Today is Tuesday, April 26, the 117th day of 2016

Today is Tuesday, April 26, the 117th day of 2016. There are 249 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1923: Britain’s Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI), marries Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey.

1964: The African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.

1986: A major accident occurs at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) as an explosion and fire causes radioactive fallout to begin spewing into the atmosphere over much of Europe, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes in the most heavily hit areas.

1994: Voting begins in South Africa’s first all-race elections, resulting in victory for the African National Congress and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president.

2000: Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signs the nation’s first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.

VINDICATOR FILES

1991: A cloud of uncertainty over General Motors Corp.’s Lordstown Complex is lifted with the announcement that GM will build the next generation of its J-car in Lordstown.

L. Frederick Gieg, president of RMI Titanium Co., which has facilities in Ashtabula and Niles, says RMI is taking a hard look at utility rates in Ohio before considering large-scale expansion.

James Van Keuren, Ohio Department of Education director of finance, says as many as 14 of Trumbull County’s 21 school districts may be forced to borrow operating money from the state, the highest percentage in the state.

1976: Enrollment at Youngstown State University increases to 14,264 for the spring quarter, an increase of 9.3 percent over a year earlier.

Frank Bellino Jr., 27, is the first “scratch” golfer in the history of the City “Y” Golf League.

The threat of temperatures falling into the low 20s has Mahoning Valley fruit growers worried about their apple, peach and cherry crops, some of which were blossoming three to four weeks ahead of schedule.

1966: B&I Management Inc. will erect a luxury apartment building and restyle six existing buildings in Liberty Township at a cost of $450,000. B&I will use an old architectural style in remodeling, a 17th-century French mansard roof.

Carol Sue Slagle, a junior at Springfield Local High School, will go to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the International Fellowship Inc. student-exchange program.

Plans for a joint vocational high school to serve 22 Trumbull County school districts are proceeding, Niles Superintendent Donald T. Renwand reports to the Niles Board of Education. All schools in the state are expected to provide vocational education by 1967.

1941: Triplet daughters are born at North Side Hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Kent of Youngstown. A great-grandfather on the maternal side married three times and had 22 children, all but four of whom were twins.

A power unit for use in a small fast Army vehicle like the new “Blitzbuggy” has been patented by Charles Smalley of Youngstown, patent attorneys Harpman and Harpman announce.

Donna Anderson and Marilyn Hart are members of the South High School group that won third place in the radio play contest at the 25th annual speech tournament for high schools at Western Reserve University. Other cast members are Paul Shorte, Jack Mace and Brinely Jenkins.

A crude homemade bomb with a half-burned fuse is found behind the Honterus German Evangelical Lutheran Church at 721 Lincoln Avenue.