This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 26th April”.
120: Birth of Marcus Aurelius
Best known as a Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius was born on this day in Rome, Italy. Aurelius was also the last of the five good emperors of Rome. The Meditations, his day-to-day reflection on his life is considered to be one of the greatest books, which is an essential part of the Stoic readings.
1865: John Wilkes booth dies
After assassinating the then US President, Abraham Lincoln on 14th April, John Wilkes Booth was on run. A manhunt began which lasted for about 12 days, after which he was caught hiding in a barn on a Virginia farm. He was shot in the tussle and died at the spot. Though various rumours say that Booth wasn’t the man who was killed.
1920: Death of Ramanujan
The great Indian mathematician, Ramanujan left the world on this day at Kumbakonam. He contracted tuberculosis in 1917 but most likely died with hepatic amoebiasis at the age of 32 only. He is remembered for his substantial contributions to mathematics.
1975: Sikkim becomes the 22nd state of India
Sikkim was a Himalayan kingdom ruled by a monarchy for about 3 centuries. In 1950, the state became a protectorate of the nation. It was in 1975 that the state of Sikkim became a full-fledged state with special provisions under article 371(F) of the Constitution of India.
1986: Chernobyl disaster
This day marks a day of disaster as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine experienced a nuclear explosion. It is considered the worst disaster in the history of nuclear power. about 30 per cent of Chernobyl’s 190 metric tons of uranium was released into the atmosphere. An exclusion zone was created around the reactor and some scientists estimate that this zone wouldn’t be habitable for the next 20,000 years.
