On June 10th his death throes ended. Upon hearing from his death, the world realized that something more than a genius had been lost. Antonio Gaudí died like a beggar, inconsistently with the splendor of his modernist architectonic work.

Three days earlier, he left his house in Barcelona, Spain, slovenly and with no identity card, in a hurry to attend the mass. However, he failed to attend his daily meeting with his confessor. Gaudí, 74, fell down under the tram between Girona and Bailén, the streets he used to take.

Due to his appearance, virtually nobody would take care of the badly wounded, unconscious man who lay on the street following the accident. Valuable minutes went by. The police finally arrived and took him to a hospital for first aid.

The whole Barcelona wept for the loss of the "architect of God," when nothing else could be done to save his life. But it was not the only sin against Gaudí. His work, due to the political situation and the war, was harshly criticized and forsaken for years. Other artists, such as Salvador Dalí, had to intervene to rescue his legacy, which went beyond the buildings he erected throughout his life.

Seventy-six years after his death, the Vatican admitted the process for Gaudí's beatification.

AYRE's short stay
On April 1926, there was a historical event in Venezuela. The first radio station in the country opened in Caracas.

It was AYRE, an initiative backed by Colonel Arturo Santana, an escort of General Juan Vicente Gómez. Under his umbrella, the radio station not only played music, but also aired a wide range of programs. Political turmoil let it last two years only.

The country fully entered the oil era, leaving behind agricultural economy based on coffee trade. In 1926, oil exports amounted to USD 89,492, surpassing for the first time the coffee exports, which stood at USD 53,704. Living off the oil income had begun.

Another missing star
The year ended with the unexpected death of actor Rodolfo Valentino on August 23rd. He was 31 years old and promised to give additional success to the show business at that time. An acute peritonitis dashed the hopes of Hollywood's Latin lover.