Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
On this day in 607, Comet 1P/607 H1 (Halley) approached within 0.0898 AUs of Earth. Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich, London, took place on tis day in 1012. In 1451 on this day, Alam Shah of Delhi resigned his throne. Chartres surrendered to King Henri IV of France on this day in 1591. It was on this day in 1775 at approximately 5 a.m. in Lexington Common, Massachusetts, that the shot "heard round the world" started the American Revolutionary War for Independence. Minutemen Captain John Parker ordered his men not to fire unless fired upon on this day in 1775. John Adams secured the Dutch Republic's recognition of the United States as an independent government on this day in 1782. The house that he had purchased in The Hague, Netherlands, became the first American embassy. On this day in 1809, former American President Thomas Jefferson wrote out a contract to sell an indentured servant to newly sworn-in American President James Madison The servant was named John Freeman, paradoxically. On this day in, 1810, a revolt in Caracas, Venezuela, led to the overthrow of the Spanish Governor of the Captaincy General, Vicente Emparán. This in turn led to the establishment of the Supreme Junta of Caracas. This has been widely recognized as the beginning of Venezuela's struggle for independence from Spain. The Treaty of London, which constituted Belgium an independent kingdom & Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy, was signed on this day in 1839. In 1861 on this day in the early stages of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the blockade of Confederate ports. It was on this day in 1943 the German occupation of Poland during World War II ongoing that the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising started. On this day in 1971, Vietnam Veterans Against the War had a massive demonstration protesting the Vietnam conflict in Washington, D.C. It lasted several days. In 1985 on this day, Advance Australia Fair was proclaimed as Australia's national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours. In 1993 on this day, the Branch Davidian compound, led by David Koresh, burned in Waco, Texas.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
• On this day in 607, Comet 1P/607 H1 (Halley) approached within 0.0898 AUs of Earth.
• Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich, London, took place on tis day in 1012..
• In 1451 on this day, Alam Shah of Delhi resigned his throne.
1524 - Pope Clemens VII fires Neth inquisitor-general French Van de Holly
1529 - 2nd Parliament of Spiers bans Lutheranism
1539 - Charles, protestant German monarch, signs Treaty of Frankrfurt
1552 - Mauritius of Saksen captures Karel
1587 - Sir Frances Drake sails into Cadiz Spain & sinks Spanish fleet
• Chartres surrendered to King Henri IV of France on this day in 1591.
1619 - Theatrum Anatomicum opens in Amsterdam
1713 - Emperor Karel VI ends Pragmatic Sanctions
1770 - Amsterdam buys Van Aerssens family 1/3 part of Suriname
1770 - Captain James Cook 1st sights Australia
1774 - CW Glucks opera "Iphigenia in Aulis" premieres in Paris
Early version of the American flag used during the Revolutionary War for Independence
• It was on this day in 1775 at approximately 5 a.m. in Lexington Common, Massachusetts, that the shot "heard round the world" started the American Revolutionary War for Independence. About 700 British troops, on a mission to capture Patriot leaders and seize a Patriot arsenal, march into Lexington to find 77 armed minutemen under Captain John Parker waiting for them on the town's common green. British Major John Pitcairn ordered the outnumbered Patriots to disperse, and after a moment's hesitation the Americans began to drift off the green. Suddenly, the "shot heard around the world" was fired from an undetermined gun, and a cloud of musket smoke soon covered the green. When the brief Battle of Lexington ended, eight Americans lay dead or dying and 10 others were wounded. Only one British soldier was injured, but the American Revolution had begun. By 1775, tensions between the American colonies and the British government approached the breaking point, especially in Massachusetts, where Patriot leaders formed a shadow revolutionary government and trained militias to prepare for armed conflict with the British troops occupying Boston. In the spring of 1775, General Thomas Gage, the British governor of Massachusetts, received instructions from England to seize all stores of weapons and gunpowder accessible to the American insurgents. On April 18, he ordered British troops to march against the Patriot arsenal at Concord and capture Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock, known to be