This Day in History

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 21 2016 Legendary musician and megawatt star Prince dies at 57 On the morning of April 21, 2016, Prince, the polymathic musician who created more than 30 albums and won seven Grammy Awards over a 40-year career, is found dead in Paisley Park, his Minnesota home and recording studio. The cause of death was an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl. He was 57... read more American Revolution 1777 British rampage Danbury, Connecticut Ancient Rome 753 B.C. Rome founded Art, Literature, and Film History 1816 Charlotte Brontë born 1895 First movie projector demonstrated in United States 1973 “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” tops the U.S. pop charts and creates a cultural phenomenon Asian History 1989 Chinese students protest at Tiananmen Square Civil War 1863 Union Colonel Abel Streight’s raid into Alabama and Georgia begins Gay Rights 1966 “Sip-In” takes place at Julius' Bar in New York City Inventions & Science 1967 GM celebrates 100 millionth U.S.-made car 19th CENTURY 1836 Texas militia routs Mexicans in the Battle of San Jacinto Natural Disasters & Environment 1930 Prisoners left to burn in Ohio fire Sports 1980 Rosie Ruiz fakes Boston Marathon win U.S. Presidents 1865 Abraham Lincoln's funeral train leaves D.C. World War I 1918 German flying ace, “Red Baron,” killed in action

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 22 1970 The first Earth Day Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems, is celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 22, 1970. Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches and educational pro... read more 19th Century 1889 The Oklahoma land rush begins 21st Century 2004 Pat Tillman killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan American Revolution 1778 John Paul Jones leads American raid on Whitehaven, England Art, Literature, and Film History 1978 The Blues Brothers make their world premiere on "Saturday Night Live" Cold War 1954 Joseph McCarthy begins hearings investigating U.S. Army Crime 1886 Seduction is made illegal in Ohio Natural Disasters & Environment 1992 Sewers explode in Guadalajara, Mexico, killing hundreds South American History 1997 Peruvian President Fujimori orders assault on Japanese ambassador’s home Sports 1876 First National League baseball game played 1957 John Irvin Kennedy plays for Phillies, fully integrating National League U.S. Presidents 1994 Former President Richard Nixon dies World War I 1915 Germans introduce poison gas 1915 Second Battle of Ypres begins World War II 1945 Hitler admits defeat

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 23 1564 William Shakespeare born According to tradition, the great English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564. It is impossible to be certain the exac... read more American Revolution 1778 John Paul Jones burns Whitehaven, England Art, Literature, and Film History 1961 Judy Garland plays Carnegie Hall Civil War 1865 “Panic has seized the country,” writes Confederate President Jefferson Davis Cold War 1945 President Truman confronts Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov Crime 1969 Sirhan Sirhan receives death penalty for assassination of Robert F. Kennedy European History 1014 King Brian of Ireland murdered by Vikings Sports 1954 Hank Aaron hits first home run of his MLB career U.S. Presidents 1791 James Buchanan is born Vietnam War 1975 President Ford says that war is finished for America World War I 1915 Poet-soldier Rupert Brooke dies in Greece

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 24 1916 Easter Rebellion begins On April 24, 1916, on Easter Monday in Dublin, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule. Assisted by militant Irish socialists under James Connolly, Pearse and ... read more Art, Literature, and Film History 1800 Library of Congress established 1982 Jane Fonda’s first workout video released Civil War 1863 Union issues conduct code for soldiers Cold War 1955 The Bandung Conference concludes European History 1953 Winston Churchill knighted Middle Eastern History 1980 Iran hostage rescue mission ends in disaster Space Exploration 1967 Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov killed when parachute fails to deploy U.S. Presidents 1945 President Truman is briefed on Manhattan Project

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 25 1983 Soviet leader Yuri Andropov writes letter to U.S. fifth-grader Samantha Smith On April 25, 1983, the Soviet Union releases a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American fifth-grader from Manchester, Maine, inviting her to visit his country. Andropov’s letter came in response to a note Smith had sent him in December 1982, asking if the Soviets... read more 21st Century 2014 The Flint water crisis begins African History 1859 Ground broken for Suez Canal Art, Literature, and Film History 1719 "Robinson Crusoe" is published 1917 Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald is born Crime 1989 A father is exonerated after 21 years Natural Disasters & Environment 1980 Plane crashes on Canary Islands, killing 146 2015 Magnitude 7.8 earthquake kills thousands in Nepal Space Exploration 1990 Hubble Space Telescope placed in orbit Sports 1950 Chuck Cooper becomes first African American selected in NBA draft 1974 NFL adopts overtime for regular-season games U.S. Presidents 1947 President Truman inaugurates White House bowling alley World War I 1915 Allies begin invasion of Gallipoli World War II 1945 Americans and Russians link up, cut Germany in two

