Today in History

1853
U.S. Marine Hosptial at Presidio, San Francsico forms
1907
Ellis Island in NY records 11,745 immigrants
1924
Metro &Goldwyn Pictures,Louis B.Mayer Co merge to be known as Metro, Goldwyn, Meyer{MGM}
1961
1,400 Cuban exiles land in the Bay of Pigs in a failed attempt to overthrow Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro
1986
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction won by Larry McMurtry for his novel' Lonesome Dove' story of 2 retired Texas rangers who lead other retired rangers on a cattle drive from Texas- Montana
In 1989 a mini series based on book with an all star cast Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover,Anjelica Houston, Diane Lane, Robert Urich,
2012
8th Century St Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book is bought by British Library for 9 million pounds
 

April 17th Birthdays:
1837
J. P.Morgan, SR- U.S financier/banker General Electric, At&T, U.S. Steel Corporation
1885
Isak Dinensen- Danish baroness/ writer' Out of Africa'
1918
William Holden- actor Sunset Blvd, The Blue Knight, Sabrina, Bridge on the River Kwai
1951
Olivia Hussey- British actress, best known film role' Juliet in Romeo&Juliet
1961
Boomer Esiason- retired NFL QB with NYJets, Cincinatti Bengals
1972
Jennifer Garner- actress best known TV role' Sydney Bristow' in ABC spy show' Alias'
Deaths:
1790
Ben Franklin- one of U.S founding fathers/ inventor/ writer' Poor Richard's Alamanac 84
1892
Alexander MacKenzie- 2nd Canadian Prime Minister 1873-1878 70
1998
Linda McCartney- 1st wife of Paul McCartney,photographer/ musican in band' Wings 56{breast cancer}
2016
Doris Roberts- actress best known TV roles' Mildred Krebbes' in NBC detective show' Remington Steele, 'Marie Barone' in CBS sitcom' Everybody Loves Raymond' 90
 
On This Day In History, April 18th

1956 Rainier III marries Grace Kelly
The wedding celebrations for the Prince of Monaco and the glamorous U.S. actress were broadcast around the world and enthused the population of war-torn Europe.

1951 The European Coal and Steel Community, a precursor of the European Union, is established
The Treaty of Paris was signed by France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

1949 Ireland becomes an independent republic
Six counties in the northern part of the island remained in the Commonwealth, leading to a decades-long ethnic-nationalist conflict that culminated in The Troubles.

1906 A massive earthquake destroys San Francisco
About 3000 people died in the disaster. Over 80 percent of the city was destroyed by the quake and resulting fires.

1506 Construction of the current St. Peter's Basilica begins
St. Peter's in Vatican City is one of the world's most important Catholic sites.
 

Births On This Day, April 18th 🎂

1973 Haile Gebrselassie
Ethiopian runner

1971 David Tennant
Scottish actor

1964 Niall Ferguson
Scottish historian

1902 Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Russian/French rabbi

1882 Leopold Stokowski
Polish/English conductor

Deaths On This Day, April 18th 🪦

2012 Dick Clark
American television host, and producer, founded Productions

2002 Thor Heyerdahl
Norwegian explorer

1964 Ben Hecht
American screenwriter, director, producer

1955 Albert Einstein
German/American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

1943 Isoroku Yamamoto
 
18th April

1912 The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brought 705 survivors to New York from the RMS Titanic that had sunk on on 15th April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton.

1930 The BBC's news announcer had nothing to communicate. "There is no news," was the script of the 20:45 news bulletin, before piano music was played for the rest of the 15-minute segment. The wireless service then returned to broadcasting from the Queen's Hall in Langham Place, London, where the Wagner opera Parsifal was being performed.

1949 The Republic of Ireland Act came into force as Eire (Southern Ireland) became a Republic and left the British Commonwealth.

1980 Rhodesia became Zimbabwe at midnight and independent from Britain. Canaan Banana was the President and Robert Mugabe the Prime Minister.

1988 In the House of Commons, the 16th-century symbol of the Speaker’s authority, the Mace, was damaged by Ron Brown, Labour MP for Leith, when he flung it to the floor during a debate. It was described by his own supporters as ‘a childish stunt’ and led to his 20 day suspension.
 
1506
cornerstone of current St. Peter's Bascillia was laid in the Vatican by Pope Julius II
1906
San Francisco earthquake&fire kills nearly 4,000 residents, destroys 75% of the city
1923
1st crossword puzzle book is published by Simon&Schuster
1946
The International Court of Justice opens in the Hague, Netherlands
1977
author, Alex Haley wins Pulitzer Prize for his novel,'Roots'
2014
one of the deadliest accidents on Mount Everest happened when an avalanche kills 16 Nepali mountaineers& support crew Everest is the Earth's highest mountain,peak rises more than 29,000 ft above sea level,lies between Nepal&China
 
