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Revision as of 22:01, 12 May 2008

April 26 is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 249 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 1467 - The miraculous image of Our Lady of Good Counsel appears in Genazzano, Italy.
• 1478 - The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in the Duomo of Florence.
• 1607 - English colonists of the Jamestown settlement make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
• 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 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 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, President Lincoln's assassin, 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.
• 1933 - The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
• 1937 - Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
• 1945 - World War II: Battle of Bautzen - last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
• 1946 - Father Divine, a controversial religious leader who claims to be God, marries the much-younger Edna Rose Ritchings, a celebrated anniversary in the International Peace Mission movement.
• 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
• 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.
• 1966 - An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 destroys Tashkent.
• 1982 - 57 people are killed by former Korean police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.
• 1986 - In Ukraine, a nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.
• 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 - A China Airlines Airbus A300-600R crashes at Nagoya Airport, Japan killing 264.
• 1994 - Physicists announce first evidence of the top quark subatomic particle.
• 2002 - Robert Steinhäuser 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.
• 2007 - Queen's Pier is officially closed by the Hong Kong Government, after a bitter struggle by conservationists, in order to facilitate land reclamation in Hong Kong's Central district

Births

• 121 - Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (d. 180)
• 570 - Muhammed, founder of Islam, according to the Shi'a sect. Other sources suggest April 20.
• 1538 - Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter (d. 1600)
• 1564 - William Shakespeare, English poet and playwright (d. 1616)
• 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, Scottish philosopher (d. 1796)
• 1711 - David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1776)
• 1718 - Esek Hopkins, American Revolutionary War admiral (d. 1802)
• 1774 - Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist (d. 1853)
• 1782 - Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies, queen of France (d. 1866)
• 1785 - John James Audubon, French-American naturalist and illustrator (d. 1851)
• 1787 - Ludwig Uhland, German poet (d. 1862)
• 1798 - James Beckwourth, American explorer (d. 1867)
• 1798 - Eugène 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 Guízar Valencia, Mexican Catholic bishop
• 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)
• 1893 - Draza Mihajlovic, Serbian WWII hero and war criminal (d. 1946)
• 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, Scottish filmmaker (d. 1972)
• 1900 - Charles Richter, American geophysicist (d. 1985)
• 1900 - Hack Wilson, American baseball player (d. 1948)
• 1904 - Paul-Émile Léger, Quebec 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)
• 1917 - I.M. Pei, Chinese-born architect
• 1917 - Sal Maglie, baseball player (d. 1992)
• 1918 - Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete (d. 2004)
• 1918 - Stafford Repp, American actor (d. 1974)
• 1922 - Jeanne Sauvé, French Canadian politician (d. 1993)
• 1925 - Jørgen Ingmann, Danish musician
• 1926 - David Coleman, British TV sports broadcaster
• 1926 - Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator (d. 2003)
• 1927 - Jack Douglas, English actor
• 1929 - Richard Mitchell, American author and professor (d. 2002)
• 1932 - Michael Smith, English-born chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2000)
• 1932 - Francis Lai, French film music composer
• 1933 - Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican activist (d. 2005)
• 1933 - Carol Burnett, American comedian
• 1933 - Arno Allan Penzias, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate
• 1938 - Duane Eddy, American musician
• 1938 - Maurice Williams, American singer (The Zodiacs)
• 1940 - Giorgio Moroder, Italian composer
• 1940 - Cliff Watson, English 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
• 1943 - Gary Wright, American singer
• 1943 - Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect
• 1944 - Amien Rais, Indonesian politician
• 1945 - Sylvain Simard, Quebec politician
• 1947 - Warren Clarke, English actor
• 1949 - Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer
• 1949 - Jerry Blackwell, wrestler (d. 1995)
• 1949 - Dominic Sena, American film director
• 1955 - Mike Scott, American baseball player
• 1956 - Koo Stark, American actress
• 1958 - Giancarlo Esposito, American actor
• 1958 - Jeffrey Guterman, American mental health counselor
• 1959 - Thanassis Papakonstantinou, Greek singer and songwriter
• 1960 - Roger Taylor, English 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, English footballer
• 1962 - Michael Damian, American actor, singer and producer
• 1962 - Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
• 1963 - Jet Li, Chinese martial artist
• 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 - Glen Jacobs, American professional wrestler
• 1970 - Melania Trump, Slovenian model
• 1970 - Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, American singer (TLC)
• 1971 - Jay DeMarcus, American bassist (Rascal Flatts)
• 1972 - Kiko Narváez, Spanish footballer
• 1972 - Jason Bargwanna, Australian racing driver
• 1973 - Chris Perry, English footballer
• 1974 - Ivana Milicevic, Croatian-American actress
• 1974 - Adil Ray, English radio presenter (BBC Asian Network)
• 1975 - Nathan "Joey" Jordison, American musician (Slipknot)
• 1975 - Nerina Pallot, British singer
• 1976 - Vaclav Varada, Czech ice hockey player
• 1977 - Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player
• 1977 - Tom Welling, American actor
• 1977 - Chris Johnston, Irish rugby player
• 1977 - Jason Earles, American actor
• 1978 - Avant, American singer
• 1978 - Joe Crede, American baseball player
• 1978 - Peter Madsen, Danish footballer
• 1979 - Janne Wirman, Finnish musician (Children of Bodom)
• 1979 - Ariane Moffatt, Quebec singer and songwriter
• 1980 - Jordana Brewster, American actress
• 1980 - Anna Mucha, Polish actress
• 1980 - Channing Tatum, American actor
• 1981 - Matthieu Delpierre, French footballer
• 1981 - Ms. Dynamite, English musician
• 1982 - Joanne Gobure, Nauruan poet
• 1982 - Brock Gillespie, American basketball player
• 1982 - Jon Lee, British singer (S Club)
• 1982 - Cooper Wallace, National Football League tight end
• 1983 - José María López, Argentine racing driver
• 1983 - Jessica Lynch, American P.O.W.
• 1984 - Lee Humphrey, American basketball player
• 1984 - Mija Martina, Bosnian singer
• 1985 - John Isner, American Tennis player
• 1985 - Nam Gyu-Ri, Korean singer, member of See Ya
• 1987 - Jessica Lee Rose, American-born New Zealand actress, famous YouTube star lonelygirl15

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)
• 1865 - John Wilkes Booth, American actor and assassin (shot) (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 - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian author, Nobel laureate (b. 1832)
• 1920 - Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (b. 1887)
• 1932 - William Lockwood, English 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)
• 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)
• 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 African-born British comedian (b. 1913)
• 1980 - Cicely Courtneidge, English 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 (stroke) (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 (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, English musician (The Sound) (b. 1957)
• 1999 - Jill Dando, British television presenter (b.1961)
• 2002 - Robert Steinhäuser 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)

Holidays and observances

• Tanzania - Union Day.
• Florida and Georgia, USA - Confederate Memorial Day.
• World Intellectual Property Day (since 2001).

In the Roman Catholic Church:

• Our Lady of Good Counsel
• Saint Alda (d. 1309)
• Richarius or Riquier (d. 643)
• Paschasius (d. 865)
• Saint Cletus (Pope Anacletus) and Marcellinus (Popes and martyrs)
• Lucidius (4th century)
• Trudpert (Irish monk martyred in Germany in 607).

In the Russian Orthodox Church:

• Stephen of Perm - also Old Permic Alphabet Day

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

• April