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 26 1954 Polio vaccine trials begin On April 26, 1954, the Salk polio vaccine field trials, involving 1.8 million children, begin at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. Children in the United States, Canada and Finland participated in the trials, which used for the first time the now-standard double-blind metho... read more 1950s 1954 Geneva Conference to resolve problems in Asia begins Art, Literature, and Film History 1977 Studio 54 opens in New York City 1986 Maria Shriver marries Arnold Schwarzenegger Civil War 1865 Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth dies Crime 1913 Murder in Atlanta pencil factory leads to lynching of Leo Frank 2012 Former Liberian president Charles Taylor found guilty of war crimes Natural Disasters & Environment 1986 Test triggers nuclear disaster at Chernobyl U.S. Presidents 1984 President Reagan visits China Westward Expansion 1798 Mountain man James Beckwourth is born World War I 1915 Allies sign Treaty of London World War II 1937 Nazis test new air force, Luftwaffe, on Basque town of Guernica

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 27 4977 B.C. Universe is created, according to Kepler On April 27, 4977 B.C., the universe is created, according to German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, considered a founder of modern science. Kepler is best known for his theories explaining the motion of planets. Kepler was born on December 27, 1571, in Weil der Stadt, Germany. As a un... read more 19th Century 1805 U.S. agent William Eaton leads U.S. forces "to the shores of Tripoli" 1813 Explorer Zebulon Pike killed in battle Africa 1994 South Africa holds first multiracial elections American Revolution 1773 British parliament passes unpopular Tea Act Art, Literature, and Film History 1993 D.A. announces negligence caused death of "The Crow" actor Brandon Lee Civil War 1865 Union soldiers die in steamship explosion Crime 1997 Andrew Cunanan begins his killing spree Exploration 1521 Navigator Ferdinand Magellan killed in the Philippines Inventions & Science 2009 GM announces plans to phase out Pontiac Sports 1956 Rocky Marciano retires as world heavyweight champion U.S. Presidents 1822 President Ulysses S. Grant is born

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 28

1789 Mutiny on the HMS Bounty Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate. Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a small, open boat, and the Bounty set course for Tubuai so... read more

1970s 1978 Afghan president is overthrown and murdered

Cold War 1965 U.S. troops land in the Dominican Republic in attempt to forestall a "communist dictatorship"

Crime 1996 35 killed in Australia's Port Arthur Massacre mass shooting

EUROPEAN HISTORY 1945 Benito Mussolini executed 1969 Charles de Gaulle resigns as leader of France

Inventions & Science 1916 Luxury car magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini is born

Sports 1967 Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction

Vietnam War 1970 President Nixon approves Cambodian incursion

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 29 2004 World War II monument opens in Washington, D.C. On April 29, 2004, the World War II Memorial opens in Washington, D.C. to thousands of visitors, providing overdue recognition for the 16 million U.S. men and women who served in the war. The memorial is located on 7.4 acres on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the National Ma... read more   Celebrate Mother’s Day with HISTORY Get $5 Off Orders $25+ at the HISTORY Store when you shop for Mother’s Day gifts for the best mom in history. Use code MOMS5OFF, valid through 4/30 at Midnight PT. SHOP NOW Art, Literature, and Film History 1968 "Hair" premieres on Broadway Black History 1854 First African American college chartered 1992 Riots erupt in Los Angeles after police officers are acquitted in Rodney King trial Civil War 1862 Union captures New Orleans France 1429 Joan of Arc relieves Orleans Great Britain 2011 Britain's Prince William weds Kate Middleton Holocaust 1945 U.S. Army liberates Dachau concentration camp Inventions & Science 2004 The end of the road for Oldsmobile U.S. Presidents 1974 President Nixon announces release of Watergate tapes Westward Expansion 1863 Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst is born World War II 1945 Adolf and Eva marry

