German Condor Legion and Italian bombers attacked the Basque market town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, killing an estimated 150-300 civilians in one of the first deliberate terror bombings of an undefended town. The attack inspired Picasso's masterwork and became the world's most powerful symbol of aerial bombardment against civilians.
The first Virginia Company colonists landed at Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. They skirmished with Powhatan warriors shortly after landing, the first armed conflict between English colonists and Native Americans in what would become the United States.
Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered approximately 89,000 troops to Union General William T. Sherman at Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina. This was the largest single surrender of Confederate forces, effectively ending the Civil War in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.
Union cavalry troopers of the 16th New York Cavalry cornered and shot Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth in a tobacco barn on Richard Garrett's farm near Port Royal, Virginia. Sergeant Boston Corbett fired the fatal round, closing the largest manhunt in US history to that date.
German and Italian bombers destroyed the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War in one of the first deliberate terror bombings against civilians. Picasso's resulting painting became the world's most powerful anti-war symbol.
German E-boats attacked a US landing exercise rehearsing the Normandy invasion off Slapton Sands, England, killing 749 American servicemen. The Exercise Tiger disaster was classified for decades and remains one of the worst US training losses of the war.
Advance elements of US 69th Infantry Division made formal link-up with Soviet 58th Guards Rifle Division near Torgau on the Elbe River. The joint reconnaissance photograph became one of the most reproduced images of the war's end in Europe.
President Reagan signed NSDD-85 directing the creation of the Fletcher and Hoffman studies on the Strategic Defense Initiative, beginning formal development of ballistic missile defense architecture. SDI would reshape US-Soviet arms control through the 1980s.
A catastrophic nuclear accident at the Chernobyl power plant in Soviet Ukraine released massive amounts of radioactive contamination. The disaster required the evacuation of 350,000 people and had significant implications for Soviet military preparedness and Cold War dynamics.
The People's Liberation Army's Beijing Military Region began contingency planning for military intervention to clear student protesters from Tiananmen Square. The eventual June 4 crackdown would reshape US military engagement with China for three decades.
South Africa's first multiracial democratic election began with a three-day voting period that produced Nelson Mandela's presidency. The peaceful transition ended apartheid and triggered the complete reorganization of the South African Defence Force.
Estonia's relocation of the Soviet-era Bronze Soldier Tallinn war memorial triggered riots and the world's first major state-sponsored cyber attack, conducted by Russian-linked hackers against Estonian government and banking systems.
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First Lieutenant
The most decorated American combat soldier of WWII. Awarded the Medal of Honor for single-handedly holding off an entire German company near Holtzwihr, France, by climbing atop a burning tank destroyer and firing its .50-caliber machine gun. He received every US military combat award for valor.
Deputy Führer
WWI veteran and deputy to Adolf Hitler who made a bizarre solo flight to Scotland in May 1941 to negotiate peace with Britain. Captured and imprisoned, he was sentenced to life at Nuremberg and spent 46 years in Spandau Prison.
Civilian
The assassin of President Abraham Lincoln was cornered and killed by Union soldiers at Garrett's Farm near Port Royal, Virginia, 12 days after shooting Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. His death ended the most consequential assassination manhunt in American history.
Major General (Militia)
Signer of the Declaration of Independence who served as a major general in the Suffolk County militia during the American Revolution. The British burned his estate on Long Island in retaliation for his support of independence.
11 military events occurred on April 26, spanning multiple centuries. Key events include: The Bombing of Guernica (1937), Johnston Surrenders the Army of Tennessee (1865).
The most significant military event on April 26 is The Bombing of Guernica (1937). German Condor Legion and Italian bombers attacked the Basque market town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, killing an estimated 150-300 civilians in one of the first deliberate terror bombings of an undefended town. The attack inspired Picasso's masterwork and became the world's most powerful symbol of aerial bombardment against civilians.
Notable military figures born on April 26 include Audie Murphy (1925–1971), Rudolf Hess (1894–1987).
Events on April 26 span the Interwar Period, the Civil War, the Colonial & Revolutionary era, the Cold War, World War II, the Modern Era, covering 11 events across 4 centuries of military history.
Events on April 26 involve 3 branches of the U.S. and allied armed forces, reflecting the global scope of military operations throughout history.
Explore military history from the day you were born.
June 6
The Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious assault in history.
December 7
Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing America into World War II.
September 11
The deadliest terrorist attack in history transforms U.S. national security.
August 6
The first atomic bomb is dropped on a city, ushering in the nuclear age.
May 8
Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending World War II in Europe.
November 11
Armistice Day marks the end of World War I and honors all who served.
June 4
The turning point of the Pacific War as the U.S. Navy destroys four Japanese carriers.
July 4
The Declaration of Independence is adopted, sparking the American Revolution.
The FIM-92 Stinger helped win the Cold War by turning Afghan mujahideen into a credible anti-aircraft threat. By 2023, the United States almost ran out of them, because Raytheon stopped making them for 13 years, and the first 10 months of Ukraine support burned through the remaining stockpile.
These weapons were built to fight a war that everyone prayed would never happen. The Minuteman III has been on alert since 1970. The Typhoon-class carried enough nuclear warheads to destroy a continent. The Davy Crockett could be fired by three soldiers. Most of them have been waiting for 40 years. Here are 10 Cold War weapons built exclusively for World War III.
The MiG-31 was designed to catch the SR-71 Blackbird. It is still the fastest fighter in any air force. The Foxhound's Zaslon phased-array radar, the first ever installed in a fighter, can track 10 targets and engage 4 simultaneously at ranges exceeding 200 miles. Here is why Russia still flies a 1980s interceptor, and why the MiG-31BM carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic missile has changed what the aircraft means to modern warfare.
Nineteen armies on four continents chose the Leopard 2. No other Western tank comes close to this export record, and the reasons go far beyond German engineering.
