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.
People who were born on April 26 share the Taurus star sign.
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 Happened On April 26 In History?
2017
The Handmaid’s Tale debuted on Hulu.
It starred Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes and Yvonne Strahovski and based on the book by Margaret Atwood
Source
The Verge
1986
The Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded, killing 31 people and spreading contamination across Western Europe.
Source
Wikipedia
1982
Great Britain claimed South Georgia Island, after Argentina surrendered following the Falklands War.
Source
NY Times
1982
Singer Rod Stewart was robbed at gunpoint.
He was on Sunset Boulevard, doing some shopping, when a gunman asked him for the keys to his 1977 Porsche Turbo-Carrera car.
Source
Ultimate Classic Rock
1954
The first major mass trials of polio vaccines began.
Around 443,000 children received their shots within the first three months.
Source
History.com
1933
The official secret police force of Nazi Germany, the Gestapo, was established.
Source
Britannica
1915
The Treaty of London was signed by Italy, Britain, France and Russia.
The treaty was to continue an alliance proceeding World War I.
Source
Wikipedia
1803
A meteorite shower caused thousands of meteor fragments to fall in L’Aigle, France.
This event convinced European scientists that meteors actually exist.
Source
Wikipedia
1564
William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
The date of Shakespeare's birth is unknown; however, historians believe it was shortly before this day.
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.
Source
Astronomy Wiki
Did you know that on this day, April 26th 1954, the first major mass trials of polio vaccines began?