On This Day — April 26

Famous events, births, and deaths from April 26 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

Pick a month

Pick a day in April

42 events · 185 births · 82 deaths recorded for April 26.

🕰️ Notable Events on April 26

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). Wikipedia ↗
2002 — Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot. Wikipedia ↗
1994 — China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1989 — People's Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Fifty-seven people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open fetal surgery. Wikipedia ↗
1970 — The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force. Wikipedia ↗
1966 — The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15-200 are killed. Wikipedia ↗
1966 — A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye. Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1962 — NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon. Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after twelve years of dictatorial rule. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1956 — SS Ideal X, the world's first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas. Wikipedia ↗
1954 — The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army are liberated in Baguio City and they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita. Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt. Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete. Wikipedia ↗
1943 — The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1549 Chinese miners dead. Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe. Wikipedia ↗
1933 — The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1923 — The Duke of York weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey. Wikipedia ↗
1903 — Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded Wikipedia ↗
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. Also the date of Confederate Memorial Day for two states. Wikipedia ↗
1865 — Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Lincoln, in Virginia. Wikipedia ↗
1805 — First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon. Wikipedia ↗
1803 — Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L'Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist. Wikipedia ↗
1802 — Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France, as part of a reconciliary gesture with the factions of the Ancien Régime and to eventually consolidate his own rule. Wikipedia ↗
1794 — Battle of Beaumont during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition. Wikipedia ↗
1777 — Legend tells that Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces Wikipedia ↗
1721 — A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of Tabriz. Wikipedia ↗
1607 — English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia. Wikipedia ↗
1564 — Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown). Wikipedia ↗
1478 — The Pazzi family attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence Cathedral. Wikipedia ↗
1336 — Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on April 26

1994 — Daniil Kvyat, Russian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Aaron Judge, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Lazaros Fotias, Greek footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Will Heard, British singer and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Ignacio Lores Varela, Uruguayan footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Srdjan Pejicic, Canadian/Bosnian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Wojciech Pszczolarski, Polish professional racing cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Melvin Ingram, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Eric Salamat, Filipino basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Ben Spina, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Manuel Viniegra, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Gareth Evans, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner Wikipedia ↗
1985 — John Isner, American tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Andrea Koch Benvenuto, Chilean tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Emily Wickersham, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1983 — José María López, Argentinian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Jessica Lynch, American soldier and POW Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Ms. Dynamite, English rapper and producer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Sandra Schmitt, German skier (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Jordana Brewster, Panamanian-American actress Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Marlon King, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Anna Mucha, Polish actress and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Channing Tatum, American actor and producer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Joe Crede, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Stana Katic, Canadian actress Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Tyler Labine, Canadian actor Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Peter Madsen, Danish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Roxana Saberi, American journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Tom Welling, American actor Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Luigi Panarelli, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Václav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Joey Jordison, American musician, songwriter, record producer Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Geoff Blum, American baseball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Jules Naudet, French-American director and producer Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Chris Perry, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Óscar García Junyent, Spanish footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Jason Bargwanna, Australian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Kiko, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Natrone Means, American football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Jay DeMarcus, American bass player, songwriter, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Dean Austin, English footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; First Lady of the United States; wife of United States President Donald Trump Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Kristen R. Ghodsee, American ethnographer and academic Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, African-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Marianne Jean-Baptiste, English actress and singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Toomas Tõniste, Estonian sailor and politician Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Susannah Harker, English actress Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Kevin James, American actor and comedian Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist, actor, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Colin Scotts, Australian-American football player Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Cornelia Ullrich, German hurdler Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Colin Anderson, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Joan Chen, Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Roger Taylor, English drummer Wikipedia ↗
1959 — John Corabi, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1958 — John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, Scottish racing driver Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer, coach, and manager Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Koo Stark, American actress and photographer Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Kurt Bodewig, German politician Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Tatyana Fomina, Estonian chess player Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Alan Hinkes, English mountaineer and explorer Wikipedia ↗
1951 — John Battle, English politician Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (d. 1995) Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Marilyn Nelson, African-American poet and author Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Alberto Quintano, Chilean footballer Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Howard Davies, English director and producer Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Dick Johnson, Australian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Sylvain Simard, Canadian academic and politician Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Richard Bradshaw, English conductor (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Gary Wright, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect and academic, designed the Therme Vals Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Sharon Carstairs, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Leader of the Government in the Senate Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Bobby Rydell, American singer and actor Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist, political scientist, and academic Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Claudine Auger, French model and actress Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Giorgio Moroder, Italian singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Cliff Watson, English rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Duane Eddy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Maurice Williams, American doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter (Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs) Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Patricia Reilly Giff, American author and educator Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican-American general (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Arno Allan Penzias, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Israr Ahmed, Indian-Pakistani theologian, philosopher, and scholar (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Shirley Cawley, English long jumper Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Frank D'Rone, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Francis Lai, French accordion player and composer Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Michael Smith, English-Canadian biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Paul Almond, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — John Cain Jr., Australian politician, 41st Premier of Victoria Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Roger Moens, Belgian runner and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Richard Mitchell, American author and educator (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Jack Douglas, English actor (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Granny Hamner, American baseball player (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1926 — Michael Mathias Prechtl, German soldier and illustrator (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Vladimir Boltyansky, Russian mathematician, educator and author Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Michele Ferrero, Italian entrepreneur (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Frank Hahn, British economist (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — J. C. Holt, English historian and academic (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Margaret Scott, South African-Australian ballerina and choreographer Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1918 — Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter and long jumper (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (d. 1992) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect, designed the National Gallery of Art and Bank of China Tower Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Eyvind Earle, American artist, author, and illustrator (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Ken Wallis, English commander, engineer, and pilot (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Morris West, Australian author and playwright (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — Bernard Malamud, Jewish American novelist and short story writer (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — James Rouse, American real estate developer (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
1912 — A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1911 — Paul Verner, German soldier and politician (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
1910 — Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese screenwriter and producer (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1909 — Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Ilias Tsirimokos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968) Wikipedia ↗
1904 — Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (d. 1991) Wikipedia ↗
1904 — Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1900 — Eva Aschoff, German bookbinder and calligrapher (d. 1969) [1] Wikipedia ↗
1900 — Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (d. 1985) Wikipedia ↗
1900 — Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948) Wikipedia ↗
1899 — Oscar Rabin, Latvian-English saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1958) Wikipedia ↗
1898 — Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984) Wikipedia ↗
1898 — Eddie Eagan, American boxer and bobsledder (d. 1967) Wikipedia ↗
1898 — John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (d. 1972) Wikipedia ↗
1897 — Douglas Sirk, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987) Wikipedia ↗
1896 — Ruut Tarmo, Estonian actor and director (d. 1967) Wikipedia ↗
1896 — Ernst Udet, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941) Wikipedia ↗
1894 — Rudolf Hess, Egyptian-German politician (d. 1987) Wikipedia ↗
1889 — Anita Loos, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981) Wikipedia ↗
1889 — Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1951) Wikipedia ↗
1886 — Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939) Wikipedia ↗
1886 — Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (d. 1913) Wikipedia ↗
1879 — Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959) Wikipedia ↗