hiding at Lexington. The Boston Patriots had been preparing for such a military action by the British for some time, and upon learning of the British plan, Patriots Paul Revere and William Dawes were ordered to set out to rouse the militiamen and warn Adams and Hancock. When the British troops arrived at Lexington, Adams, Hancock, and Revere had already fled to Philadelphia, and a group of militiamen were waiting. The Patriots were routed within minutes, but warfare had begun, leading to calls to arms across the Massachusetts countryside. When the British troops reached Concord at about 7 a.m., they found themselves encircled by hundreds of armed Patriots. They managed to destroy the military supplies the Americans had collected but were soon advanced against by a gang of minutemen, who inflicted numerous casualties. Lieutenant Colonel Frances Smith, the overall commander of the British force, ordered his men to return to Boston without directly engaging the Americans. As the British retraced their 16-mile journey, their lines were constantly beset by Patriot marksmen firing at them Indian-style from behind trees, rocks, and stone walls. At Lexington, Captain Parker's militia had its revenge, killing several British soldiers as the Red Coats hastily marched through his town. By the time the British finally reached the safety of Boston, nearly 300 British soldiers had been killed, wounded, or were missing in action. The Patriots suffered fewer than 100 casualties. The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolution, a conflict that would escalate from a colonial uprising into a world war that, seven years later, would give birth to the independent United States of America.
• Minutemen Captain John Parker ordered his men not to fire unless fired upon on this day in 1775.
• John Adams secured the Dutch Republic's recognition of the United States as an independent government on this day in 1782. The house that he had purchased in The Hague, Netherlands, became the first American embassy.
A picture I took of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington during a visit with my son back in 2013.
• On this day in 1809, former American President Thomas Jefferson wrote out a contract to sell an indentured servant to newly sworn-in American President James Madison The servant was named John Freeman, paradoxically. Slavery and indentured servitude were major components of the early American economy. Slaves performed most of the manual and domestic labor on the large plantations owned by several presidents and their colonial ancestors, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Andrew Jackson. While slaves were primarily African and Native Americans, indentured servants in the late 1600s to early 1700s were frequently impoverished white men of English descent who resorted to selling themselves into servitude in exchange for room and board, and sometimes wages. Relatively few African Americans in late 18th-century America became indentured servants. By the time of the American Revolution, the practice of indentured servitude had declined in favor of using "cheaper" African slaves. It is believed that Freeman was an African-American craftsman who had sold himself to Jefferson as an indentured servant with an agreement to serve a total of 132 months; he may have been a carpenter or ironworker. After Freeman completed 76.5 months of work, Jefferson "sold" Freeman to Madison who, at the time, was looking for skilled artisans to help build an extension on his plantation house. Madison paid Jefferson an unknown amount, which would have been calculated to equal Freeman's remaining time in service. (Jefferson had originally bought Freeman's services for $400.) The original hand-written contract for John Freeman's sale is now housed at the Library of Congress. In the exhibit, it is noted with irony that America's preeminent revolutionary, Thomas Jefferson, wrote the agreement on the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, the event that launched the war to end America's servitude to England.
• On this day in, 1810, a revolt in Caracas, Venezuela, led to the overthrow of the Spanish Governor of the Captaincy General, Vicente Emparán. This in turn led to the establishment of the Supreme Junta of Caracas. This has been widely recognized as the beginning of Venezuela's struggle for independence from Spain.
1825 - 33 patriotic exiles return to Uruguay
Captain/Explorer James CookCaptain/Explorer James Cook 1836 - Nikolai Gogol's "Revisor" premieres in St Petersburg
1837 - Cheyney University forms as the Institute for Colored Youth
• The Treaty of London, which constituted Belgium an independent kingdom & Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy, was signed on this day in 1839.
