April 1926 in History

Events in History

Apr 2 Riots between Muslims & Hindus in Calcutta
Apr 3 Italy establishes corp of force in order to break powerful unions

Historic Invention

Apr 3 Second flight of a liquid-fueled rocket by Robert Goddard

Apr 4 Greek dictator Theodoros Pangalos elected president
Apr 7 Forest fire burns 900 acres & kills 2 (San Luis Obispo California)

Event of Interest

Apr 7 Mussolini is shot at 3 times by Violet Gibson in Rome, she only hits him once in the nose

Apr 11 Flemish Economic Covenant (VEV) forms in Ghent
Apr 12 Dutch Catholic Radio Broadcast (KRO) forms
Apr 15 Sesquicentennial Stadium opens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; renamed Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, later renamed JFK Stadium (demolished 1992); played host to Tunney-Demspy fight (1926); 41 Army-Navy football games; professional football; and many concerts, including the US portion of Live-Aid (1985)
Apr 16 Book of the Month Club sends out its 1st selections "Lolly Willowes" & "Loving Huntsman" by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Apr 18 Rhein Stadium opens in Dusseldorf, Germany
Apr 20 1st check sent by radio facsimile transmission across Atlantic
Apr 22 Persia, Turkey & Afghanistan sign treaties of security
Apr 25 Persian cossack officer Reza Chan crowns himself Shah Palawi
Apr 26 Germany & Russia sign neutrality peace treaty
Apr 26 Karachai Autonomous Region forms in RSFSR (until 1943)
Apr 29 France and US reach accord on repayment of WW I

Birthdays in History

Anne McCaffrey (1926-2011)

Apr 1 American sci-fi author (Dragonflight, Dragondrums), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Apr 2 Michael Rizzello, English sculptor and coin designer, born in London (d. 2004)
Apr 3 Virgil Grissom, US Air Force test pilot and NASA astronaut (Mercury-Redstone 4, Gemini 3, Apollo 1), born in Mitchell, Indiana (d. 1967)
Apr 6 Gil Kane, Latvian-born cartoonist (d. 2000)

Ian Paisley (1926-2014)

Apr 6 First Minister of Northern Ireland (Democratic Unionist Party: 2007-08), loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader, born in Armagh, Northern Ireland

Apr 7 Johannes Rood, Dutch immunologist (Eurotransplant)
Apr 8 Henry N. Cobb, American architect (Pei Cobb Freed & Partners), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2020)
Apr 8 Jürgen Moltmann, German Reformed theologian, born in Hamburg, Germany
Apr 9 Gerry Fitt, Northern Irish politician (Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party), born in Beechmount, Belfast, Northern Ireland (d. 2005)
Apr 9 Graham Hills, English physical scientist and principal (Strathclyde University, England), born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex (d. 2014)
Apr 9 Harris Wofford, American politician (Sen-D-Pennsylvania 1991-94), head of AmeriCorps, born in New York City (d. 2019)

Hugh Hefner (1926-2017)

Apr 9 American magazine publisher and businessman (Playboy), born in Chicago, Illinois

Apr 9 Michael Ogden, British barrister (Ogden Tables), born in London (d. 2003)
Apr 10 Johnnie Tillmon, civil rights activist (National Welfare Rights Association), born in Scott, Arkansas (d. 1995)
Apr 12 James Hillman, American psychologist, and educator (C.G. Jung Institute, Zurich), born in Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2011)
Apr 13 John Spencer-Churchill, 11th duke of Marlborough, English large landowner, born in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England (d. 2014)
Apr 14 Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author, born in Hastings, New Zealand (d. 2013)
Apr 14 Frank Daniel, Czech-born writer, director and teacher (d. 1996)
Apr 16 Barbara Tizard, British educator and author, born in London (d. 2015)
Apr 17 Arthur Hockaday, Director-General (Commonwealth War Graves Commission), born in Plymouth
Apr 19 Kim Bok-dong, Korean sex slave activist, born in Yangsan, Korea (d. 2019)
Apr 20 Harriet Elizabeth Byrd, American politician, Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives (1998-88), born in Cheyenne, Wyoming (d. 2015)

Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

Apr 21 Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (country's longest reigning monarch 1952-2022), born in London

Apr 22 James Stirling, Scottish architect, born in Glasgow (d. 1992)
Apr 23 J. P. Donleavy, American novelist (Ginger Man, Onion Eaters), born in Brooklyn, New York
Apr 24 Thorbjorn Falldin, Swedish politician, Prime Minister (1976-78, 79-82) and sheep farmer, born in Hogsjo (d. 2016)
Apr 25 Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (Social Democratic Party of Austria), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2008)
Apr 26 Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator, born in Amberg, Bavaria (d. 2003)
Apr 27 Ernest McCulloch, Canadian stem cell research pioneer, born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2011)

Harper Lee (1926-2016)

Apr 28 American author (To Kill a Mockingbird), born in Monroeville Alabama

Apr 29 Carrie Meek, American politician (Rep-D-Florida 1993-2003), born in Tallahassee, Florida (d. 2021)
Apr 30 Edmund Cooper, British sci-fi author (Seed of Light, All Fool's Day), born in Marple, Greater Manchester, England (d. 1982)

Deaths in History

Apr 6 Giovanni Amendola, Italian anti-fascist and editor-in-chief (Il Mondo), dies at 43
Apr 9 Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer famous for his tapered head, dies at about 83