April 1926

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The following events occurred in April 1926:

April 1, 1926 (Thursday)

Judge English

• The U.S. House of Representatives voted, 306 to 60 to impeach U.S. District Judge George W. English on five articles of impeachment, including abuse of his powers and three arising from suspected viloations of the bankruptcy laws. ^[1] After the U.S. Senate began the impeachment trial, Judge English would resign on November 4, 1926 as a prerequisite for dismissal of the charges against him.
• The Transjordan Frontier Force (TJFF) was formed at Sarafand as a paramilitary border guard for the Emirate of Transjordan (now the Kingdom of Jordan), which had been created from the British Mandate for Palestine. ^[2]
• Born:
  • Charles Bressler, American tenor; in Kingston, Pennsylvania (d. 1996)
  • Anne McCaffrey, American science fiction and fantasy novelist; in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2011)
• Died: Jacob Pavlovich Adler, 71, Russian actor

April 2, 1926 (Friday)

• In British India (which included, at the time, what are now India, Pakistan nad Bangladesh, rioting between Hindus and Muslims broke out in Calcutta. ^{[3] [4] [5]} As many as 50 people were killed ^[6] before the rioting subsided after six days. ^[7]
• Former Irish Prime Minister Eamon de Valera, who had recently split with the Sinn Féin party and led fellow members of parliament to form a new organization, proposed the name "Fianna Fáil" for the organization scheduled to organize on May 16. The name was representative of "Fianna" (soldiers) and the Lia Fáil, the coronation stone for the ancient kings of Ireland. ^[8]
• Residents of the municipality of Watts, California, voted 1,338 to 535 to become part of the city of Los Angeles ^[9] with the consolidation taking effect on June 1, 1926. The proposal had been endorsed by Mayor L. A. Edwards. In the 1940s, Watts would become a predominantly African-American section of Los Angeles and would gain fame as the cite of the Watts riots in 1965 and the Rodney King riots in 1992.
• The White House announced that U.S. President Calvin Coolidge had declined an invitation to send American delegates to a League of Nations conference in Geneva to discuss America's reservations about joining the World Court. ^[10]
• Born:
  • Jack Brabham, Australian Formula One racing driver, and a three-time World Drivers' Champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966; in Hurstville, New South Wales ^[11] (d. 2014) ^[12]
  • Sylvia Thorpe (pen name for June Sylvia Thimblethorpe), British romance novelist; in London (d.2023)

April 3, 1926 (Saturday)

• Lord Halifax took office as the new Viceroy of British India, succeeding Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading.
• Warplanes of Manchurian warlord Zhang Zuolin began bombing Guominjun -held Beijing. ^[13]
• Agip, a multinational petroleum and petrochemical product and sales business, was founded in Italy.^{[ citation needed ]}
• Born: Gus Grissom, astronaut, in Mitchell, Indiana (d. 1967)

April 4, 1926 (Sunday)

General Pangalos

• Greek dictator Theodoros Pangalos won the presidential election with 93.3% of the vote. Turnout was light as the result was considered a foregone conclusion. ^[14]
• Martial law was declared in Calcutta (British India) as rioting continued there. ^[5]

April 5, 1926 (Monday)

• The Harold Lloyd comedy film For Heaven's Sake , which would become the highest-grossing film of the year, premiered in the United States. ^[15]
• Bulgaria was reported to be in the midst of economic crisis, with businesses failing throughout the country and unemployment around 11%. ^{[16] [17]}

April 6, 1926 (Tuesday)

• The Montreal Maroons beat the Victoria Cougars by a 2–0 score to win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey, three games to one.
• United Airlines was founded as Varney Air Lines, the first scheduled commercial airline in U.S. history.
• Eusebio Joaquín González had a vision in which God changed his first name to Aarón and told him to leave Monterrey in the Nuevo León state of Mexico, origin of La Luz del Mundo, a nontrinitarian charismatic restorationist Christian church. ^[18]
• Born:
  • Sergio Franchi, tenor, in Codogno, Italy (d. 1990)
  • Gil Kane, comic book artist, in Riga (d. 2000)
  • Ian Paisley, politician, in Armagh, Northern Ireland (d. 2014)
  • Randy Weston, jazz pianist, in New York City (d. 2018)
• Died: Gerald Chapman, 38, American criminal, "The Gentleman Bandit", hanged

April 7, 1926 (Wednesday)