April 18th Birthdays:
1915
Joy Davidman- U.S poet/writer, wife of C.S. Lewis
1922
Barbara Hale- actress, best known TV role' Della Street' on CBS drama' Perry Mason'
1946
Hayley Mills- British actress 'Pollyanna, The Parent Trap
1956
John James- actor best known TV role' Jeff Colby' on ABC drama' Dynasty'
1963
Eric Mc Cormack- Canadian actor best known TV role' Will Tanner' on NBC sitcom 'Will&Grace'
Deaths:
1945
Ernie Pyle- U.S journalist/ war correspondent in WWII, 44 {killed by enemy fired during Battle of Okinawa}
2002
Thor Heyerdahl- Norweigan explorer/anthropologist ' Kon Tiki 87
2012
Dick Clark- U.S. radio/TV host/ producer, original host of 'American Bandstand' 82{ heart attack}
2019
Mark Medoff- U.S. playwright' Children of a Lessor God' 79
 
On This Day In History, April 19th

1995 168 died in the Oklahoma City bombing
Timothy McVeigh, the mastermind behind the attack, was executed on June 11, 2001. The motives for the bombing, which also killed 19 babies and children, remain somewhat unclear.

1987 The first installment of The Simpsons is aired
The hugely popular animated sitcom debuted on the Tracey Ullman Show in the form of one-minute shorts.

1971 The Soviet Union launches the world's first manned space station
Salyut 1 was 23 meters long and offered 100 cubic meters of pressurized space.

1919 Leslie Irvin makes the world's first free-fall parachute jump
The jump was executed to test a new kind of parachute, which was also the first featuring a ripcord. The Hollywood stuntman broke a leg on landing.

1775 The American Revolutionary War begins
The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of the armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the 13 colonies of British North America. The war resulted in U.S. independence.
 
Births On This Day, April 19th 🎂

1987 Maria Sharapova
Russian tennis player

1978 James Franco
American actor, director, producer, screenwriter

1952 Alexis Argüello
Nicaraguan boxer, politician

1937 Joseph Estrada
Filipino actor, producer, politician, and 13th President of the Philippines

1933 Jayne Mansfield
American model, actress, singer

Deaths On This Day, April 19th 🪦

2004 John Maynard Smith
English biologist

1967 Konrad Adenauer
German politician, Chancellor of West Germany

1914 Charles Sanders Peirce
American philosopher, mathematician, scientist

1882 Charles Darwin
English scientist, theorist

1824 Lord Byron
English poet
 
1897
the 1st Boston Marathon which is the world's oldest annual marathon was held .It was inspired by the success of 1st marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics The 1st Boston winner John J.McDermott in 2 hrs 55min,10 sec
1932
Pres Herbert Hoover suggests a 5 day work week, Pres Franklin Roosevelt signs into law Fair Standard Act which went into effect in 1938
1948
ABC{American Broadcasting Company} TV network debuts
1982
Sally Ride named as 1st woman astronaut,she was member of 1983 Space Shuttle Challenger crew
1995
Timothy McVeigh, U.S. terriorist/bomber sets truck bomb at the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City which killed 168 people injured 500
2005
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger becomes Pope Benedict XVI in 2nd day of Papal Conclave. He served as pope until 2013 when resigned for health reasons
 
Last edited:
April 19th BIrthdays:
1903
Elliot Ness- U.S. Federal Agent who put away mobster Al Capone
1935
Dudley Moore- British comedian/actor' 10,Arthur, Bedazzled
1946
Tim Curry- British actor' best known for film 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'
1979
Kate Hudson- actress, Almost Famous, You,Me&Dupree
Deaths:
1882
Charles Darwin- British naturalist' Origins of the Species' 73
1906
Spencer Gore- British tennis player,1st Wimbledon Men's singles champion in 1877 56
1987
Hugh Branum- actor best known TV role 'Mr Green Jeans' in 50's children's show 'Capt Kangaroo' 77
2009
J.G. Ballard- British novelist 'Empire of the Sun' 78
2011
Grete Waitz- Norwegian long distance marathon runner, she won NYC marathon 9 times 57{cancer}
2021
Jim Steinman- Grammy award winning songwriter/producer with Meatloaf' Bat Out Of Hell', Bonnie Tyler' Total Eclipse of the Heart' 73{kidney failure}
 
On This Day In History, April 20th

2010 The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explodes
The explosion of the British Petroleum (BP) platform operated by Transocean killed 11 workers and led to the largest accidental marine oil spill in history.

1999 15 died in the Columbine High School massacre
A further 24 victims were injured when two teenagers opened fire on students and teachers in a high school south of Denver.

1978 Soviet air defense shoots down Korean Air Lines Flight 902
The Boeing 707's crew had miscalculated their route, taking them into Soviet airspace at the height of the Cold War. The jet made an emergency landing on a frozen lake. Two passengers were killed in the incident.

1951 A human organ is surgically replaced for the first time
Romanian surgeon Dan Gavriliu used a section of the stomach to bypass the esophagus.

1902 Pierre and Marie Curie discover the radioactive element radium
In 1903, the French couple received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering research.
 

