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Today’s Highlight in History:
Published 11:17am Tuesday, April 26, 2011On April 26, 1986, a major nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl (chur-NOH’-bul) plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) as an explosion and fire caused radioactive fallout to begin spewing into the atmosphere. At least 31 people died fighting the plant fire, but the number of other deaths resulting from the disaster remains in dispute.
On this date:
Ten years ago: Ukraine’s communist-dominated parliament dismissed reform-oriented Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko (yoo-SHEN’-koh) and his government, plunging the nation into political chaos. Junichiro Koizumi (joon-ee-chee-roh koh-ee-zoo-mee) was elected as prime minister of Japan in a vote by the lower house of Japan’s parliament.
Five years ago: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to Iraq, where they embraced the country’s fledgling leaders as independent and focused on the future.
