April 26
1607 - English colonists land at Cape Henry, Virginia. (They founded Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere, the next month.)
1777 - During the American Revolutionary War, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington, the daughter of a militia commander in Dutchess County, New York, rode her horse into the night to alert her father's men of the approach of British regular troops.
1785 - Naturalist and artist John James Audubon was born in Haiti.
1865 - John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, was surrounded and killed by federal troops in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia.
1923 - Britain's Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI), married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
1937 - The German Luftwaffe destroyed the Spanish town of Guernica.
1945 - Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, the head of France's Vichy government during World War II, was arrested.
1952 - The destroyer-minesweeper USS Hobson sank in the central Atlantic after colliding with the aircraft carrier USS Wasp with the loss of 176 crew members.
1964 - The African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to form the new nation of Tanzania.
1977 - The legendary nightclub Studio 54 had its opening night in New York.
1986 - The worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred at Chernobyl, near Kiev in the Soviet Union (Ukraine). An explosion and resulting fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactive material into the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died immediately. (It is believed the long-term death toll reached into the thousands.)
1989 - Actress and comedian Lucille Ball died at age 77.
1994 - The first multi-racial elections were held in South Africa, resulting in victory for the African National Congress and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president.
1998 - Auxiliary Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera, a leading Guatemalan human rights activist, was bludgeoned to death two days after a report he'd compiled on atrocities during Guatemala's 36-year civil war was made public.
2000 - Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.
2005 - Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon ended as Syrian soldiers completed a withdrawal brought about by international pressure and Lebanese street protests.
2008 - Police in Austria arrested a man accused of holding his daughter captive in a windowless cellar for 24 years, fathering her seven children and killing one of them. (Josef Fritzl is serving life in a psychiatric ward.)
Birthdays
26 - Aaron Judge (baseball player)
28 - Riley Voelkel (actress)
29 - Megan Thomas (TV host)
31 - Jessica Lee Rose (actress)
32 - Aaron Weeks (actor)
34 - Emily Wickersham (actress)
34 - Lilly Hiatt (singer)
38 - Channing Tatum (actor)
38 - Marnette Patterson (actress)
38 - Stana Katic (actress)
38 - Jordana Brewster (actress)
39 - Nyambi Nyambi (actor)
40 - Pablo Schreiber (actor)
41 - Tom Welling (actor)
41 - Leonard Earl Howze (actor)
41 - Jason Earles (actor)
47 - Shondrella Avery (actress)
48 - Melania Trump (first lady of the United States)
48 - T-Boz (rapper)
51 - Glen "Kane" Jacobs (professional wrestler)
51 - Marianne Jean-Baptiste (actress)
53 - Kevin James (actor/comedian)
55 - Jet Li (actor)
56 - Michael Damian (actor/singer)
57 - Chris Mars (musician)
57 - Joan Chen (actress)
58 - Roger Taylor (musician)
60 - Giancarlo Esposito (actor)
65 - Nancy Lenehan (actress)
76 - Bobby Rydell (singer)
85 - Carol Burnett (actress/comedian)
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Today in Sports History - April 26
1905 - Chicago Cubs' Jack McCarthy becomes only major league player to throw out three runners at the plate in one game, all were ends of a double play.
1931 - Lou Gehrig hits a homerun but is called out for passing a runner, the mistake costs him American League home run crown later in the season; he and Babe Ruth ended up tied for season.
1941 - The Chicago Cubs become the first baseball team to have an organ played at a baseball stadium (Wrigley Field).
1964 - The Boston Celtics defeat the San Francisco Warriors in five games to win the NBA championship. It was the sixth consecutive championship for the Celtics.
1966 - Arnold "Red" Auerbach announces his retirement as coach of the Boston Celtics.
1975 - Philadelphia Phillies' Mike Schmidt's two homeruns ties National League record of 11 homeruns in April.
1980 - Philadelphia Phillies' Steve Carlton pitches his sixth one-hitter (beats Saint Louis Cardinals).
1988 - NBA owners approve the addition of a third referee for games beginning with the 1988-89 season.
1990 - Nolan Ryan ties Bob Feller's record of pitching 12 one-hitters.
1992 - Ozzie Smith steals his 500th career base.
1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) played what was billed as his last NHL game. He later came out of retirement to play for the Penguins as an owner/player.
2010 - Ryan Howard agrees to a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Phillies.
