Today in History

On This Day In History, March 31st

1999.The film The Matrix was released
The science fiction story about the adventures of computer programmer, Neo, was not only a commercial success but also left a lasting impression on action film-making through its creative use of slow-motion and spinning cameras.

1985: The first edition of WrestleMania is held in New York
The annual event is the world's most important wrestling meet. It is the biggest event organized by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

1964 Following a coup d'etat, a military dictatorship takes charge in Brazil
The regime under Humberto Castelo Branco suppressed the left-wing opposition, leading to widespread social unrest and strike action, especially in 1968.

1918, the United States switched to DST for the first time
Most areas in the U.S. change the clocks twice a year. Exceptions include Hawaii and most of Arizona. The first country to ever use DST was Germany in 1916.

1889 The Eiffel Tower is opened
French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel unfurled a French flag from the top of the tower, which has since become the most iconic landmark of Paris.
 
Births On This Day, March 31st 🎂

1948 Al Gore
American politician, 45th Vice President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate

1927 Cesar Chavez
American activist

1732 Joseph Haydn
Austrian composer

1685 Johann Sebastian Bach
German organist, composer

1596 René Descartes
French philosopher, mathematician

Deaths On This Day, March 31st 🪦

2014 Charles Keating
American lawyer, businessman

1980 Jesse Owens
American sprinter

1972 Meena Kumari
Indian actress

1850 John C. Calhoun
American politician, 7th Vice President of the United States

1621 Philip III of Spain
 

1st April

1873 The British steamer RMS Atlantic ran onto rocks and sank off Nova Scotia, killing 547.

1957 The BBC received a mixed reaction to a spoof documentary broadcast about spaghetti crops in Switzerland.The hoax Panorama programme, narrated by distinguished broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, featured a family from Ticino in Switzerland carrying out their annual spaghetti harvest. It showed women carefully plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree and laying them in the sun to dry.

1983 Tens of thousands of peace demonstrators formed a human chain stretching 14 miles (22.5 kilometres) across a southern English county. They lined a route along what the protesters call "Nuclear Valley" in Berkshire.

2000 The Enigma machine, used by the Germans to encrypt messages in the Second World War, was stolen from Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire and a ransom was demanded for its return. The ransom was not paid, but in October 2000 the machine was sent, anonymously and with three of its rotors missing, to BBC journalist Jeremy Paxman.

2001 Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was arrested and taken to prison, ending a heavily-armed standoff at his Belgrade villa.
 
1778
New Orleans businessman, Oliver Pollock creates $ symbol
1924
Royal Canadian Air Force is formed as permanent component of Canada's defence force
1945
U.S. ground forces invade Okinawa,during WWII,the largest amphibious assault. It lasts 82 days ends 6/22/45
1976
Steve Wozniak &Steve Jobs co -founders of Apple Computer in garage of Jobs parent's house in Cupertino, Calif
1979
Warner Cable launches 1st basic children's cable'Nickelodeon' which features programs for children& teenagers. It was originally commerical free, advertising started Jan 1984
2004
Google introduces Gmail,its first met with skepticism due to the launch date April 1st
2024
Florida's population reaches 23 million,the 3rd most populist U.S. state behind Calif & Texas
 
On This Day In History, April 2nd

2002 Israeli forces besieged the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
The Israel Defense Force had occupied Bethlehem to capture wanted Palestinians. The 39-day siege ensued after some militants fled into the church, which is believed to stand on the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth.

1982, Argentina occupied the Falkland Islands
The invasion escalated a long-standing conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the archipelago in the South Atlantic. It triggered the Falklands War, which was won by the U.K.

1968 Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey receives its world premiere
Upon release, the epic about human evolution, technology, and extraterrestrial life polarized audiences and critics alike. Today, it is considered a classic in its genre.

1800 Ludwig van Beethoven's First Symphony is premiered
The German composer conducted the orchestra himself. The premiere received exceptionally positive reviews.

1792 The U.S. dollar is introduced
The Mint Act of 1792 established the Dollar as U.S. currency. About two-thirds of global trade today is based on the U.S. Dollar.
 
Births On This Day, April 2nd 🎂

1939 Marvin Gaye
American singer-songwriter

1891 Max Ernst
German painter, sculptor, and poet

1840 Émile Zola
French author, critic

1805 Hans Christian Andersen
Danish author, poet

1725 Giacomo Casanova
Italian explorer, author

Deaths On This Day, April 2nd 🪦

2015 Manoel de Oliveira
Portuguese director, screenwriter

2005 Pope John Paul II

1974 Georges Pompidou
French politician, Prime Minister, President of France

1933 Ranjitsinhji
Indian cricketer

1872 Samuel Morse
American painter, inventor, co-inventor the Morse code
 
1877
The 1st Easter Egg Roll was held on White House lawn
1931
at an exhibition baseball game in Chattanooga, Tenn, 17yr old girl, Jackie Mitchell struck out NY Yankees players, Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig
1962
'Eye of the Needle' revolving restaurant opens atop of Space Needle at World's Fair in Seattle, Washington. It closed in 2017 for renovations. It was replaced with Lounge bar with a revolving glass floor
1977
Fleetwood Mac's album' Rumours' hits #1 on the music charts, stayed there for 31 weeks. The album had 4 hit singles,'Go Your own Way, Dreams, Don't Stop, You Make Lovin Fun'. It has sold over 40 million copies,won Grammy for 'Album of the Yr'
2023
Lake Tulare,once the largest body of water west of the Mississippi, re-emerges after a series of storms in Calif's Central Valley to cover 160 Sq miles
 
3rd April

1043 Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England in Winchester Cathedral.

