April 26 facts for kids

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.

April 26th is a day filled with many important events throughout history, from ancient times to modern days. It's a day when famous people were born and passed away, and when big changes happened around the world. Let's explore some of the most interesting moments from this date!

Historic Moments on April 26

Events from Early History (Before 1600)

• 1336 – The famous Italian poet Petrarch climbed Mont Ventoux, a tall mountain in France.
• 1478 – In Florence, Italy, the Pazzi family attacked Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother Giuliano de' Medici during a church service. Sadly, Giuliano was killed.
• 1564 – The famous playwright William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. We don't know his exact birthday, but this is when he was officially welcomed into the church.

Big Events from 1601 to 1900

• 1607 – Colonists from the Virginia Company landed at Cape Henry in what is now the United States. This was an important step in the early settlement of America.
• 1721 – A huge earthquake hit the city of Tabriz in Iran, causing a lot of damage.
• 1777 – A brave 16-year-old girl named Sybil Ludington is said to have ridden about 40 miles (64 km) to warn American soldiers that British forces were coming during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1794 – The Battle of Beaumont took place during a major conflict called the War of the First Coalition in Europe.
• 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader of France, signed an agreement that allowed many French people who had left the country during the French Revolution to return home.
• 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fell from the sky in L'Aigle, France. This event helped scientists understand that meteors really exist.
• 1805 – During the First Barbary War, U.S. Marines captured the city of Derne in North Africa.
• 1865 – John Wilkes Booth, who had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, was found and shot dead by Union soldiers in Virginia.
• 1900 – Large fires destroyed the Canadian cities of Ottawa and Hull. Many people lost their homes.

Recent History (1901 to Today)

• 1903 – The famous Spanish football club Atlético Madrid was founded.
• 1915 – During World War I, Italy secretly signed the Treaty of London, agreeing to join the Allied Powers.
• 1916 – The Battle of Mount Street Bridge happened as part of the Easter Rising in Ireland.
• 1920 – Ice hockey made its first appearance at the Olympic Games in Antwerp. Canada won the gold medal!
• 1923 – The Duke of York (who later became King George VI) married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
• 1925 – Paul von Hindenburg was elected as the president of Germany.
• 1933 – The Gestapo, the secret police force of Nazi Germany, was created.
• 1937 – During the Spanish Civil War, the town of Guernica, Spain, was heavily bombed by German planes.
• 1942 – A terrible mining accident at the Benxihu Colliery in China killed many miners.
• 1943 – The Easter Riots took place in Uppsala, Sweden.
• 1944 – Georgios Papandreou became the leader of the Greek government that was in exile during World War II.
• 1944 – Allied commandos captured German general Heinrich Kreipe in Crete.
• 1945 – Towards the end of World War II, the Battle of Bautzen was one of the last successful German tank attacks.
• 1945 – Also in World War II, Filipino and American troops liberated the city of Baguio from Japanese forces.
• 1954 – The Geneva Conference began, aiming to bring peace to Indochina and Korea.
• 1954 – The first tests of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine began in Fairfax County, Virginia. This was a huge step in fighting polio.
• 1956 – The SS Ideal X, the world's first successful container ship, made its first journey from New Jersey to Texas.
• 1958 – The Royal Blue train made its final trip from Washington, D.C., to New York City. It was the first U.S. passenger train to use electric engines.
• 1960 – Syngman Rhee, the president of South Korea, resigned after many years of ruling.
• 1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashed into the Moon.
• 1962 – The British space programme launched its first satellite, the Ariel 1.
• 1963 – In Libya, changes to the country's rules allowed women to vote in elections.
• 1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined together to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
• 1966 – A strong earthquake hit Tashkent in Soviet Central Asia, causing a lot of damage and leaving many people without homes.
• 1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization officially started. This organization helps protect new inventions and creative works.
• 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison performed the world's first open fetal surgery at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. This was a groundbreaking medical procedure.
• 1986 – The Chernobyl disaster occurred in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. This was a major nuclear accident.
• 1989 – A very deadly tornado hit Bangladesh, causing many deaths and injuries.
• 1989 – The People's Daily newspaper published an editorial that sparked the Tiananmen Square protests in China.
• 1991 – Many tornadoes hit the central United States, including a very powerful F5 tornado in Andover, Kansas.
• 1993 – The Space Shuttle Columbia was launched on a mission to do experiments in space.
• 1994 – China Airlines Flight 140 crashed at Nagoya Airport in Japan, with a great loss of life.
• 1994 – South Africa held its first multiracial election, where people of all races could vote. Nelson Mandela's party won.
• 2005 – Under international pressure, Syria removed its troops from Lebanon, ending its military presence there.
• 2015 – Nursultan Nazarbayev was re-elected as the President of Kazakhstan.

