April 2026: around the Moon and back to Aintree
April 2026 opened with a story that sounded like a prank and was not. Artemis II lifted off from Florida on Wednesday 1 April, the first crewed flight to the Moon since 1972. Four astronauts rode it: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. They splashed down off San Diego on Friday 10 April after breaking Apollo 13's distance record. The grid beneath ran 30 days, Wednesday to Thursday, with 22 business days and ISO weeks 14 to 18.
Five Wednesdays, five Thursdays
The five Wednesdays opened the month on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th. The five Thursdays answered on the 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays got four turns each. The weekends numbered eight days, and no fifth Saturday ever appeared.
The last Thursday, the 30th, closed the month in mid-stride. The month's final week number, 18, reappears at the top of May's grid. April's shape suits anyone who lives by the front half of the week.
Aintree, then Augusta
I Am Maximus won the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday 11 April, under Paul Townend. He became just the second horse since Red Rum to win the race twice. The steeplechasing season closed on its traditional high note.
Augusta followed a day later. Rory McIlroy retained his Masters title on Sunday 12 April, keeping the green jacket for the second year running. For the fixture planners, the Saturdays were the 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. The Sundays sat one day behind each of them.
A truce, and a harder week
On Wednesday 8 April, Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. It was tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Oil fell back below 95 dollars a barrel. The truce did not reach Lebanon, where a single day of strikes that Wednesday killed at least 254 people.
Monday 20 April brought the hardest news. A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off Japan's Sanriku coast, briefly triggering tsunami advisories, and authorities reported thousands dead. That same day, Apple announced that Tim Cook would step down after 15 years as chief executive. John Ternus is to succeed him.
A moon on a Friday rota
The full moon arrived on Thursday 2 April. Last quarter came on Friday the 10th, the new moon on Friday the 17th, first quarter on Friday the 24th. Three Fridays in a row, which the tide tables will confirm before the calendar does.
The Lyrid meteor shower peaked around Wednesday 22 April, under skies the new moon had left dark. A quiet month for eclipses, after March's, and the dark skies helped.
A flight around the Moon, a retained green jacket and five Thursdays: April 2026 finished on the last of them.