• In Rome, Benito Mussolini was shot by Violet Gibson, daughter of Lord Ashbourne, but the bullets only grazed his nose.
• Across Italy, 3 were killed, staffers of anti-Fascist newspapers were beaten, and property was smashed in nighttime "reprisal" attacks following the attempt on Mussolini's life. ^[19]
• Born:
  • Prem Nazir, film actor, in Chirayinkeezhu, British Raj (d. 1989)
  • Miyoko Asō, voice actress, in Tokyo (d. 2018)
• Died: Giovanni Amendola, 43, Italian journalist and politician (died from wounds sustained in an attack by Fascists in July 1925)

April 8, 1926 (Thursday)

• Ford Motor Company Aktiengesellschaft, the German subsidiary of the American Ford Motor Company, assembled its first vehicle, a Model T, using parts imported from the U.S. in order to circumvent the high tariff on the importation of fully-assembled vehicles. ^[20]
• Following a colorful naval ceremony, Mussolini disembarked in a battleship for Tripoli to make his first visit to the colony of Italian Libya, sporting a large bandage across his nose from the previous day's assassination attempt but displaying no other ill effects. ^{[21] [22]}

April 9, 1926 (Friday)

• An attempt to start a military coup against Greek dictator Theodoros Pangalos was swiftly crushed in Thessaloniki. ^[23]
• Born: Hugh Hefner, adult magazine publisher ( Playboy ) in Chicago (d. 2017)
• Died: Henry Miller, 67, stage actor and producer

April 10, 1926 (Saturday)

• King Fuad of Egypt inaugurated the new Egyptian Parliament. ^[24]
• Mauna Loa erupted in Hawaii. ^[25]

April 11, 1926 (Sunday)

• Mussolini arrived in Tripoli to much ceremony and reviewed 3,000 colonial troops. ^[26]

April 12, 1926 (Monday)

U.S. Senator Brookhart

U.S. Senator Steck

• By a vote of 45–41, the United States Senate unseated Iowa Senator Smith W. Brookhart and seated Daniel F. Steck, after Brookhart had already served for over one year.
• Born: Khozh-Akhmed Bersanov, Chechen ethnographer, in Chechen Autonomous Oblast (d. 2018)

April 13, 1926 (Tuesday)

• Lincoln Ellsworth and Roald Amundsen departed from Oslo to Spitzbergen, where they would board the airship Norge to fly over the North Pole. ^[27]
• In one of the greatest Opening Day pitcher's duels of all time, Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators defeated Eddie Rommel and the Philadelphia Athletics, 1–0 in fifteen innings. ^[28]

April 14, 1926 (Wednesday)

• Robertson Aircraft Corporation started Contract Air Mail service between St. Louis and Chicago.
• Born:
  • Frank Daniel, film director, producer and screenwriter, in Kolín, Czechoslovakia (d. 1996)
  • Gloria Jean, American actress, as Gloria Jean Schoonover, in Buffalo, New York (d. 2018)
  • George Robledo, footballer, in Iquique, Chile (d. 1989)
  • Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, politician, in Madrid, Spain (d. 2008)

April 15, 1926 (Thursday)

• Residents of Guominjun -held Beijing entered a state of panic as the army of Zhang Zuolin reached Tongzhou, within striking distance of the city.
• Canadian Finance Minister James Robb presented the new budget of King's Liberal government, reporting a $55 million budget surplus and offering $25 million worth of tax cuts as well as reduced tariffs for automobiles. ^[29]
• Mussolini's visit to Italian Libya concluded. ^[30]

April 16, 1926 (Friday)

• Zhang Zuolin's army surrounded Beijing as the Guominjun retreated. ^[31]

April 17, 1926 (Saturday)

• Zhang Zuolin's army entered Beijing. ^[32]
• 1,500 railway workers went on strike in London, while nearly 20,000 members of the Women's Guild of the Empire marched through the city to protest against strikes and lockouts as a means of settling labour disputes. ^[33]
• Born: Gerry McNeil, hockey player, in Quebec City (d. 2004)

April 18, 1926 (Sunday)

• Lava from the Mauna Loa eruption engulfed the village of Hoʻōpūloa. ^[25]
• French and Spanish representatives failed to reach an agreement in talks with Rif rebel delegates in Morocco on ending the ongoing rebellion led by Abd el-Krim. ^[5]

April 19, 1926 (Monday)

• Canadian Johnny Miles won the 1926 Boston Marathon.
• Pitcairn Aviation (now Eastern Air Lines) was formally established. ^[34]
• Huddersfield Town win the English Football Championship for the third time in succession
• Born:
  • Rawya Ateya, politician and first female parliamentarian in the Arab world, in Giza Governorate, Egypt (d. 1997)
  • Frank Brenzel, American War Hero and union activist in Archbald, Pennsylvania (d. 2017)
• Died: Sir Squire Bancroft, 84, English stage actor