1607 - English colonists land at Cape Henry, Virginia. (They founded Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere, the next month.)
1777 - During the American Revolutionary War, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington, the daughter of a militia commander in Dutchess County, New York, rode her horse into the night to alert her father's men of the approach of British regular troops.
1785 - Naturalist and artist John James Audubon was born in Haiti.
1865 - John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, was surrounded and killed by federal troops in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia.
1923 - Britain's Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI), married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.
1937 - The German Luftwaffe destroyed the Spanish town of Guernica.
1945 - Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, the head of France's Vichy government during World War II, was arrested.
1952 - The destroyer-minesweeper USS Hobson sank in the central Atlantic after colliding with the aircraft carrier USS Wasp with the loss of 176 crew members.
1964 - The African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to form the new nation of Tanzania.
1977 - The legendary nightclub Studio 54 had its opening night in New York.
1986 - The worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred at Chernobyl, near Kiev in the Soviet Union (Ukraine). An explosion and resulting fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactive material into the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died immediately. (It is believed the long-term death toll reached into the thousands.)
1989 - Actress and comedian Lucille Ball died at age 77.
1994 - The first multi-racial elections were held in South Africa, resulting in victory for the African National Congress and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president.
1998 - Auxiliary Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera, a leading Guatemalan human rights activist, was bludgeoned to death two days after a report he'd compiled on atrocities during Guatemala's 36-year civil war was made public.
2000 - Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.
2005 - Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon ended as Syrian soldiers completed a withdrawal brought about by international pressure and Lebanese street protests.
2008 - Police in Austria arrested a man accused of holding his daughter captive in a windowless cellar for 24 years, fathering her seven children and killing one of them. (Josef Fritzl is serving life in a psychiatric ward.)
Birthdays
26 - Aaron Judge (baseball player)
28 - Riley Voelkel (actress)
29 - Megan Thomas (TV host)
31 - Jessica Lee Rose (actress)
32 - Aaron Weeks (actor)
34 - Emily Wickersham (actress)
34 - Lilly Hiatt (singer)
38 - Channing Tatum (actor)
38 - Marnette Patterson (actress)
38 - Stana Katic (actress)
38 - Jordana Brewster (actress)
39 - Nyambi Nyambi (actor)
40 - Pablo Schreiber (actor)
41 - Tom Welling (actor)
41 - Leonard Earl Howze (actor)
41 - Jason Earles (actor)
47 - Shondrella Avery (actress)
48 - Melania Trump (first lady of the United States)
48 - T-Boz (rapper)
51 - Glen "Kane" Jacobs (professional wrestler)
51 - Marianne Jean-Baptiste (actress)
53 - Kevin James (actor/comedian)
55 - Jet Li (actor)
56 - Michael Damian (actor/singer)
57 - Chris Mars (musician)
57 - Joan Chen (actress)
58 - Roger Taylor (musician)
60 - Giancarlo Esposito (actor)
65 - Nancy Lenehan (actress)
76 - Bobby Rydell (singer)
85 - Carol Burnett (actress/comedian)
=================================
Today in Sports History - April 26
1905 - Chicago Cubs' Jack McCarthy becomes only major league player to throw out three runners at the plate in one game, all were ends of a double play.
1931 - Lou Gehrig hits a homerun but is called out for passing a runner, the mistake costs him American League home run crown later in the season; he and Babe Ruth ended up tied for season.
1941 - The Chicago Cubs become the first baseball team to have an organ played at a baseball stadium (Wrigley Field).
1964 - The Boston Celtics defeat the San Francisco Warriors in five games to win the NBA championship. It was the sixth consecutive championship for the Celtics.
1966 - Arnold "Red" Auerbach announces his retirement as coach of the Boston Celtics.
1975 - Philadelphia Phillies' Mike Schmidt's two homeruns ties National League record of 11 homeruns in April.
1980 - Philadelphia Phillies' Steve Carlton pitches his sixth one-hitter (beats Saint Louis Cardinals).
1988 - NBA owners approve the addition of a third referee for games beginning with the 1988-89 season.
1990 - Nolan Ryan ties Bob Feller's record of pitching 12 one-hitters.
1992 - Ozzie Smith steals his 500th career base.
1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) played what was billed as his last NHL game. He later came out of retirement to play for the Penguins as an owner/player.
2010 - Ryan Howard agrees to a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Phillies.