1852 - California Historical Society forms
1853 - Netherlands Van Hall government forms
1861 - Baltimore riots-4 soldiers, 9 civilians killed
Statue of Abraham Lincoln outside of the New York Historical Society
Lincoln Memorial Sculpture by Daniel French in Washington, D.C.
• In 1861 on this day in the early stages of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the blockade of Confederate ports.
1863 - Union troops/fleet occupy For Huger, Virginia
1874 - Barracks on Alcatraz Island destroyed in fire
1877 - Opera "Les Cloches de Cornerville" is produced (Paris)
1890 - Henry Morton Stanley inaugurated in Brussels
1892 - Charles Duryea takes 1st American-made auto out for a spin (Mass)
1894 - Jules Massenet's opera "Werther" premieres in NYC
1896 - Herzl's "The Jewish State" is published
1897 - 1st American marathon ran, John J McDermott wins in 2:55:10 (Boston)
1897 - 1st performance of Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande"
1898 - 2nd Boston Marathon won by Ron McDonald of Mass in 2:42:00
1899 - 3rd Boston Marathon won by Lawrence Brignolia of Mass in 2:54:38
1900 - 4th Boston Marathon won by Jim Caffrey of Canada in 2:39:44.4
1900 - Highest scoring opening game, Phils beat Braves 19-17 in 10
1901 - 5th Boston Marathon won by Jim Caffrey of Canada in 2:29:23.6
1901 - James J Caffrey wins Boston marathon (2:29:23.6)
1902 - 6th Boston Marathon won by Sam Mellor of NY in 2:43:12
1904 - 8th Boston Marathon won by Michael Spring of NY in 2:38:04.4
1904 - Much of Toronto destroyed by fire
1905 - 9th Boston Marathon won by Fred Lorz of NY in 2:38:25.4
1906 - 10th Boston Marathon won by Tim Ford of Mass in 2:45:45
1906 - Belgian naval education ship Comte The Stain de Naeyer sets sail
1906 - SF Earthquake ends killing 452
1907 - 11th Boston Marathon won by Tom Longboat of Canada in 2:24:24
1909 - 13th Boston Marathon won by Henri Renaud of NH in 2:53:36.8
French Soldier and National Heroine Joan of ArcFrench Soldier and National Heroine Joan of Arc 1909 - Joan of Arc receives beatification
1910 - 14th Boston Marathon won by Fred Cameron of Canada in 2:28:52.4
1910 - Halley's comet seen by naked eye 1st time this trip (Curacao)
1911 - 15th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Mass in 2:21:39.6
1911 - George Bernard Shaw's "Fanny's First Play" premieres in London
1912 - 16th Boston Marathon won by Mike Ryan of NY in 2:21:18.2
1913 - 17th Boston Marathon won by Fritz Carlson of Minn in 2:25:14.8
1915 - 19th Boston Marathon won by Edouard Fabre of Canada in 2:31:41.2
1916 - "Bing Boys are Here" opens in London
1916 - 20th Boston Marathon won by Arthur Roth of Mass in 2:27:16.4
1916 - Italians troops conquer Col di Lana at Merano
1917 - 21st Boston Marathon won by Bill Kennedy of NY in 2:28:37.2
1919 - 23rd Boston Marathon won by Carl Linder of Mass in 2:29:13.4
1919 - French assembly decides on 8 hour work day
1919 - Leslie Irvin of US makes 1st parachute jump & free fall
Playwright George Bernard ShawPlaywright George Bernard Shaw 1919 - Opera "Monsieur Beaucaire" is produced (London)
1920 - 24th Boston Marathon won by Peter Trivoulidas of Greece in 2:29:31
1921 - 25th Boston Marathon won by Frank Zuna of NJ in 2:18:57.6
1921 - Funeral of last German Emperoress, Augusta Victoria
1922 - 26th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Mass in 2:18:10
1923 - 27th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Mass in 2:23:37.4
1923 - New Egyptian law allows suffrage for men, except soldiers
1924 - "National Barn Dance" premieres on WLS Chicago
1924 - 28th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Mass in 2:29:40.2
1926 - 30th Boston Marathon won by Johnny Miles of Canada in 2:25:40.4
1927 - "Vagabond King" opens in London
1927 - 31st Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Mass in 2:40:22.2
1928 - 32nd Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Mass in 2:37:07.8
1928 - Japanese troops occupies Sjantung-schiereiland
1928 - Yanks are out of 1st place for 1st time since May 1926
1928 - The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
1929 - 33rd Boston Marathon won by Johnny Miles of Canada in 2:33:08.6
1930 - 34th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Mass in 2:34:48.2
1932 - 36th Boston Marathon won by Paul de Bruyn of Germany in 2:33:36.4