April 20, 1926 (Tuesday)

General Duan driven out

• Acting president of China Duan Qirui fled from Beijing to Tianjin; Hu Weide assumed the post. ^[35]
• The Mellon–Berenger Agreement was negotiated. The pact agreed on the amount and rate of repayment of France's debt to the United States arising from loans and payments in kind made during World War I. The agreement pended ratification in French Parliament.
• The French franc hit a new historical low: 30 to the U.S. dollar. ^[36]
• Died: Billy Quirk, 53, American film actor

April 21, 1926 (Wednesday)

Princess Elizabeth

• On the traditional anniversary day of the founding of Rome, Italy proclaimed the first annual "Colonial Day", celebrating the Italian colonies. ^[37]
• Born:
  • Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, in Mayfair, London (d. 2022)
  • Arthur Rowley, footballer and cricketer, in Wolverhampton, England (d. 2002)

April 22, 1926 (Thursday)

• Iran and Turkey signed a "Treaty of Friendship" in Tehran. It pledged nonaggression towards one another and also included possible joint actions that could have been taken to deal with groups within their borders that threatened security, particularly Kurds. ^[38]
• Born:
  • Charlotte Rae, actress and singer, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2018)
  • James Stirling, architect, in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1992)

April 23, 1926 (Friday)

• Germany reported a trade surplus for March of 240 million marks, in an encouraging sign for the country's financial stabilization and ability to make Dawes Plan payments. ^[39]

April 24, 1926 (Saturday)

• Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Treaty of Berlin, in which each pledged neutrality in an event of attack on the other by a third party within the next five years.
• 1926 FA Cup Final: The Bolton Wanderers defeated Manchester City 1–0.
• Born: Thorbjörn Fälldin, 27th Prime Minister of Sweden, in Högsjö (d. 2016)
• Died: Emperor Sunjong of Korea, 52

April 25, 1926 (Sunday)

Reza Shah's coronation procession

• Reza Khan was crowned Shah of Iran under the name "Pahlevi".
• Born: Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (d. 2008)

April 26, 1926 (Monday)

• Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill presented the new budget of Stanley Baldwin's Conservative government in the United Kingdom. It projected a deficit of £8 million, down from £14 million the previous year. The most controversial element was a proposed 5% betting tax to be added to each stake made at a race course or through a bookmaker. ^[40]
• Born:
  • David Coleman, sports commentator, in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, England (d. 2013)
  • Michael Mathias Prechtl, artist, in Amberg, Germany (d. 2003)

April 27, 1926 (Tuesday)

• 10 were killed as rioting continued in Calcutta. ^[41]
• Seventeen-year-old Mel Ott made his major league debut for the New York Giants, striking out in a pinch-hitting appearance. ^[42]

April 28, 1926 (Wednesday)

• U.S. President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon National Park in California "the nation's Christmas tree".
• Born: Harper Lee, author, in Monroeville, Alabama (d. 2016)

April 29, 1926 (Thursday)

• Riffian rebel envoys in Morocco rejected the latest Franco-Spanish peace proposal to end the Rif War, refusing the condition that Abd el-Krim go into exile. ^[43]
• Born: Paul Baran, computer pioneer, in Grodno, Second Polish Republic (d. 2011)

April 30, 1926 (Friday)

Bessie Coleman

• African-American pilot Bessie Coleman was killed when her Curtiss JN-4 biplane crashed in Jacksonville, Florida.
• Final efforts to stave off a lockout of British coal miners failed when the miners rejected the owners' final offer of an average wage cut of 13 percent and a "temporary" workday increase from seven to eight hours. ^[5]
• Born:
  • Edmund Cooper, poet and writer, in Marple, Greater Manchester, England (d. 1982)
  • Cloris Leachman, actress, in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 2021)
• Died: Bessie Coleman, 34, American pilot

