April 26 in history — What Happened Today in History
Curious what April 26 in history holds? From 2025 back through the centuries, our timeline gathers everything that happened on April 26 — events, birthdays and deaths on one cozy page.
On this page, April 26 in history is arranged as a timeline of major events in reverse order, with birthdays and deaths in their own sections, plus a short FAQ about April 26 in history at the bottom.
Major Events on April 26 in History 40
- 2025
A car ramming attack at a Lapu-Lapu Day festival kills 11 people and injures at least 30 in Vancouver, Canada.
- 2015
Nursultan Nazarbayev is re-elected President of Kazakhstan with 97.7% of the vote, one of the biggest vote shares in Kazakhstan's history.
- 2015
Peaceful protesters install the first anti-monument in Mexico, Antimonumento +43, as a call for justice and remembrance to commemorate the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping, later inspiring similar memorials elsewhere in the country and Latin America.
- 2005
Cedar Revolution: 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).
- 2002
Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany, before committing suicide.
- 1999
Outbreak of CIH computer virus.
- 1994
China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.
- 1994
South Africa begins its first multiracial election, which is won by Nelson Mandela's African National Congress.
- 1993
The Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on mission STS-55 to conduct experiments aboard the Spacelab module.
- 1991
Fifty-five tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak's end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year's only F5 tornado.
- 1989
The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.
- 1989
People's Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests.
All entries for April 26（+28）
- 1986
The Chernobyl disaster occurs in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
- 1981
Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open fetal surgery.
- 1970
The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force.
- 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.
- 1966
A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
- 1964
Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
- 1963
In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allow for female participation in elections.
- 1962
NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
- 1962
The British space programme launches its first satellite, the Ariel 1.
- 1960
Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule.
- 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.
- 1956
SS Ideal X, the world's first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas.
- 1954
The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
- 1954
The first clinical trials of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine begin in Fairfax County, Virginia.
- 1945
World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht.
- 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 liberate Baguio as they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
- 1944
Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.
- 1944
World War II: Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete.
- 1943
The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden.
- 1942
Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1,549 Chinese miners dead.
- 1937
Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by the German Condor Legion and the Italian Aviazione Legionaria.
- 1933
The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established by Hermann Göring.
- 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.
- 1923
The Duke of York (the future King George VI) weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
- 1920
Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center Frank Fredrickson scoring seven goals in Canada's 12–1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match.
- 1916
Easter Rising: Battle of Mount Street Bridge.
- 1915
World War I: Italy secretly signs the Treaty of London pledging to join the Allied Powers.
- 1903
Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded.
Famous Birthdays on April 26 in History 25
- 2005
Alex Sarr, French basketball player
- 2001
Thiago Almada, Argentine footballer
- 1997
Kirill Kaprizov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1997
Amber Midthunder, American actress
- 1997
Calvin Verdonk, Indonesian footballer
- 1996
Jordan Pefok, American footballer
- 1994
Daniil Kvyat, Russian racing driver
- 1994
Odysseas Vlachodimos, Greek international footballer
- 1992
Aaron Judge, American baseball player
- 1992
Delon Wright, American basketball player
- 1991
Peter Handscomb, Australian cricketer
- 1991
Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player
All entries for April 26（+13）
- 1990
Jonathan dos Santos, Mexican footballer
- 1990
Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player
- 1990
Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (died 2012)
- 1990
Joey Wendle, American baseball player
- 1989
Melvin Ingram, American football player
- 1989
Kang Daesung, South Korean singer
- 1987
Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer
- 1986
Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer
- 1986
Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner
- 1985
John Isner, American tennis player
- 1983
José María López, Argentinian racing driver
- 1983
Jessica Lynch, American soldier
- 1982
Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter
Notable Deaths on April 26 in History 25
- 2023
Jerry Apodaca, American politician, 24th Governor of New Mexico (born 1934)
- 2022
Klaus Schulze, German composer and musician (born 1947)
- 2017
Jonathan Demme, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (born 1944)
- 2016
Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (born 1937)
- 2015
Jayne Meadows, American actress (born 1919)
- 2015
Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1930)
- 2014
Gerald Guralnik, American physicist and academic (born 1936)
- 2014
Paul Robeson, Jr., American historian and author (born 1927)
- 2014
DJ Rashad, American electronic musician, producer and DJ (born 1979)
- 2013
Jacqueline Brookes, American actress and educator (born 1930)
- 2013
George Jones, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1931)
- 2013
Earl Silverman, Canadian men's rights advocate (born 1948)
All entries for April 26（+13）
- 2012
Terence Spinks, English boxer and trainer (born 1938)
- 2011
Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1950)
- 2010
Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (born 1930)
- 2010
Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (born 1942)
- 2009
Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal investigator and author (born 1920)
- 2008
Árpád Orbán, Hungarian footballer (born 1938)
- 2007
Jack Valenti, American businessman, created the MPAA film rating system (born 1921)
- 2005
Mason Adams, American actor (born 1919)
- 2005
Elisabeth Domitien, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (born 1925)
- 2005
Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (born 1926)
- 2005
Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (born 1917)
- 2004
Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (born 1928)
- 2003
Rosemary Brown, Jamaican-Canadian academic and politician (born 1930)
That is the story of April 26 in history. Bookmark this page and come back next year on April 26 to relive these world-changing moments — or take a random trip through time and see what happened on another day in history.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What happened on April 26 in history?
The biggest event on April 26 in history is: 2025 — A car ramming attack at a Lapu-Lapu Day festival kills 11 people and injures at least 30 in Vancouver, Canada.. In total, 40 major events are recorded for this day.
Who was born on April 26?
25 famous people were born on April 26 in history, the best known being 2005 — Alex Sarr, French basketball player.
Who died on April 26?
25 notable people died on April 26 in history, including 2023 — Jerry Apodaca, American politician, 24th Governor of New Mexico (born 1934).
Why should I read about April 26 in history?
Exploring April 26 in history helps you grasp the day's place in history in just a few minutes: events, birthdays and deaths in one read — perfect for students, teachers and curious minds.
Take a random trip through time
What happened on your birthday?
Enter your date of birth and travel back to the day you were born.