31st US President Herbert Hoover31st US President Herbert Hoover
1932 - President Herbert Hoover suggests 5 day work week
1933 - 37th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson of RI in 2:31:01.6
1933 - FDR announces US will leave gold standard
1934 - 38th Boston Marathon won by Dave Komonen of Canada in 2:32:53.8
1934 - Shirley Temple appears in her 1st movie, "Stand Up & Cheer"
1935 - 39th Boston Marathon won by John A Kelley of Mass in 2:32:07.4
1936 - Anti-Jewish riots break out in Palestine
1936 - First day of the Great Uprising in Palestine.
1937 - 41st Boston Marathon won by Walter Young of Canada in 2:33:20
1938 - 42nd Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson of RI in 2:35:34.8
1938 - Phil Emmett Mueller & Dodger Ernie Koy both homer in their 1st at bat
1939 - 43rd Boston Marathon won by Ellison Brown of RI in 2:28:51.8
1939 - Connecticut finally approves Bill of Rights (148 years late)1939 - Connecticut approved the Bill of Rights for the U.S. Constitution after 148 years.
1940 - "Lake Shore Ltd" derails speed killing 34 near Little Falls NY
1940 - 44th Boston Marathon won by Gerard Cote of Canada in 2:28:28.6
32nd US President Franklin D. Roosevelt32nd US President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940 - Dutch prime minister De Geer declares state of siege
1941 - 45th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson of RI in 2:30:38
1941 - B Brecht's "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder" premieres in Zurich
1941 - Bulgarian troops invade Macedonia
1941 - Milk rationed in Holland
1942 - 46th Boston Marathon won by Joe Smith of Mass in 2:26:51.2
1943 - 47th Boston Marathon won by Gerard Cote of Canada in 2:28:25.8
1943 - SS-lt-gen Jurgen Stoop leads destruction of ghetto of Warsaw
• It was on this day in 1943 the German occupation of Poland during World War II ongoing that the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising started. In Warsaw, Poland, Nazi forces attempting to clear out the city's Jewish ghetto are met by gunfire from Jewish resistance fighters, and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins. Shortly after the German occupation of Poland began, the Nazis forced the city's Jewish citizens into a "ghetto" surrounded by barbwire and armed SS guards. The Warsaw ghetto occupied an area of less than two square miles but soon held almost 500,000 Jews in deplorable conditions. Disease and starvation killed thousands every month, and beginning in July 1942, 6,000 Jews per day were transferred to the Treblinka concentration camp. Although the Nazis assured the remaining Jews that their relatives and friends were being sent to work camps, word soon reached the ghetto that deportation to the camp meant extermination. An underground resistance group was established in the ghetto--the Jewish Combat Organization (ZOB)--and limited arms were acquired at great cost. On January 18, 1943, when the Nazis entered the ghetto to prepare a group for transfer, a ZOB unit ambushed them. Fighting lasted for several days, and a number of Germans soldiers were killed before they withdrew. On April 19, Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler announced that the ghetto was to be emptied of its residents in honor of Hitler's birthday the following day, and more than 1,000 S.S. soldiers entered the confines with tanks and heavy artillery. Although many of the ghetto's remaining 60,000 Jewish dwellers attempted to hide themselves in secret bunkers, more than 1,000 ZOB members met the Germans with gunfire and homemade bombs. Suffering moderate casualties, the Germans initially withdrew but soon returned, and on April 24 launched an all-out attack against the Warsaw Jews. Thousands were slaughtered as the Germans systematically progressed down the ghettos, blowing up the buildings one by one. The ZOB took to the sewers to continue the fight, but on May 8 their command bunker fell to the Germans and their resistant leaders committed suicide. By May 16, the ghetto was firmly under Nazi control, and mass deportation of the last Warsaw Jews to Treblinka began. During the uprising, some 300 German soldiers were killed, and thousands of Warsaw Jews were massacred. Virtually all those who survived the Uprising to reach Treblinka were dead by the end of the war.
