupp, German industrialist (d. 1887)
- 1822 Frederick Law Olmsted, American landscape architect (d. 1903)
- 1826 George Hull Ward, American general (d. 1863)
- 1826 Ambrose R. Wright, American Civil War General (d. 1872)
- 1856 Sir Joseph Ward, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
- 1878 Saint Rafael Guνzar Valencia, Mexican Catholic bishop (d. 1938)
- 1879 Owen Willans Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1886 Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
- 1886 Ğabdulla Tuqay, Tatar poet (d. 1913)
- 1888 Anita Loos, American writer (d. 1981)
- 1889 Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-born philosopher (d. 1951)
- 1894 Rudolf Hess, Nazi official (d. 1987)
- 1896 Ernst Udet, WWI pilot and film actor, Luftwaffe officer (d. 1941)
- 1897 Eddie Eagan, American sportsman (d. 1967)
- 1897 Douglas Sirk, German-born film director (d. 1987)
- 1898 Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1984)
- 1898 John Grierson, British filmmaker (d. 1972)
- 1900 Charles Richter, American geophysicist (d. 1985)
- 1900 Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948)
- 1904 Paul-Ιmile Lιger, Canadian cardinal and archbishop (d. 1991)
- 1910 Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese movie producer and creator of Godzilla (d. 1997)
- 1911 Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
- 1912 A. E. van Vogt, Canadian writer (d. 2000)
- 1914 Bernard Malamud, American author (d. 1986)
- 1914 James W. Rouse, American investor (d. 1996)
- 1916 Morris West, Australian writer (d. 1999)
- 1916 Vic Perrin, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1916 George Tuska, American comic book illustrator (d. 2009)
- 1917 Sal Maglie, American baseball player (d. 1992)
- 1917 I.M. Pei, Chinese-born architect
- 1918 Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete (d. 2004)
- 1918 Stafford Repp, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1922 Jeanne Sauvι, Canadian politician (d. 1993)
- 1924 H. Browning Ross, American long-distance running Olympian (d. 1998)
- 1925 Jψrgen Ingmann, Danish musician
- 1926 David Coleman, British TV sports broadcaster
- 1926 Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator (d. 2003)
- 1927 Jack Douglas, British actor (d. 2008)
- 1929 Richard Mitchell, American author and professor (d. 2002)
- 1930 Roger Moens, Belgian athlete
- 1932 Francis Lai, French film music composer
- 1932 Michael Smith, British-born chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2000)
- 1932 Israr Ahmed, Pakistani Muslim religious scholar (d. 2010)
- 1933 Carol Burnett, American comedian
- 1933 Arno Allan Penzias, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1933 Filiberto Ojeda Rνos, Puerto Rican activist (d. 2005)
- 1938 Duane Eddy, American musician
- 1938 Wolf Kahler, German actor
- 1940 Giorgio Moroder, Italian composer
- 1940 Cliff Watson, British rugby league footballer
- 1941 Claudine Clark, American R&B singer-composer
- 1941 John Mitchell, American composer
- 1942 Claudine Auger, French actress
- 1942 Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat
- 1942 Bobby Rydell, American singer
- 1942 Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist
- 1943 Gary Wright, American singer
- 1943 Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect
- 1944 Amien Rais, Indonesian politician
- 1945 Sylvain Simard, Canadian politician
- 1947 Warren Clarke, British actor
- 1949 Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer
- 1949 Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (d. 1995)
- 1949 Dominic Sena, American film director
- 1952 Spice Williams-Crosby, American actress and stunt performer
- 1954 Alan Hinkes, British mountaineer
- 1955 Kurt Bodewig, German politician
- 1955 Mike Scott, American baseball player
- 1956 Koo Stark, American actress
- 1958 John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute
- 1958 Giancarlo Esposito, American actor
- 1958 Jeffrey Guterman, American mental health counselor
- 1958 Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer
- 1959 John Corabi, American musician
- 1959 Thanassis Papakonstantinou, Greek singer and songwriter
- 1960 Roger Taylor, British musician (Duran Duran)
- 1960 Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player
- 1961 Joan Chen, Chinese-born actress
- 1961 Anthony Cumia, American radio personality (The Opie and Anthony Show)
- 1961 Chris Mars, American rock drummer (The Replacements)
- 1962 Colin Anderson, British footballer
- 1962 Michael Damian, American actor, singer and producer
- 1962 Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
- 1963 Li Lianjie/Jet Li, Chinese martial artist and actor
- 1963 Colin Scotts, Australian-born American football player
- 1965 Kevin James, American comedian
- 1966 Yoshihiro Togashi, Mangaka who created YuYu Hakusho
- 1967 Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Academy Award nominated British actress
- 1967 Glenn Jacobs, American professional wrestler
- 1969 Teresa Lewis, American murderer (d. 2010)
- 1970 Melania Trump, Slovenian model
- 1970 Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, American singer (TLC)
- 1971 Shondrella Avery, American actress
- 1971 Jay DeMarcus, American bassist (Rascal Flatts)
- 1972 Jason Bargwanna, Australian racing driver
- 1972 Kiko Narvαez, Spanish footballer
- 1972 Avi Nimni, Israeli Footballer
- 1973 Chris Perry, British footballer
- 1974 Ivana Milicevic, Croatian-American actress
- 1974 Adil Ray, British radio presenter (BBC Asian Network)
- 1975 Nathan "Joey" Jordison, American musician (Slipknot)
- 1975 Nerina Pallot, British singer
- 1976 Luigi Panarelli, Italian footballer
- 1976 Vαclav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player
- 1977 Jason Earles, American actor
- 1977 Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player
- 1977 Chris Johnston, Irish rugby player
- 1977 Tom Welling, American actor
- 1978 Avant, American singer
- 1978 Joe Crede, American baseball player
- 1978 Peter Madsen, Danish footballer
- 1978 Tyler Labine, Canadian actor
- 1978 Stana Katic, Canadian actress
- 1979 Ariane Moffatt, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1979 Janne Wirman, Finnish musician (Children of Bodom)
- 1980 Jordana Brewster, American actress
- 1980 Marlon King, Jamaican footballer
- 1980 Anna Mucha, Polish actress
- 1980 Channing Tatum, American actor
- 1980 Marnette Patterson, American actress, famous YouTube star LG15: The Resistance
- 1981 Matthieu Delpierre, French footballer
- 1981 Ms. Dynamite, British musician
- 1982 Joanne Gobure, Nauruan poet
- 1982 Brock Gillespie, American basketball player
- 1982 Jon Lee, British singer (S Club)
- 1982 Cooper Wallace, American football player
- 1983 Josι Marνa Lσpez, Argentine racing driver
- 1983 Jessica Lynch, American P.O.W.
