South Africa held its first democratic elections open to all races
MajorAfter decades of apartheid, millions of Black South Africans voted for the first time in their lives. The election brought Nelson Mandela to power as...
April 26 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
1994
1993
288 people participated in the world's largest custard pie fight in England
In Coxheath, Kent, nearly 300 people gathered to hurl custard pies at each other, setting a Guinness World Record. Over 3,000 pies were thrown during...
1986
The Oprah Winfrey Show was broadcast nationally for the first time
What began as a local Chicago morning show went national on this date, beginning Oprah's 25-year reign as America's most influential talk show host. S...
1937
The Basque town of Guernica was bombed during the Spanish Civil War
MajorGerman and Italian warplanes supporting Franco's forces destroyed the town in one of history's first aerial bombings of civilians. The attack inspired...
1933
The Gestapo, Nazi Germany's secret police, was established
Hermann Göring founded the Geheime Staatspolizei (Secret State Police) in Prussia, which would become the most feared organization in Nazi Germany. Th...
1925
Paul von Hindenburg was elected President of Germany at age 77
The WWI military hero came out of retirement to run for president and won despite never wanting the job. Eight years later, he reluctantly appointed A...
1923
The Duke of York (future King George VI) married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
The shy, stammering prince married a commoner in Westminster Abbey, never expecting to become king. When his brother Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, he...
1785
John James Audubon, the famous ornithologist and painter, was born
Audubon would become America's most celebrated wildlife artist, painting life-sized watercolors of North American birds in their natural habitats. His...
1607
English colonists made their first landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia
The expedition that would establish Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, arrived after 144 days at sea. They spent two weeks...
1564
William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon
MajorWhile his exact birth date is unknown, church records show Shakespeare was baptized on this date, which is why April 23 is traditionally celebrated as...