On This Day 2026
Hello, … and welcome to day 116 of the year.

Sunday, April 26th

Today is London Marathon, Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day, Alien (film) Day, World Burlesque Day and National No Makeup Day. Your star sign is Taurus and your birthstone is Diamond.
Did you know: All Fools’ Day, also known as April Fools’ Day is a day for practical jokes and hoaxes, but only until 12 noon. The earliest recorded association between 1st April and foolishness can be found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392).
Today’s birthdays
1927 – 2008 – Jack Douglas, English comedy actor starring in 11 Carry On films including Carry On Dick and Carry On Girls.

1943 – Tony Murray (83), Irish musician and former backing vocalist and Bassist for the Troggs (“Wild Thing”), born in Dublin, Ireland.

1960 – Roger Taylor (66), English musician, and the drummer of the band Duran Duran (“Hungry Like the Wolf”, “The Reflex”), born in Nechells, Birmingham.
1963 – Jet Li (63), Chinese-born Singaporean martial artist and actor (The Expendables, Cradle 2 the Grave, Lethal Weapon 4), born in Beijing, China.
1965 – Kevin James (61), American comedy actor (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The King of Queens, Grown Ups), born in Mineola, New York, United States.
1968 – Daniela Nardini (58), Scottish actress (This Life, Undercover Heart, Reckless), born in Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
1970 – Ruth-Ann Boyle (56), English singer and co-founder of the British band Olive (“You’re Not Alone”), born in Sunderland, Tyne-and-Wear.
1970 – Melania Trump (56), Slovenian and American former model serving as the first lady of the United States since 2025 (and from 2017 to 2021), born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.
1974 – Adil Ray (51), British actor (Citizen Khan, Ackley Bridge) and television presenter (Good Morning Britain, Lingo), born in Birmingam.
1978 – Pablo Schreiber (48), Canadian actor (13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Den of Thieves, Halo), born in Ymir, British Columbia, Canada.
1980 – Channing Tatum (46), American actor (Coach Carter, 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike, White House Down), born in Cullman, Alabama, United States.
1980 – Jordana Brewster (46), American actress (The Faculty), best known for her role as Mia Toretto in the Fast and Furious film franchise, born in Panama City, Panama.
1981 – Ms Dynamite (45), English singer and rapper, (“Dy-Na-Mi-Tee”) and winner of two Brit Awards, a Mercury Prize and three MOBO Awards, born in Archway, London.
1982 – Jonathan Lee (44), English singer and the youngest member of S Club 7 (“Bring it all Back”, “Don’t Stop Movin’”), born in Ipplepen, Devon.
Famous deaths
1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee (b. 1911), American burlesque entertainer, stripper and actress (Gypsy).

1976 – Sid James (b. 1913), South African born English actor (Bless This House) best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series.

1980 – Cicely Courtneidge (b. 1893), Australian-born British actress (The Very Merry Widow) appearing in the first series of On The Buses as Mabel Butler (Mum).
1999 – Jill Dando (b. 1961), English journalist, television presenter (Crimewatch) and newsreader (BBC).
The day today
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.

1923 – The marriage of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later ‘the Queen Mother’) to the Duke of York (later King George VI) at Westminster Abbey in London. It was the first royal wedding at the abbey since 1383. The newly formed British Broadcasting Company wanted to record and broadcast the event on radio, but the Abbey Chapter vetoed the idea.

1954 – Mass trials of Jonas Salk’s anti-polio vaccine, known as the Francis Field Trial, officially began and was the largest medical experiment in history at the time, involving approximately 1.8 million children. Known as “Polio Pioneers,” these children spanned 44 U.S. states, as well as parts of Canada and Finland.
1962 – Ariel 1, the first British-American joint satellite, was launched on April 26, 1962, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.Often described as the “first international satellite,” Ariel 1 was a collaborative effort between the United States and the United Kingdom, designed to study the ionosphere and its interaction with solar radiation.
1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. This union was formed shortly after Tanganyika gained independence (1961) and Zanzibar underwent a revolution (1964). Later that same year, on October 29, 1964, the country was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.
1966 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Munich, West Germany, the right to host the 1972 Summer Olympics. Munich was selected over bids from Detroit, Madrid, and Montreal, marking the first time Germany hosted the Olympic Games since 1936. The 1972 Munich Games are most notably remembered for the tragic hostage incident, where 11 Israeli team members were killed.
1975 – Labour Party members voted by almost 2-1 to leave the EEC, underlining the deep divisions over the issue of Europe. But on 6th June in the same year British voters backed the UK’s continued membership by a large majority in the country’s first nationwide referendum.

1984 – The re-opening of the reconstructed Cavern Club in Liverpool and is located next to the original Club. In the early 1960s the Cavern Club became the most publicised pop music venue in the world, with regular performances from the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer, Cilla Black and many more 60s groups and solo singers.

1986 – The Chernobyl power plant located near Pripyat in Ukraine exploded, killing 31 people (two people died instantly from the explosion, and 28 firefighters and emergency workers died of Acute Radiation Syndrome in the following months), and releasing massive amounts of radioactivity, causing widespread contamination. Over 100,000 people were evacuated from a 30 km exclusion zone, and radioactive contamination was detected across much of Europe, particularly affecting Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
1989 – Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland held their first annual pig race watched by over 7,000 people. One punter won £200 on the favourite, Porky’s Revenge, and the bookies handed the remainder of their money to the charity People in Need.
1991 – Argentine football star Diego Maradona was arrested in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on charges of possessing and distributing illegal narcotics. This arrest occurred just weeks after he was suspended from professional football for testing positive for cocaine.
1999 – Beloved BBC presenter and Crimewatch host Jill Dando was shot dead on her doorstep in Fulham, London, sparking the Metropolitan Police’s largest-ever murder inquiry, (Operation Oxborough). Despite a massive investigation and the temporary conviction of a local man (Barry George), the case remains unsolved over two decades later.
2000 – The Home Secretary, Jack Straw, witnessed nine people being caught attempting to illegally enter the UK as he inspected immigration procedures in Dover.

