Happy Birthday to Kevin James and Jet Li

Happy Birthday to Martial Arts Master, Jet Li and darn funny guy, Kevin James. What else happened on April 26th? Take a read! These links go to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is great: if a topic sparse on information, they allow to go in and add new information.

April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (117th in leap years). There are 249 days remaining in the year. It is the first day following the spring equinox which cannot be Easter Sunday in Western Christianity.

Events

• 1478 - The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in the Duomo of Florence.
• 1564 - Shakespeare was christened (this is not his birthdate).
• 1607 - English colonists of the Jamestown settlement make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
• 1802 - Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France, as part of a reconciliary gesture with the factions of the Ancien Regime and to eventually consolidate his own rule.
• 1805 - United States Marines captured Derne, Tripoli under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon.
• 1865 - American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina.
• 1865 - Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln's assassin in Virginia.
• 1925 - Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
• 1933 - The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
• 1937 - Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
• 1942 - The worst-ever mining accident in history kills 1,549 miners in an explosion at the Honkeiko Colliery, Manchuria.
• 1945 - World War II: Battle of Bautzen - last successful German tank-offensive of the war.
• 1946 - Father Divine, a controversial religious leader who claims to be God, marries the much-younger Edna Rose Ritchings, a celebrated anniversary in the International Peace Mission movement.
• 1954 - The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
• 1956 - First container ship left Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas
• 1962 - NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
• 1963 - in Libya Amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections.
• 1964 - Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
• 1986 - In Ukraine, a nuclear reactor accident occurrs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.
• 1991 - Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before its end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year's only F5 tornado (see Andover, Kansas Tornado Outbreak).
• 1992 - Riot on the streets of Miami, and several other surrounding towns and suburbs.^{[citation needed]}
• 1994 - A China Airlines Airbus A-300-600R crashes at Nagoya Airport, Japan killing 264.
• 1994 - Physicists announce first evidence of the top quark subatomic particle.
• 1999 - Last release of the Nemesis OS.
• 2002 - 19-year-old Robert Steinhäuser shoots and kills 17 people at his school in Erfurt, Germany.
• 2005 - 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.

Births

• 121 - Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (d. 180)
• 570 - Muhammed, founder of Islam, according to the Shi'a sect. Other sources suggest April 20.
• 1538 - Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter (d. 1600)
• 1573 - Marie de' Medici, wife of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
• 1564 (baptized) - William Shakespeare, English writer (d. 1616)
• 1648 - King Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
• 1662 - Maria Luisa of Orleans, queen consort of Spain (d. 1689)
• 1710 - Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher (d. 1796)
• 1711 - David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1776)
• 1718 - Esek Hopkins, American Revolutionary War admiral (d. 1802)
• 1765 - Emma, Lady Hamilton, English mistress of Horatio Nelson (d. 1815)
• 1774 - Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist (d. 1853)
• 1785 - John James Audubon, French-American naturalist and illustrator (d. 1851)
• 1787 - Ludwig Uhland, German poet (d. 1862)
• 1798 - James Beckwourth, American explorer (d. 1867)
• 1798 - Eugène Delacroix, French painter (d. 1863)
• 1801 - Ambrose Dudley Mann, American diplomat (d. 1889)
• 1812 - Alfred Krupp, German industrialist (d. 1887)
• 1822 - Frederick Law Olmsted, American landscape architect (d. 1903)
• 1826 - George Hull Ward, American general (d. 1863)
• 1826 - Ambrose R. Wright, American Civil War General (d. 1872
• 1856 - Sir Joseph Ward, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
• 1878 - Saint Rafael Guízar Valencia, Mexican Catholic bishop
• 1879 - Owen Willans Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
• 1886 - Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
• 1886 - Ğabdulla Tuqay, Tatar poet (d. 1913)
• 1888 - Anita Loos, American writer (d. 1981)
• 1889 - Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-born philosopher (d. 1951)
• 1893 - Draza Mihajlovic, Serbian WW2 Hero and war criminal (d. 1946)
• 1894 - Rudolf Hess, Nazi official (d. 1987)
• 1896 - Ernst Udet, WWI pilot and film actor, Luftwaffe officer (d. 1941)
• 1897 - Eddie Eagan, American sportsman (d. 1967)
• 1897 - Douglas Sirk, German-born film director (d. 1987)
• 1898 - Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1984)
• 1898 - John Grierson, Scottish filmmaker (d. 1972)
• 1900 - Charles Richter, American geophysicist (d. 1985)
• 1910 - Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese movie producer and creator of Godzilla (d. 1997)
• 1911 - Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
• 1912 - A. E. van Vogt, Canadian writer (d. 2000)
• 1914 - Bernard Malamud, American author (d. 1986)
• 1914 - James W. Rouse, American investor (d. 1996)
• 1916 - Morris West, Australian writer (d. 1999)
• 1917 - I.M. Pei, Chinese-born architect
• 1917 - Sal Maglie, baseball player (d. 1992)
• 1918 - Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete (d. 2004)
• 1918 - Stafford Repp, American actor (d. 1974)
• 1925 - Jørgen Ingmann, Danish musician
• 1926 - Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator (d. 2003)
• 1932 - Michael Smith, English-born chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2000)
• 1933 - Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican activist (d. 2005)
• 1933 - Carol Burnett, American comedian
• 1933 - Arno Allan Penzias, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate
• 1938 - Duane Eddy, American musician
• 1940 - Giorgio Moroder, Italian composer
• 1940 - Cliff Watson, English rugby league player
• 1941 - John Mitchell, American composer
• 1942 - Claudine Auger, French actress
• 1942 - Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat
• 1942 - Bobby Rydell, American singer
• 1943 - Gary Wright, American singer
• 1943 - Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect
• 1944 - Amien Rais, Indonesian politician
• 1949 - Carlos Bianchi, Argetinian football player
• 1949 - Jerry Blackwell, wrestler (d. 1995)
• 1955 - Mike Scott, American baseball player
• 1956 - Koo Stark, American actress
• 1958 - Jeffrey Guterman, American mental health counselor
• 1959 - Thanassis Papakonstantinou, Greek singer and songwriter
• 1960 - Roger Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)
• 1960 - Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player
• 1961 - Joan Chen, Chinese-born actress
• 1961 - Anthony Cumia, American radio personality (The Opie and Anthony Show)
• 1961 - Chris Mars, American rock drummer (The Replacements)
• 1962 - Colin Anderson, English footballer
• 1962 - Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian
• 1963 - Jet Li, Chinese martial artist
• 1963 - Colin Scotts, Australian-born NFL football player
• 1965 - Kevin James, American comedian
• 1966 - Yoshihiro Togashi, Mangaka who created YuYu Hakusho
• 1967 - Glen Jacobs, American professional wrestler
• 1968 - Mike DeWolfe, jackass and history's greatest monster
  
