April 26th is known as Hug an Australian Day and Pretzel Day.
Welcome to the 116th day of the year! We’re gradually getting through the year, but we still have another 249 days until we reach the new year.
The history of this day will certainly impress you! Here we’ve hand-picked our most favorite historical events that happened on this special day. Not only that, but we’ve also got some other fun facts about April 26th.
Did you know that on this day in 1954, the first major mass trials of polio vaccines began? Around 443,000 children received shots in its first three months.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about April 26th in history!
What Events Happened On April 26 In History?
2021 A Texas resident narrowly avoided a felony after forgetting to return a VHS rental tape after 22 years.
2017 The Handmaid’s Tale debuted on Hulu.

2011 The Voice, a reality singing competition television show, premiered on NBC.
1992 Rapper Ice Cube married Kimberly Woodruff.
1986 The Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded, killing 31 people and spreading contamination across Western Europe.

1982 Great Britain claimed South Georgia Island after Argentina surrendered following the Falklands War.
1982 Singer Rod Stewart was robbed at gunpoint.
1954 The first major mass trials of polio vaccines began.
1933 The official secret police force of Nazi Germany, the Gestapo, was established.
1915 The Treaty of London was signed by Italy, Britain, France, and Russia.

1803 A meteorite shower caused thousands of meteor fragments to fall in L’Aigle, France.
1564 William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
1514 Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus made his first observation of Saturn.
Famous People Born On April 26
Is today is your birthday? If so, you share this special day with Channing Tatum! Check out more famous people born on this day below.
1980 Channing Tatum
American Actor

- Age:
- 42 years old
- Born In:
- Alabama, USA
1970 Melania Trump
Slovene-American First Lady

- Age:
- 52 years old
- Born In:
- Novo Mesto, Slovenia
1967 Glenn Jacobs
American Wrestler

- Age:
- 55 years old
- Born In:
- Madrid, Spain
1977 Tom Welling
American Actor

- Age:
- 45 years old
- Born In:
- New York, USA
Special Holidays On April 26
If you can spare some time today, here are some unique holidays you could get involved with.

National Hug an Australian Day
Hugging other people helps build strong relationships; they are warming and display both empathy and compassion. So today, find yourself an Australian to hug, as it’s officially National Hug an Australian Day!

National Pretzel Day
While soft pretzels date back to at least 1,000 AD, hard pretzels were only first created in the 1890s in the US, and the great pretzel debate has raged on ever since. So celebrate Pretzel day by baking some of your own or sharing a bag of pretzels with your friends.
April 26 Birthday Facts, Zodiac & Birthstone
People who were born on April 26 share the Taurus star sign.
Taureans like to be in control, which makes them patient, logical, and well-grounded. They’re big thinkers and will often reflect deeply on many things in life, no matter how big or small. Taurus is an earth sign represented by the bull.
For those of you born in April, you have the Diamond birthstone. Diamonds have been used as decorative items since ancient times. They’re one of the most well-known gemstones in the world.
If your birthday falls on this day, you would’ve likely been conceived around August 3rd in the previous year.