2010 – “Iron Man 2”, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, premieres in Los Angeles at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. The premiere was relocated to Los Angeles from London’s Vue Westfield following flight cancellations caused by an Icelandic volcanic eruption.

2014 – The only surviving letter thought to have been written on the ill-fated Titanic, was sold at auction for £119,000.
2015 – FC Bayern Munich under manager Pep Guardiola wins the 2014–15 Bundesliga for a 25th time.
2015 – Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Tigist Tufa won the elite races at the 2015 London Marathon. Kipchoge secured his first London title in a tactical thriller with a time of 2:04:42, breaking away in the final 800 meters. Tufa caused a surprise in the women’s race, winning in 2:23:22 to end Kenyan dominance. The event was also notable for being British runner Paula Radcliffe’s last competitive marathon.
2016 – The jury of 9 in the Hillsborough Inquest reached a decision on all 14 questions relating to the 15th April 1989 disaster during the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest FA Cup semi-final in which 96 people died. The crucial question number six related to ‘unlawful killing’. When asked “Are you satisfied, so that you are sure, that those who died in the disaster were unlawfully killed?” the foreman confirmed “Yes”. The verdict represented a vindication for the bereaved families who had fought for 27 years against South Yorkshire police claims that misbehaving supporters caused the disaster, as well as against the 1991 verdict of accidental death. The inquest started on 31st March 2014 and was the longest in British legal history.
2018 – A Pennsylvania jury found comedian and actor Bill Cosby guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. The conviction stemmed from the 2004 drugging and sexual assault of Andrea Constand at his home in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania. Cosby was considered the first high-profile celebrity to be tried and convicted in the #MeToo era.

2021 – A Texas resident narrowly avoided a felony after forgetting to return a VHS rental tape after 22 years. Caron McBride unknowingly had a copy of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” since 1999. Even though the store had since closed, her record still stated she was guilty of “felony embezzlement.” The case was since dropped, but McBride suspected her record was the reason for difficulty acquiring jobs.

2023 – The Michaelis dictionary in Brazil officially added “pelé” as an adjective to its Portuguese digital edition, defining it as someone “exceptional, incomparable, unique,” or “out of the ordinary”. The addition honours the late football legend Pelé, whose legacy is celebrated by the definition, which notes his status as the greatest athlete of all time.
2025 – Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope was buried in a private ceremony at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, following a funeral mass in St. Peter’s Square attended by hundreds of thousands. Unlike most modern popes buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis chose to be buried in the same basilica where Pope Pius V and Pope Sixtus V are buried.
Today in music
1964 – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Five headlined the NME poll winner’s concert at Wembley Empire Pool, London.

1966 – Dusty Springfield was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’, the singers only UK No.1. When recording the track, Springfield was not satisfied with her vocal until she had recorded forty-seven takes.

1972 – ‘School’s Out’, the title track of Alice Cooper’s fifth album, was released, which became his biggest international hit. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.1 on the UK Singles Chart. Some radio stations banned the song from their airwaves, stating that the song gave the students an impression of rebelliousness against childhood education.
1980 – Blondie were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Call Me’, the group’s fourth UK No.1, featured in the Richard Gere movie ‘American Gigolo’, the track was also a No.1 in the US where it became the band’s biggest selling single.
1988 – Mick Jagger was cleared of pirating a song by an unknown reggae musician and recording it as ‘Just Another Night’. The judgement came after a two-day hearing in the US.
2001 – Destiny’s Child were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Survivor’, Janet Jackson was at No.1 on the US chart with ‘All For You’ and Shaggy and Ricardo RikRok Ducent had the Australian No.1 single with ‘It Wasn’t Me’.
2008 – Amy Winehouse spent the night in custody after being arrested on suspicion of assault. Police said Winehouse had been “in no fit state” to be questioned when she arrived at the London station and she was kept in the cells. The 24-year-old was to be questioned about an incident said to have occurred 3 days earlier after a 38-year-old man claimed he was assaulted.
2009 – Tinchy Stryder feat N-dubz started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Number 1’, the first time ever that a single called ‘Number 1’ has made it to the top of the UK charts.
2024 – Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, topped the UK charts with the biggest first-week sales in seven years. Two hours after the album was released Swift surprised fans by issuing a second volume, titled The Anthology, containing 15 extra tracks. Swift now matched Madonna as the female artist with the most UK No.1’s.
Today in history
1607 – Captain John Smith landed at Cape Henry, in Virginia with the first group of colonists who established a permanent English settlement in America.
1514 – Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus made his first observation of Saturn. Copernicus later proposed that the sun is stationary and that the Earth and the planets move in circular orbits around it.
1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. His actual birth date is not officially known, but it would have been a few days earlier as traditionally baptisms were celebrated within three days of birth, and so his birthday is celebrated on 23 April, St George’s Day.
1865 – Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in Virginia.
1895 – The start of the trial of playwright Oscar Wide who was charged multiple counts of homosexual acts, which were illegal in Victorian England, leading to his conviction, a two-year hard labour sentence, and ruin.
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