- 1985 John Isner, American tennis player
- 1985 Nam Gyu-Ri, Korean singer (See Ya)
- 1987 Jarmila Groth, Slovakian/Australian tennis player
- 1987 Jessica Lee Rose, American/New Zealand actress
- 1988 Kimber James, American transsexual pornographic actress
- 1989 Daesung, Korean singer (Big Bang)
- 1992 Danielle Hope, English Actress/singer
[edit] Deaths
- 1192 Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
- 1444 Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
- 1476 Simonetta Vespucci, inspiration of Botticelli (b. 1453)
- 1478 Giuliano di Piero de' Medici, ruler of Florence (assassinated) (b. 1453)
- 1489 Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shogun (b. 1465)
- 1716 John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1651)
- 1784 Nano Nagle, Irish convent founder (b. 1718)
- 1789 Count Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian soldier (b. 1721)
- 1852 Charles Athanase Walckenaer, French naturalist (b. 25 December 1771)
- 1865 John Wilkes Booth, American assassin (b. 1838)
- 1881 Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (b. 1815)
- 1892 Sir Provo Wallis, British Admiral and naval hero (b. 1791)
- 1910 Bjψrnstjerne Bjψrnson, Norwegian author, Nobel laureate (b. 1832)
- 1915 John Bunny, silent film comedian (b. 1863)
- 1920 Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (b. 1887)
- 1932 William Lockwood, British cricketer (b. 1868)
- 1936 Tammany Young, American actor (b. 1886)
- 1938 Edmund Husserl, Austrian philosopher (b. 1859)
- 1940 Carl Bosch, German chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1874)
- 1944 Violette Morris, French athlete (b. 1893)
- 1945 Pavlo Skoropadsky, Ukrainian politician and general (b. 1871)
- 1945 Sigmund Rascher, Nazi doctor (b. 1909)
- 1946 Jim White, discoverer of Carlsbad Caverns (b. 1882)
- 1950 G. Murray Hulbert, American politician (b. 1881)
- 1951 Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist (b. 1868)
- 1956 Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
- 1957 Gichin Funakoshi, Father of Japanese Shotokan Karatedo (b. 1868)
- 1964 E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet born Newfoundland (b. 1882)
- 1968 John Heartfield, German artist (b. 1891)
- 1969 Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist and founder of aikido (b. 1883)
- 1970 Erik Bergman, Lutheran pastor (b. 1886)
- 1970 Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress (b. 1911)
- 1972 Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (b. 1892)
- 1973 Irene Ryan, American actress (b. 1902)
- 1976 Sid James, South Africanborn British comedian (b. 1913)
- 1980 Cicely Courtneidge, British actress and comedian (b. 1893)
- 1981 Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
- 1984 Count Basie, American musician and composer (b. 1904)
- 1986 Broderick Crawford, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1986 Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
- 1986 Bessie Love, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1987 John Ernest Silkin, British politician (b. 1923)
- 1987 Shankar, Of Noted Bollywood Music Director Duo Shankar-Jaikishan (b. 1922)
- 1989 Lucille Ball, American actress and comedian (b. 1911)
- 1991 Leo Arnaud, French-American composer (b. 1904)
- 1991 Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor, father of Francis Ford Coppola(b. 1910)
- 1991 Emily McLaughlin, American actress (b. 1928)
- 1991 Richard Hatfield, Canadian politician (b. 1931)
- 1994 Masutatsu Oyama, Founder of Japanese Kyokushin Karate (b. 1927)
- 1996 Stirling Silliphant, American writer and producer (b. 1918)
- 1999 Adrian Borland, British musician (The Sound) (b. 1957)
- 1999 Jill Dando, British television presenter (b. 1961)
- 2002 Robert Steinhδuser German spree killer (b. 1983)
- 2003 Rosemary Brown, Canadian politician (b. 1930)
- 2003 Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist (b. 1904)
- 2003 Peter Stone, American writer (b. 1930)
- 2004 Hubert Selby Jr., American author (b. 1928)
- 2005 Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
- 2005 Maria Schell, Swiss-Austrian actress (b. 1926)
- 2005 Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan author (b. 1917)
- 2007 Jack Valenti, American political advisor and film executive (b. 1921)
- 2009 Hans Holzer, American paranormal researcher (b. 1920)
[edit] Holidays and observances