• 1970 - Melania Trump, Slovenian model
• 1970 - Tionne Watkins, American singer (TLC)
• 1973 - Chris Perry, English footballer
• 1974 - Adil Ray, British Asian presenter on the BBC Asian Network
• 1975 - Nathan "Joey" Jordison, American musician (Slipknot)
• 1975 - Nerina Pallot, British singer
• 1976 - Jose Pasillas, American musician (Incubus)
• 1977 - Tom Welling, American actor
• 1977 - Jason Earles, American actor
• 1978 - Avant, American R&B singer
• 1979 - Janne Wirman, Finnish musician (Children of Bodom)
• 1980 - Jordana Brewster, American actress
• 1980 - Anna Mucha, Polish actress
• 1980 - Channing Tatum, American actor
• 1981 - Matthieu Delpierre, French footballer
• 1982 - Joanne Gobure, Nauruan poet
• 1983 - Jessica Lynch, American P.O.W.
• 1983 - José María López, Argentine racing driver
• 1984 - Mija Martina, Bosnian singer
• 1988 - Anna Svidersky, American murder victim (d. 2006)

Deaths

• 1192 - Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
• 1444 - Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
• 1476 - Simonetta Vespucci, inspiration of Botticelli (b.1453)
• 1478 - Giuliano di Piero de' Medici, ruler of Florence (assassinated) (b. 1453)
• 1489 - Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shogun (b. 1465)
• 1716 - John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1651)
• 1784 - Nano Nagle, Irish convent founder (b. 1718)
• 1789 - Count Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian soldier (b. 1721)
• 1865 - John Wilkes Booth, American actor and assassin (shot) (b. 1838)
• 1881 - Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (b. 1815)
• 1892 - Sir Provo Wallis, British Admiral and naval hero (b. 1791)
• 1910 - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1832)
• 1920 - Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (b. 1887)
• 1932 - Hart Crane, American poet (suicide) (b. 1899)
• 1932 - William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
• 1938 - Edmund Husserl, Austrian philosopher (b. 1859)
• 1940 - Carl Bosch, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
• 1944 - Violette Morris, French athlete (b. 1893)
• 1945 - Pavlo Skoropadsky, Ukrainian politician and general (b. 1871)
• 1951 - Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist (b. 1868)
• 1956 - Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
• 1957 - Gichin Funakoshi, Father of Japanese Shotokan Karatedo (b. 1868)
• 1964 - E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet born Newfoundland (b. 1882)
• 1969 - Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist and founder of aikido (b. 1883)
• 1970 - Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress (b. 1911)
• 1973 - Irene Ryan, American actress (b. 1902)
• 1976 - Sid James, British comedian (b. 1913)
• 1981 - Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
• 1984 - Count Basie, American musician and composer (b. 1904)
• 1986 - Broderick Crawford, American actor (stroke) (b. 1911)
• 1986 - Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
• 1987 - John Ernest Silkin, British politician (b. 1923)
• 1989 - Lucille Ball, American actress and comedian (b. 1911)
• 1991 - Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
• 1991 - Emily McLaughlin, American actress (b. 1930)
• 1996 - Stirling Silliphant, American writer and producer (b. 1918)
• 1999 - Jill Dando, British television presenter (b. 1961)
• 2003 - Rosemary Brown, Canadian politician (b. 1930)
• 2003 - Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist (b. 1904)
• 2003 - Peter Stone, American writer (b. 1930)
• 2004 - Hubert Selby Jr., American author (b. 1928)
• 2005 - Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
• 2005 - Blade Icewood, American rapper (b. 1977)
• 2005 - Maria Schell, Austrian-born actress (b. 1926)
• 2005 - Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan author (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances

• Tanzania - Union Day.
• Florida and Georgia, USA - Confederate Memorial Day.
• World Intellectual Property Day (since 2001).

Liturgical feasts

In the Roman Catholic Church:

• Saint Alda (d. 1309)
• Richarius or Riquier (d. 643)
• Paschasius (d. 865)
• Saint Cletus (Pope Anacletus) and Marcellinus (Popes and martyrs)
• Lucidius (4th century)
• Trudpert (Irish monk martyred in Germany in 607).

In the the Russian Orthodox Church:

• Stephen of Perm - also Old Permic Alphabet Day