1721 Sir Robert Walpole was appointed first lord of the treasury and chancellor of the exchequer, effectively making him Britain's first prime minister.

1888 The first of 11 brutal murders of women occurred in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London.

1987 The late Duchess of Windsor's jewellery sold for £31m ($50m) - six times the expected figure during an auction in Switzerland.

1895 The trial of the libel case instigated by Oscar Wilde began, eventually resulting in his imprisonment on charges of homosexuality.

1913 English suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst was sentenced to 3 years in prison for inciting supporters to place explosives at the London home of British politician David Lloyd George. The Home Secretary banned all future public meetings of suffragettes.

1996: 'Unabomber' suspect arrested. Police in the United States arrested a man they believe to be the notorious "Unabomber" who killed three people and maimed 23 others.
 
4th April 1960
RCA Victor Records announces that it will release all Pop singles in mono and stereo simultaneously, the first record company to do so. Elvis Presley's single, "Stuck on You" is RCA's first mono / stereo release.
Mono - one channel, Stereo, two channels. left and right.
 
4th April 1964
The Beatles set a recording industry record when they held the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Can't Buy Me Love" at number 1, "Twist and Shout" at number 2, "She Loves You" at number 3, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at number 4 and "Please Please Me" at number 5
 
1902
British businessman, Cecil Rhodes forms Rhodes Scholarship,international scholarship program that funds out standing post graduate students from around the world to study at Univ of Oxford in England
1923
Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc is established by siblings Jack, Henry, Sam& Albert Warner in Burbank, Calif
1945
U.S. forces liberate Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany. The 1st camp to be liberated by U. S. Army
1958
actress, Lana Turner's 14 yrs old daughter, Cheryl Crane stabs to death her mom's boyfriend, organized crime figure, Johnny Stompanto in self defense. The crime was later ruled' justifiable homicide'
1968
civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr is assassinated by James Earl Ray at Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn
1973
World Trade Center in NYC opens world's tallest building at 110 stories,it later was destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks
2017
a pink star diamond sets world record price of $71million for a gem at a Hong Kong auction
 
5th April 1983
US Interior Secretary James Watt officially announces that he will not invite The Beach Boys to perform at the annual Fourth of July celebration in Washington because they attract "the wrong element of people."
His choice of entertainers is Wayne Newton.
President Ronald Regan would overturn the decision two days later.
 
6th April

1199 Richard I of England also known as Richard the Lionheart died in the arms of his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was 41. Twelve days earlier he was hit in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt. It became infected and quickly turned black, a clear signal that gangrene had taken hold.

1320 The Scots reaffirmed their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath. The Declaration was in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII. It confirmed Scotland's status as a sovereign state and defended Scotland's right to use military action when unjustly attacked.

1963 Britain and the USA signed the Polaris missile agreement.Polaris was a submarine launched, nuclear tipped weapon designed as a nuclear deterrent.

1974 Swedish pop group ABBA won the 19th annual Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, Sussex, with 'Waterloo'.

1993 Following public disquiet, Queen Elizabeth II began paying income tax.
 
On This Day In History, April 7th

1990, An arson attack on the passenger ferry “Scandinavian Star” killed 159
Insurance fraud is considered the most likely motive for the attack today. According to a 2013 report, 9 crew members started the fire and sabotaged the fire crew's attempts to extinguish the blaze.

1969 The internet is born
The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) awarded a contract to build a precursor of today's world wide web to BBN Technologies. The date is widely considered as the internet's symbolic birthday.

1948 The World Health Organization is established
The WHO is a United Nations agency concerned with fighting disease and epidemics worldwide, building up national health services, and improving health education in its 194 member states.

1827 The first friction match is sold
English chemist John Walker produced and sold the first operable matches. They were soon banned in France and Germany because burning fragments would sometimes fall to the floor and start fires.

1724, Johann Sebastian Bach's St. John Passion was premiered
The sacred oratorio is the oldest extant Passion by the German composer. The highly popular work is a dramatization of the final days of Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of John.
 