References

1. "House Votes to Impeach Judge English, 306-60". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 2, 1926. p. 1.
2. Rothwell, Steve (2009). "The Trans-Jordan Frontier Force". British & Commonwealth Orders of Battle. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
3. "Hindus and Moslems Battle in Calcutta; 20 Dead and 150 Injured Are Reported After Fight When Parade Nears a Mosque", The New York Times, April 3, 1926, p.5
4. "DEATH LIST GROWS IN CALCUTTA RIOTS; Machine GUns Used To Halt Mobs Looting Stores in Indian City", The Montreal Daily Star, April 3, 1926, p.1
5. Mercer, Derrik (1989). Chronicle of the 20th Century. London: Chronicle Communications Ltd. pp. 340–341. ISBN   978-0-582-03919-3.
6. "Fifty Deaths in Calcutta Riots; Three Days of Terror", The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), April 6, 1926, p.9
7. "Calcutta Riots; City Now Nrmal", The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), April 6, 1926, p.1
8. Coakley, John (1980). "The Significance of Names:the Evolution of Irish Party Labels". Études irlandaises. 5 (1): 175. doi:10.3406/irlan.1980.2213.
9. "Watts Votes to Enter City," Los Angeles Times, April 3, 1926, p. I-1
10. "U.S. Declines to Send Envoy to League Meet". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 3, 1926. p. 1.
11. Brabham, Jack; Nye, Doug (2004). The Jack Brabham Story. Motorbooks International. ISBN   0-7603-1590-6.
12. "Australian F1 world champion driver Jack Brabham has died, aged 88". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
13. Dailey, Charles (April 4, 1926). "Air Bombs Rain on Peking". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 1.
14. "Pangalos Named Greek President in Poll Farce". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 5, 1926. p. 16.
15. "For Heaven's Sake (1926), Turner Classic Movies, TCM.com
16. "Bulgaria Torn by Economic Crisis; Many Firms Fail". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 6, 1926. p. 9.
17. "Bulgaria 1926–1934". World History at KMLA. 21 July 2024.
18. De la Torre, Renee (2000). Los hijos de la luz: discurso, identidad y poder en La Luz del Mundo (in Spanish). ITESO. p. 73. ISBN   968-5087-15-6 . Retrieved 2013-10-08.
19. "3 Slain, Score Hurt in Fascist Revenge Riots". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 9, 1926. p. 3.
20. Georgano, G. N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London. ISBN   1-57958-293-1.
21. Clayton, John (April 9, 1926). "Sails for "Empire"". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 3.
22. "Mussolini With His Nose Covered With A Bandaid". Getty Images . 16 March 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
23. "Troops Put Down Revolt Against Greek Dictator". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 10, 1926. p. 5.
24. Katbal, Kama (2008). "An Historical Account of Prime Ministers of Egypt 1878–1952". The Egyptian Chronicles. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
25. "The Mauna Loa Eruption of 1926". United States Geological Survey . April 7, 1995. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
26. Clayton, John (April 12, 1926). "Mussolini in Tripoli, Sounds Empire Tocsin". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 1.
27. Backer, Andreas (April 14, 1926). "Ellsworth and Amundsen Leave Oslo for Arctic". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 17.
28. "April 13, 1926, Philadelphia Athletics at Washington Senators". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved January 3, 2015.
29. Smith, George (April 16, 1926). "Canada Slashes High Tariff on U.S. Products". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 16.
30. Clayton, John (April 16, 1926). "Mussolini Sails for Italy with Empire Vision". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 22.
31. Dailey, Charles (April 17, 1926). "Peking Staves off Invasion of Manchu Victors". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 16.
32. Dailey, Charles (April 18, 1926). "Chang's Son, at Head of Troops, Invades Peking". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 13.
33. Steele, John (April 18, 1926). "Women Parade to End Strikes; Men Quit Jobs". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 7.
34. Russell, David Lee (2013). Eastern Air Lines: A History 1926–1991. McFarland & Company. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-7864-7185-0.
35. Dailey, Charles (April 16, 1926). "President Flees as Chang's Army Rules in Peaking". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 16.
36. Wales, Henry (April 21, 1926). "Francs 30 to $1; Police to Stop Money Trading". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 17.
37. McClaren, Brian L. (2006). Architecture and Tourism in Italian Colonial Libya. University of Washington Press. p. 26. ISBN   0-295-98542-9.
38. Colachal, Dr. Abdul Ruff (July 13, 2008). "Iran and Turkey: Towards a Patch-up?". Asian Tribune . Retrieved January 3, 2015.
39. Schultz, Sigrid (April 24, 1926). "German Exports Exceed Imports by $60,000,000". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 6.
40. Steele, John (April 27, 1926). "Britain Grants No Cut in Taxes in New Budget". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 12.
41. "Armored Autos Rake Calcutta; 10 Rioters Slain". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 28, 1926. p. 3.
42. "New York Giants vs Philadelphia Phillies April 27, 1926, Box Score". Baseball Almanac . Retrieved January 3, 2015.
43. "Riffian Nurmi Races War Defi to France, Spain". Chicago Daily Tribune . April 30, 1926. p. 4.