26 April in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 26 April is the birth anniversary of Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Nitin Bose, Jagannath Prasad Das, Lakshminarayana Shankar, Khirod Chandra Malick, Melania Trump, and Rex Vijayan.
26 April is also observed as the death anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan, Jawad Hussain, and Prabha Rau
Birth Anniversary
26 April in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:
Krushna Chandra Gajapati (26 April 1892 – 25 May 1974), was an architect of modern Odisha. He was twice elected as Prime Minister of Odisha. He was a Social Reformer, Educationist, Freedom Fighter, and considered a champion of the poor. Gajapati was also the Honorary captain in the First World War. He was born on 26 April 1892 in Paralakhemundi, Odisha (British India).
Nitin Bose (26 April 1897 – 14 April 1986), was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He directed under the banners of Bombay Talkies and Filmistan. Bose is well known for his work in the film Ganga Jamuna. He started his film career as a cinematographer in 1926 in the movie Punarjanma. He was born on 26 April 1897 in Dashnagar, Calcutta, Bengal presidency.
Jagannath Prasad Das is an Indian poet, writer, and novelist. He mainly writes plays, novels, essays, children’s poems, poetry, etc. he used to write these in Odia. At the start of his career, he was a professor at the University of Allahabad. He was born on 26 April 1936 in Puri Orrisa.
L. Shankar, an Indian violinist and singer. He worked as a teacher at the Jaffana College of Music. He was born on 26 April 1950 in Madras, India.
K.C. Malick, the founder of the NGO Bharat Integrated Social Welfare Agency (BISWA). Also worked in the State Bank of India for a long period of 26 years before joining an NGO. He was born on 26 April 1958 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Melania Trump, is a Slovene-American model and businesswoman, wife of Donald Trump. She was the first lady of the U.S. from (2017 to 2021) during the Presidency of her husband Donald Trump. In 2018 she launched the Be Best initiative, which focused on children. Its main objective is to end cyberbullying. She was born on 26 April 1970 in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.
Rex Vijayan is an Indian singer, composer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist. He started his career as a composer in the Malayalam film industry in the film Kerala Café. He was born on 26 April 1983 in Kollam, Kerala, India.
Read More: 25 April in Indian and World History
Death Anniversary
26 April in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:
Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 December 1887 – 26 April 1920), was an Indian Mathematician. In his short life span, he has given many formulae for infinite series, number series, etc. He also got the Fellow of The Royal Society award. He died on 26 April 1920 at the age of just 32.
Jawad Hussain (20 April 1939 – 26 April 2008), an Indian Cricketer. He played from Tamil Nadu. He died on 26 April 2008.
Prabha Rau (4 March 1935 – 26 April 2010), was an Indian politician and the governor of Rajasthan She was a Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha and was elected from Wardha in Maharashtra. She was also an athlete who represented Maharashtra in the running, high jump, long jump, hurdles, and discus throw. Rau also held a master’s degree in Politics and Music. She died on 26 April 2010 due to a heart attack.
Read More: 24 April in Indian and World History
Notable events on 26 April in Indian and World History
26 April 1514 – Copernicus makes his 1st observation about the planet of Saturn.
26 April 1564 – William Shakespeare – an English playwright, poet, and actor – was born.
26 April 1841 – “Bombay Gazette” starts publishing of Silk.
26 April 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, a British physicist, and Nobel Prize Laureate was born.
23 April 1895 – Ngaio Marsh – a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director – was born.
26 April 1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, a Spanish poet, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.
26 April 1932 – Michael Smith, a Canadian biochemist, and Nobel Prize Laureate was born.
26 April 1940 – Carl Bosch, a German chemist and Nobel Prize Laureate, died.
26 April 1966 – An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 destroys Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
26 April 1993 – Boeing 737 airplane crashes at Aurangabad in which 56 died.
26 April 2007 – Japanese company Sony set a business target of 2 billion dollars in India by the year 2010.
26 April 2008 – Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dedicated 390 MW hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
26 April 2017 – the Cassini spacecraft starts a series of swoops between Saturn and its rings.
26 April Historical Significance
On April 26th, throughout history, several significant events have taken place. One notable occurrence is the Chornobyl disaster in 1986, when a catastrophic nuclear accident occurred at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, resulting in widespread radioactive contamination and numerous casualties. Additionally, on April 26th, 1478, the Pazzi conspiracy unfolded in Florence, Italy, where members of the Pazzi family attempted to assassinate Lorenzo de’ Medici and his brother Giuliano during Mass in the Duomo Cathedral, leading to political upheaval in the city. Moreover, in 1607, English colonists established the first permanent English settlement in North America, Jamestown, Virginia, marking a pivotal moment in the history of European colonization in the New World. These events on April 26th underscore the diverse range of historical significance associated with this date.
Important Days of 26 April in History
World Intellectual Property Day Each year, on 26 April, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) celebrates ‘World Intellectual Property Day to discuss the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. It aims to increase people’s awareness and understanding of intellectual property and SMEs.
Union of South Africa Founded (1910): On April 26, 1910, the Union of South Africa was founded, bringing together the former British colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State. This marked a significant step in the country’s path toward independence.
National Pretzel Day (United States): April 26th is celebrated as National Pretzel Day in the United States, honoring this popular baked snack that has a long history in European and American culinary traditions.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011): On April 26, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan experienced a major nuclear accident following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, leading to widespread contamination and evacuations.