A Day in the Past

On this day: 26 April

136 things happened on 26 April, from AD 121 to 2017. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 8

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1777 249 years ago

UK story

American Revolutionary War: Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington allegedly rode forty miles (64 km) through the night to warn militiamen under her father Henry's command that British troops were planning to invade Danbury, Connecticut.

War & peace Find out more: American Revolutionary War (Wikipedia)

Around the world 32

1920 106 years ago

Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center Frank Fredrickson scoring seven goals in Canada's 12–1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match.

Sport Find out more: Ice hockey (Wikipedia)
1989 37 years ago

An editorial was published in the People's Daily denouncing the growing unrest in Tiananmen Square in Beijing which would remain contentious through the remainder of the protests.

Find out more: April 26 Editorial (Wikipedia)
2005 21 years ago

Cedar Revolution: Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon).

War & peace Find out more: Cedar Revolution (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “American Revolutionary War: Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington allegedly rode”?

    1. 1963
    2. 1777
    3. 1923
    Show the answer

    B: 1777. 1777 — that’s 249 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon”?

    1. 1963
    2. 1564
    3. 1932
    Show the answer

    B: 1564. 1564 — that’s 462 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon
    2. American Revolutionary War: Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington allegedly rode
    3. First World War: Britain, France and Russia signed a secret treaty promising
    Show the answer

    A: Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon. 1564: Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon · 1777: American Revolutionary War: Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington allegedly rode · 1915: First World War: Britain, France and Russia signed a secret treaty promising Find it on the page

  4. “First World War: Britain, France and Russia signed a secret treaty promising” happened in 1915. How many years ago was that?

    1. 101 years
    2. 111 years
    3. 121 years
    Show the answer

    B: 111 years. 2026 − 1915 = 111. Find it on the page

Born on this day 39

Famous people whose birthday is 26 April.

Remembering 20

Well-known people who died on 26 April.

Special days 15

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 26 April somewhere in the world.

For older readers 22 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “April 26” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.