1943 - Bicycle Day - Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann deliberately takes LSD for the first time.
1944 - Allied fleet attack Sabang Sumatra
1945 - 49th Boston Marathon won by John A Kelley of Mass in 2:30:40.2
1945 - Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "Carousel" opens on Broadway
1945 - US aircraft carrier Franklin heavy damaged in Japanese air raid
1945 - US offensive against Shuri-barrier on Okinawa
1945 - The diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Guatemala are established.
1946 - Yankees switch from 3rd base to 1st base dug out
1947 - 51st Boston Marathon won by Yun Bok Soh of Korea in 2:25:39
1947 - AAU record for a 25-foot rope climb is set in 4.7 seconds
1947 - French ship explodes in Texas City harbor, kills about 522
1947 - Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 4 games to 2
1947 - Suh Yun Buck wins world record marathon (2:25:39)
1948 - 52nd Boston Marathon won by Gerard Cote of Canada in 2:31:02
1948 - ABC-TV network begins
1948 - Chiang Kai-shek elected president of Nationalist China
1949 - 53rd Boston Marathon won by Gosta Leandersson of Sweden in 2:31:50.8
Baseball Great Babe RuthBaseball Great Babe Ruth 1949 - Yankees dedicate a plaque for Babe Ruth
1950 - 54th Boston Marathon won by Kee Yong Ham of Korea in 2:32:39
1951 - "Tree Grows in Brooklyn" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 267 perfs
1951 - 55th Boston Marathon won by Shigeki Tanaka of Japan in 2:27:45
1951 - Gen Douglas MacArthur ends his military career
1952 - 56th Boston Marathon won by Doroteo Flores of Guatemala in 2:31:53
1953 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA San Diego Golf Open
1953 - WAFB TV channel 9 in Baton Rouge, LA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1954 - 58th Boston Marathon won by Veikko Karvonen of Finland in 2:20:39
1954 - 7-time winner of Boston Marathon, 65-year-old Clarence Demar, runs his last race at Boston finishing 78th
1955 - 59th Boston Marathon won by Hideo Hamamura of Japan in 2:18:22
1955 - The German automaker Volkswagen, after six years of selling cars in the United States, founds Volkswagen of America in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey to standardize its dealer and service network.
