April 26

April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). There are 249 days remaining.

Events

• 1478 - The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de Medici and kill his brother Giuliano[?] during High Mass in the Florence Cathedral.
• 1607 - English colonists establish a colony at Cape Henry, Virginia[?] which becomes the first permanent English settlement in North America.
• 1865 - American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph Johnston[?] surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at Durham Station, North Carolina[?].
• 1865 - Union Cavalry corner John Wilkes Booth and cavalryman Boston Corbett shoots the assassin dead.
• 1937 - Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
• 1962 - The Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
• 1964 - Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
• 1986 - In the Ukraine, one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear plant explodes creating the worlds worst nuclear disaster[?]. 31 are killed directly by the the incident and many thousands more were exposed to significant amounts of radioactive material.
• 1994 - South Africa holds its first multiracial elections.

Births

• 121 - Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (+ 180)
• 1785 - John James Audubon, naturalist, illustrator (+ 1851)
• 1798 - Eugène Delacroix, painter (+ 1863)
• 1888 - Anita Loos[?], writer (+ 1981)
• 1889 - Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austian-born English philosopher (+ 1951)
• 1894 - Rudolf Hess, Nazi official (+ 1987)
• 1895 - Nathaniel Kleitman[?], sleep researcher (+ 1999)
• 1897 - Olga Tschechowa[?], actress (+ 1980)
• 1897 - Douglas Sirk, director (+ 1987)
• 1900 - Charles Richter[?], geophysicist, inventor (+ 1985)
• 1911 - Marianne Hoppe[?], actress
• 1912 - A.E. van Vogt, science fiction writer (+ 2000)
• 1914 - Bernard Malamud, author (+ 1986)
• 1934 - Alan Arkin, actor
• 1935 - Carol Burnett, singer, actress, comedienne
• 1938 - Duane Eddy, musician
• 1940 - Giorgio Moroder, composer
• 1942 - Bobby Rydell[?], singer
• 1947 - Donna DeVarona[?], Olympic gold medalist in swimming, sports journalist, sports activist
• 1956 - Koo Stark, actress
• 1960 - Roger Taylor, musician ("Duran Duran")
• 1961 - Joan Chen[?], actress
• 1963 - Jet Li, martial arts fighter, actor

Deaths

• 1865 - John Wilkes Booth, shot while trying to avoid capture for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• 1892 - Sir Provo William Perry Wallis[?], British Admiral and naval hero, dies at 100
• 1970 - Gypsy Rose Lee, actress
• 1970 - John Knittel[?], dramatist
• 1973 - Irene Ryan[?], actress
• 1984 - Count Basie, musician, composer
• 1986 - Broderick Crawford, actor
• 1989 - Lucille Ball, actress, comedienne
• 1991 - Carmine Coppola[?], composer, conductor
• 1991 - William Andrew Paton[?], accountant and economist, dies at 101
• 1996 - Stirling Silliphant[?], writer, producer

Holidays and observances

January, February, March, April, May, June, July,

August, September, October, November, December