Discover what happened on April 26 in history, along with notable events that shaped disaster response, culture, and everyday safety.
What Happened on April 26 in History?
From the worst nuclear disaster in history to the opening of an iconic nightclub and a major shift in vehicle safety laws, April 26 highlights moments that impacted lives in very different ways.
APRIL 26 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1514 – Copernicus made his first observations of Saturn.
1607 – The British established an American colony at Cape Henry, VA. It was the first permanent English establishment in the Western Hemisphere.
1865 – Union cavalry troopers cornered and shot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, near Bowling Green, VA.
1906 – In Hawaii, motion pictures were shown for the first time.
1921 – Weather broadcasts were heard for the first time on radio in St. Louis, MO.
1931 – New York Yankee Lou Gehrig hit a home run but was called out for passing a runner.
1941 – The Chicago Cubs became the first baseball team to install an organ in their ballpark.
1962 – NASA’s Ranger 4 spacecraft crashed into the Moon.
1963 – The state of Michigan started to require seatbelts in all new vehicles.
1964 – The Boston Celtics won their sixth consecutive NBA title. They won two more before the streak came to an end.
1968 – Students seized the administration building at Ohio State University.
1975 – B.J. Thomas had the longest title of a number one song at the top of the “Billboard” popular music chart. The song was “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.”
1977 – Studio 54 opened in New York, NY.
1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performed the world’s first human open fetal surgery.
1983 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 1,200 for first time.
1991 – The TV show “Dinosaurs”, featuring a family of dinosaurs named Sinclair, debuted on ABC. It would run until its final episode on October 19, 1994.
1993 – It was announced that Conan O’Brien would succeed David Letterman as host of NBC’s “Late Night” show.
1986 – The world’s worst nuclear disaster to date occurred at the Chernobyl in the Soviet Union. Thirty-one people died in the incident and thousands more were exposed to radioactive material.
2000 – Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar purchased the NHL’s New York Islanders.
2002 – The Senate and House agreed on the Farm Bill. The measure, the cost of which topped $100 billion, increased subsidies to farmers and fund conservation programs.
2011 – The very first episode of TV’s “The Voice” aired on NBC.
2018 – Comedian/actor Bill Cosby was found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. The guilty verdict came on the second day of jury deliberations in a Montgomery County, PA Courthouse. Each charge carried a potential sentence of ten years in prison.
2019 – Marvel Studios’ blockbuster film, “Avengers: Endgame”, was released. The film had a budget of $356 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made. It went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, surpassing the previous box office record of “Avatar”.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON APRIL 26:
Carol Burnett – 93 years old (1933) – Actress, singer, and producer
Maurice Williams – 88 years old (1938) – Doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter
Marilyn Nelson – 80 years old (1946) – Poet and author
Koo Stark – 70 years old (1956) – Actress and photographer
Giancarlo Esposito – 68 years old (1958) – Actor, director, and producer
John Corabi – 67 years old (1959) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Steve Lombardozzi – 66 years old (1960) – Baseball player and coach
Joan Chen – 65 years old (1961) – Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
Chris Mars – 65 years old (1961) – Artist
Debra Wilson – 64 years old (1962) – Actress and comedian
Colin Scotts – 63 years old (1963) – Australian-American football player
Kevin James – 61 years old (1965) – Actor and comedian
Glenn Thomas Jacobs – 59 years old (1967) – Professional wrestler, actor, businessman and politician
Melania Trump – 56 years old (1970) – Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States
Kristen R. Ghodsee – 56 years old (1970) – Ethnographer and academic
Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins – 56 years old (1970) – Singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
Jay DeMarcus – 55 years old (1971) – Bass player, songwriter, and producer
Natrone Means – 54 years old (1972) – Football player and coach
Geoff Blum – 53 years old (1973) – Baseball player and sportscaster
Jules Naudet – 53 years old (1973) – French-American director and producer
Roxana Saberi – 49 years old (1977) – Journalist and author
Tom Welling – 49 years old (1977) – Actor
Jordana Brewster – 46 years old (1980) – Panamanian-American actress
Channing Tatum – 46 years old (1980) – Actor and producer
Jessica Lynch – 43 years old (1983) – Soldier
John Isner – 41 years old (1985) – Tennis player
Melvin Ingram – 37 years old (1989) – Football player
Joey Wendle – 36 years old (1990) – Baseball player
Aaron Judge – 34 years old (1992) – Baseball player
Delon Wright – 34 years old (1992) – Basketball player
Jordan Pefok – 30 years old (1996) – Footballer
Amber Midthunder – 29 years old (1997) – Actress
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR APRIL 26:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