Births On This Day, April 20th 🎂

1969 Felix Baumgartner
Austrian skydiver

1939 Gro Harlem Brundtland
Norwegian physician, politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway

1893 Joan Miró
Spanish painter

1889 Adolf Hitler
Austrian/German politician, Chancellor of Germany

1808 Napoleon III
French politician, 1st President of France

Deaths On This Day, April 20th🪦

1993 Cantinflas
Mexican actor, screenwriter, producer

1991 Don Siegel
American film director

1991 Steve Marriott
English singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actor

1918 Karl Ferdinand Braun
German/American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

1521 Zhengde Emperor
of China
 
1611
1st known performance of William Shakespeare's tragedy' MacBeth at Globe Theatre in London,England, recorded by Simon Forman
1862
French bacterologists, Louis Pasteur&Claude Bernard complete 1st pasteurization tests
1918
WWI fighter ace, Manford Von Richthofen aka' The Red Baron' shoots down his 79th&80th victims,he dies the next day
1968
Pierre Eliot Trudeau is sworn in as Canada's 15th Prime Minister 1968-1979,1980- 1984
One of his sons, Justin became Prime Minister in 2015
1980
mass migration of 125,000 Cubans from Mariel Harbor Cuba to United States, known as "Mariel Boatlift'
2021
ex Minneapolis policeman, Derek Chauvin convicted of murdering George Floyd,was sentenced to 22 years in prison for violating Floyd's civil rights. This case started massive U.S. racial justice protests around the country
 
April 20th BIrthdays:
1908
Lionel Hampton- jazz vibraphone player
1924
Nina Foch- actress The 10 Commandments, Spartacus, An American in Paris
1937
George Taki- actor best known TV role' Sulu' on NBC show 'Star Trek'
1941
Ryan O'Neal- actor Love Story, Paper Moon, best known TV role 'Max Keenan' dad of" Dr Temperance Brennan"{Emily Deschanel} on Fox police drama' Bones'
1964
Crispin Glover- actor best known film role' George McFly' in 'Back to the Future' movies, played Michael J.Fox's dad
Deaths:
1912
Bram Stoker -Irish novelist' Dracula 64
1991
Don Siegel- film director 'Dirty Harry', Coogan's Bluff', Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 78
2020
Tom Lester- actor best known TV role' Eb' handyman on CBS 60's sitcom' Green Acres' 81
 
21 April 1967
17 tornadoes strike Illinois, including several in the Chicago area including the worst a tornado which moved through Belvidere killing 24 (including 13 at local high school) and injuring another 450.
Another tornado touched down near Palos Hills and moved across the south side of Chicago during rush hour killing 33 before going out into Lake Michigan.
 
On This Day In History, April 21st

1992 The first exoplanets are discovered
Polish astronomer Aleksander Wolszczan announced that he found two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.

1967 Dictator Georgios Papadopoulos assumes power in Greece
During his six-year reign, thousands of political opponents were incarcerated and tortured.

1934 The Surgeon's photo, allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail
In reality, the famous image depicts a toy submarine with a head and neck made of wood putty.

1918 The Red Baron is killed
Manfred von Richthofen was a legendary German fighter pilot. He earned his renown and nickname by achieving 80 air combat victories in World War I. He was shot down and killed during combat at the age of 25.

1509 Henry VIII is crowned King of England
In popular culture, the monarch is known mainly for his six marriages, two of which ended with the wife's execution.
 
Births On This Day, April 21st 🎂

1959 Robert Smith
English singer-songwriter, guitarist

1926 Elizabeth II
of The United Kingdom

1926 Queen Elizabeth II
1864 Max Weber
German economist, sociologist

1838 John Muir
Scottish/American environmentalist, author

Deaths On This Day, April 21st 🪦

2016 Prince
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actor

2003 Nina Simone
American singer-songwriter, pianist

1946 John Maynard Keynes
English economist

1910 Mark Twain
American author

1736 Prince Eugene of Savoy
 
21st April

1689 William III and Mary II were crowned joint king and queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.

1916 Roger Casement, the Irish-born British consular official, landed in Ireland from a German submarine prepared to lead the Sinn Fein rebellion, but was arrested as the ‘Easter Uprising’ took place. The rebellion against the British in Dublin reached its worst level as Irish republicans took over sections of the city, while a Royal Navy gunboat bombarded them from the River Liffey.

1926 Queen Elizabeth II was born.

1934 The 'Surgeon's Photograph', the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, was published in the Daily Mail. The photograph was reportedly made by a doctor named Robert Kenneth Wilson. The photograph depicts the trademark long neck of “Nessie” emerging from rippling water. For decades, believers and critics debated the authenticity of the photograph with myriad theories about its subject. In 1999, it was revealed to be a hoax.
 
Each year on April 21st, National Kindergarten Day honors the birthday of the man who started the first Kindergarten. Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel (April 21, 1782 – June 21, 1852) is credited with starting the very first Kindergarten in Germany in 1837.
 

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