People Born on April 26

Famous Births Before 1600

• 121 – Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor known for his wisdom.
• 1319 – John II of France, a king of France.
• 1575 – Marie de' Medici, who became the Queen of France.

Notable Births from 1601 to 1900

• 1785 – John James Audubon, a French-American artist famous for his detailed paintings of birds.
• 1798 – Eugène Delacroix, a very important French painter.
• 1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, an American designer who helped create many famous parks, including Central Park in New York City.
• 1856 – Joseph Ward, who became the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
• 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, an English physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1886 – Ma Rainey, an American singer-songwriter known as the "Mother of the Blues."
• 1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, an important Austrian-English philosopher.
• 1900 – Charles Francis Richter, an American scientist who created the Richter scale for measuring earthquakes.

Well-Known People Born After 1900

• 1917 – I. M. Pei, a famous Chinese-American architect who designed many modern buildings, like the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
• 1918 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, a Dutch sprinter and long jumper who won many Olympic gold medals.
• 1922 – Jeanne Sauvé, a Canadian journalist and politician who became the Governor General of Canada.
• 1925 – Michele Ferrero, an Italian entrepreneur who created many popular chocolates and sweets.
• 1932 – Michael Smith, a Canadian biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1933 – Carol Burnett, a beloved American actress, comedian, and producer.
• 1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, a German-American physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1938 – Duane Eddy, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1940 – Giorgio Moroder, an Italian singer-songwriter and producer who helped shape electronic music.
• 1942 – Bobby Rydell, an American singer and actor.
• 1943 – Peter Zumthor, a Swiss architect known for his unique and thoughtful designs.
• 1949 – Carlos Bianchi, an Argentinian football player and manager.
• 1958 – Giancarlo Esposito, an American actor and director.
• 1961 – Joan Chen, a Chinese-American actress and director.
• 1963 – Jet Li, a famous Chinese-Singaporean martial artist and actor.
• 1965 – Kevin James, an American actor and comedian.
• 1967 – Glenn Thomas Jacobs, an American professional wrestler and politician.
• 1970 – Melania Trump, the former First Lady of the United States.
• 1970 – Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, an American singer and dancer, famous from the group TLC.
• 1975 – Joey Jordison, an American musician and songwriter, known as the drummer for Slipknot.
• 1977 – Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian astronaut.
• 1977 – Tom Welling, an American actor.
• 1978 – Stana Katic, a Canadian actress.
• 1980 – Jordana Brewster, a Panamanian-American actress.
• 1980 – Channing Tatum, an American actor and producer.
• 1981 – Caro Emerald, a Dutch pop and jazz singer.
• 1985 – John Isner, an American tennis player.
• 1992 – Aaron Judge, an American baseball player.
• 1994 – Daniil Kvyat, a Russian racing driver.

People Who Passed Away on April 26

Deaths Before 1600

• 499 – Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, a Chinese emperor.
• 757 – Pope Stephen II, a leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1478 – Giuliano de' Medici, an Italian ruler who was killed in an attack.

Deaths from 1601 to 1900

• 1716 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, an English judge and politician.
• 1865 – John Wilkes Booth, the American actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Deaths After 1900

• 1910 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, a Norwegian author and poet who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1920 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, a brilliant Indian mathematician.
• 1940 – Carl Bosch, a German chemist and engineer who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1951 – Arnold Sommerfeld, a German physicist.
• 1957 – Gichin Funakoshi, a Japanese martial artist who founded the Shotokan style of karate.
• 1969 – Morihei Ueshiba, a Japanese martial artist who founded the martial art of aikido.
• 1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, an American actress and writer.
• 1976 – Sid James, a South African-English actor.
• 1984 – Count Basie, a famous American jazz pianist and bandleader.
• 1989 – Lucille Ball, a beloved American actress and comedian.
• 1994 – Masutatsu Ōyama, a Japanese martial artist who founded the Kyokushin style of karate.
• 1999 – Jill Dando, an English journalist and television personality.
• 2007 – Jack Valenti, an American businessman who helped create the MPAA film rating system.
• 2013 – George Jones, a famous American country music singer-songwriter.
• 2017 – Jonathan Demme, an American filmmaker and producer.
• 2022 – Klaus Schulze, a German composer and musician.

Special Days and Celebrations

• Chernobyl disaster related observances:
  • Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
  • Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
• Christian feast day:
  • Aldobrandesca
  • Franca Visalta
  • Lucidius of Verona
  • Our Lady of Good Counsel
  • Pope Anacletus and Marcellinus
  • Rafael Arnáiz Barón
  • Riquier
  • Paschasius Radbertus
  • Peter of Rates (or of Braga)
  • Robert Hunt (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Stephen of Perm, also known as Old Permic Alphabet Day
  • Trudpert
  • April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
• Union Day (Tanzania)
• World Intellectual Property Day

See also

In Spanish: 26 de abril para niños