Births On This Day, April 7th 🎂

1964 Russell Crowe
New Zealand/Australian actor, singer, producer

1954 Jackie Chan
Chinese actor, martial artist, director, producer, and screenwriter

1939 Francis Ford Coppola
American director, producer, and screenwriter

1920 Ravi Shankar
Indian/American sitar player, composer

1915 Billie Holiday
American singer-songwriter, actress

Deaths On This Day, April 7th 🪦

1947 Henry Ford
American businessman founded the Ford Motor Company

1891 P. T. Barnum
American businessman, founded Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus

1804 Toussaint Louverture
Haitian general

1782 Taksin
Thai king

1614 El Greco
Greek painter, sculptor
 
7th April 1956
The Capitol Records Tower opened its doors for the first time. Called "The world's first circular office building," the 13-story, 150-foot-high edifice was the tallest allowed in earthquake-prone Los Angeles.
The building was home to Capitol's offices and recording studios. The first album recorded there was "Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color".
 
1348
Pargue Univ,the 1st in central Europe is formed by Charles IV
1902
Texas Oil Company is formed by oilman, Joseph Culliman& NYC investor, Arnold Schulet, the name is later changed to Texaco
1933
'National Beer Day' when Cullen-Harrison Act goes into effect,legalizing low alcohol beer
1948
World Health Organization{WHO} is formed in NYC at United Nations
1983
the world's oldest human skeleton age 80,000 yrs old discovered in Egypt
1994
soul singer, Percy Sledge pleads guilty to tax evasion. His sentence 6 months at a half way house, 5 yrs probation, pays $96,000 in back taxes& penalties
2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed by U.S. Senate 53-47. She's the 1st African American woman to become a Supreme Court Justice
 
8th April 1968
The TV special Petula airs on NBC. During a duet with Harry Belafonte, Clark innocently holds on to Belafonte's arm.
After the scene was over, the director asked them to redo the number, this time standing apart.
They later found out that a representative from the sponsor saw the first take and wanted it re-shot because his company sold cars in the South, and showing a White woman touching a Black man might affect car sales there.
Outraged, Clark and her husband, Claude Wolff (the show's executive producer), ordered the director to erase all takes except the first one, ensuring that the original scene would be the only one broadcast.
 
On This Day In History, April 8th

2005, Over 4 million people paid their last respects to Pope John Paul II
Karol Józef Wojtyła from Poland was an immensely popular Pope. He was succeeded by German Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger.

1977 The Clash released their debut album of the same name
The British combo around lead vocalist Joe Strummer is considered one of the most influential early punk rock bands.

1959, One of the first modern programming languages is created
The Common Business-Oriented Language, or COBOL was primarily designed by a woman, Grace Hopper. Also known as Amazing Grace, she is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field.

1953 Jomo Kenyatta is sentenced to 7 years' hard labor
Kenyatta led the Mau Mau movement against the British colonialists. He is considered to be Kenya's founding father and became the country's first President in 1964.

1904, France and the United Kingdom signed the Entente cordiale
The treaty, which was initially designed to regulate the countries' colonial interests in Africa, later evolved into the Triple Entente to fight Germany in World War I.
 
Births On This Day, April 8th 🎂

1938 Kofi Annan
Ghanaian diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations

1929 Jacques Brel
Belgian singer-songwriter, actor

1918 Betty Ford
American wife of Gerald R. Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States

1859 Edmund Husserl
Austrian mathematician, philosopher

1827 Ramón Emeterio Betances
Puerto Rican doctor, politician

Deaths On This Day, April 8th 🪦

2013 Margaret Thatcher
English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1981 Omar Bradley
American general

1973 Pablo Picasso
Spanish painter, sculptor

1950 Vaslav Nijinsky
Russian dancer, choreographer

1857 Mangal Pandey
Indian freedom fighter
 
8th April

1093 The new Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire was dedicated. The Grade 1 listed cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe.

1838 The day before his 32nd birthday, Isambard Kingdom Brunel's 236-foot steamship, the Great Western, embarked on its maiden voyage from Bristol to New York, becoming the first steamship to make regular Atlantic crossings.

1968 BOAC Flight 712 bound for Sydney caught fire shortly after take off from London Heathrow Airport. As a result of her heroic actions in the accident which claimed her life, Barbara Jane Harrison, a British air stewardess, was awarded a posthumous George Cross, the first GC awarded to a woman in peacetime

2013 The death of former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher, aged 87. She was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and the first woman to have held the role.
 
On This Day In History, April 9th

2005, Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles
Charles was formerly married to Diana, Princess of Wales. His second marriage to Camilla made him the first member of the British Royal Family to have a civil wedding.

1967 The first Boeing 737 takes off on its maiden flight
The short-to-medium range plane is the best-selling airplane in history.

1952 The Bolivian National Revolution overthrows Hugo Ballivián's government
The nationalist movement initiated radical reforms, including universal suffrage, the nationalization of tin mines, and the inclusion of previously marginalized ethnicities into national life.

1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway
The rationale of Operation Weserübung was to secure access to Swedish iron ore. In Norway, a resistance group around Max Manus and Gunnar Sønsteby successfully sabotaged the German war effort.

1860 The world's first recording of the human voice is created
French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville used his phonautograph, the earliest known sound recording device, to capture himself singing the French folk song “Au clair de la lune”.
 

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