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 30 1945 Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker On April 30, 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler's dreams of a "1,000-year" Reich... read more 21st Century 2004 U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib Art, Literature, and Film History 1997 Controversial "coming out" episode of "Ellen" airs Crime 1927 The first federal prison for women opens in West Virginia Early U.S. 1803 United States and France conclude the Louisiana Purchase Great Britain 1997 Big Ben stops at 12:11 pm for 54 minutes Great Depression 1939 New York World's Fair opens Inventions & Science 1897 British physicist J.J. Thomson announces the discovery of electrons 1948 Original Land Rover debuts at auto show 1993 World Wide Web (WWW) launches in the public domain Japan 2019 Japan's Emperor Akihito abdicates Sports 1993 Tennis star Monica Seles stabbed U.S. Presidents 1789 George Washington gives first presidential inaugural address Vietnam War 1975 Fall of Saigon: South Vietnam surrenders World War I 1917 Battle of the Boot takes place between Anglo-Indian and Turkish forces

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 1 1931 Empire State Building dedicated On May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates New York City's Empire State Building, pressing a button from the White House that turns on the building's lights. Hoover's gesture, of course, was symbolic; while the president remained in Washington, D.C., someone else flicked the switc... read more 1970s 1972 Labor organizer and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez begins hunger strike 1977 Over 2,000 protesters occupy the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant construction site in New Hampshire 19th Century 1898 The U.S. destroys Spanish Pacific fleet in Battle of Manila Bay Art, Literature, and Film History 1941 "Citizen Kane" released Civil War 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville begins Cold War 1960 American U-2 spy plane shot down over Soviet Union Crime 2002 Former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams indicted for manslaughter Great Britain 1851 First-ever "Great Exhibition" opens in London 1997 Labour Party returns to power in Britain Inventions & Science 1926 Ford factory workers get 40-hour week Sports 1955 Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins final LPGA tournament of her career U.S. Government 1958 President Eisenhower proclaims Law Day Westward Expansion 1852 Adventurer and performer Calamity Jane is born Women's History 1915 International Congress of Women adopts resolutions on peace, women's suffrage 1963 Gloria Steinem publishes part one of "A Bunny's Tale" in SHOW magazine

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 02 1933 Loch Ness "Monster" sighted for the first time, igniting the modern legend The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news on May 2, 1933. The newspaper Inverness Courier relates an account of a local couple who claim to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.” The story of the “monster” (a moniker chosen by th... read more 21st Century 2011 Osama bin Laden killed by U.S. forces Art, Literature, and Film History 1960 Dick Clark survives the Payola scandal Black History 1963 More than 1,000 schoolchildren protest segregation in the Children's Crusade Cold War 1957 Senator Joseph McCarthy dies Crime 1924 A grisly murder makes rubber gloves standard equipment at crime scenes Exploration 1670 King Charles II grants charter to Hudson’s Bay Company Inventions & Science 1918 GM buys Chevrolet U.S. Government and Politics 1972 J. Edgar Hoover dies, ending a five-decade era at the FBI World War I 1918 Allies argue over U.S. troops joining battle on Western Front World War II 1945 German troops surrender to Allies in Italy, while Berlin surrenders to Russia's Zhukov

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 3 1469 Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli born On May 3, 1469, the Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli is born. A lifelong patriot and diehard proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli became one of the fathers of modern political theory. Machiavelli entered the political service of his native Florence by the time he was 29. As de... read more 1980s 1980 MADD founder's daughter killed by drunk driver Art, Literature, and Film History 1810 Lord Byron swims across tumultuous Hellespont strait in Turkey 1933 Funk master James Brown is born 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decides Paramount antitrust case Civil Rights Movement 1954 Supreme Court rules in Hernandez v. Texas, broadening civil rights laws Cold War 1951 Congressional hearings on General MacArthur begin Crime 1992 Exxon executive is murdered 2007 Three-year-old Madeleine McCann goes missing in Portugal Exploration 1952 Joseph Fletcher lands first aircraft on the North Pole Japan 1947 New Japanese constitution goes into effect 1962 Trains collide near Tokyo, killing more than 160 people Vietnam War 1965 173rd Airborne Brigade deploys to South Vietnam World War II 1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea begins 1946 Japanese war crimes trial begins

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 4 1970 National Guard kills four students in Kent State shootings On May 4, 1970, in Kent, Ohio, 28 National Guardsmen fire their weapons at a group of anti-war demonstrators on the Kent State University campus, killing four students, wounding eight, and permanently paralyzing another. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Viet... read more Africa 2002 Nigerian aircraft crashes in crowded city American Revolution 1776 Rhode Island becomes first colony to declare independence from England Art, Literature, and Film History 1929 Legendary actress Audrey Hepburn is born 1948 Norman Mailer's first novel, "The Naked and the Dead," is published 1956 Gene Vincent records "Be-Bop-A-Lula" 1959