1956 - 1st ML baseball game in NJ, Dodgers beat Phils in Roosevelt Stadium
1956 - 60th Boston Marathon won by Antti Viskari of Finland in 2:14:14
1958 - 62nd Boston Marathon won by Franjo Mihalic of Yugoslavia in 2:25:54
WW2 General Douglas MacArthurWW2 General Douglas MacArthur 1959 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open
1959 - Uprising in La Paz Bolivia, fails
1960 - 64th Boston Marathon won by Paavo Kotila of Finland in 2:20:54
1960 - Baseball uniforms begin displaying players' names on their backs
1960 - Comiskey Park's famed "exploding" scoreboard begins operating
1961 - 65th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:39
1962 - 66th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:48
1962 - NASA civilian pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to 46,900m
1963 - "Hot Spot" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 43 performances
1963 - 67th Boston Marathon won by Aurele Vandendriessche of Belgium in 2:18:58
1964 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Peach Blossom Golf Invitational
1964 - Rightist coup in Laos, Suvanna Phuma remains premier
1964 - Roger Sessions' opera "Montezuma" premieres in West Berlin
1965 - 1st all news radio station (WINS 1010 AM in NYC) begins operating
1965 - 69th Boston Marathon won by Morio Shigematsu of Japan in 2:16:33
1965 - T.A.M.I. Show premieres in London
1965 - At a cost of $20,000, the outer Astrodome ceiling is painted because of sun's glare, this causes the grass to die
1966 - In 1st regular season game at Anaheim Stadium, Angels lose 3-1 to Chic
1966 - 70th Boston Marathon won by Kenji Kimihara of Japan in 2:17:11
1966 - Roberta Bignay becomes 1st woman to run in the Boston Marathon
1967 - "Casino Royale" premieres
1967 - 71st Boston Marathon won by Dave McKenzie of New Zealand in 2:15:45
1967 - Beatles sign a contract to stay together for 10 years (they don't)
1967 - Yugoslav author Mihaljo Mihaljov sentenced 4½ years
1968 - 72nd Boston Marathon won by Amby Burfoot of Conn in 2:22:17
1968 - Belgian construction workers strike
• On this day in 1971, Vietnam Veterans Against the War had a massive demonstration protesting the Vietnam conflict in Washington, D.C. It lasted several days. As a prelude to a massive antiwar protest, Vietnam Veterans Against the War begin a five-day demonstration in Washington, D.C. The generally peaceful protest, called Dewey Canyon III in honor of the operation of the same name conducted in Laos, ended on April 23 with about 1,000 veterans throwing their combat ribbons, helmets, and uniforms on the Capitol steps, along with toy weapons. Earlier, they had lobbied with their congressmen, laid wreaths in Arlington National Cemetery, and staged mock "search and destroy" missions. On April 24, a massive rally of about 200,000 took place on the Mall in Washington, D.C. A simultaneous protest was held by 156,000 demonstrators in San Francisco, but that rally, described as the largest such protest to date on the West Coast, ended prematurely when militants took over the stage and protest coordinators were forced to cancel the last few speeches. The comparatively orderly demonstrations in Washington, D.C., ended on April 26 when the demonstrators changed their tactics to aggressive "people lobbying," with the avowed purpose of "shutting down the government." Five thousand police officers, backed by 12,000 troops, out-maneuvered the demonstrators and prevented them from blocking access to government buildings.
1971 - Charles Manson sentenced to life (Sharon Tate murder)
1971 - Sierra Leone becomes a republic (Natl Day)
1971 - USSR Salyut 1 launched; 1st manned lab in orbit
1972 - "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope" opens at Playhouse NYC for 1,065 perfs
1972 - Bangladesh becomes a member of British Commonwealth
1972 - Hungary revises constitution
1972 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Singer-songwriter & Actress Barbra StreisandSinger-songwriter & Actress Barbra Streisand 1973 - Barbra Streisand records "Between Yesterday & Tomorrow"
1973 - Steinbrenner replaces Mike Burke with Gabe Paul as Yankee president
1973 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1974 - Oriole Al Bumbry hits an inside-the-park HR against NY Yankees
1975 - India launches 1st satellite with help of USSR
1976 - 5th Boston Women's Marathon won by Kim Merritt of Wis in 2:47:10
1976 - 80th Boston Marathon won by Jack Fultz of Wash, DC in 2:20:19
1978 - Yitzhak Navron elected 5th president of Israel
1979 - FCC raids & shuts down pirate radio station WFAT (Brooklyn New York)
1979 - Following a 6-3 loss to the Orioles, Yanks Goose Gossage & Cliff
1979 - Johnson brawl, Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb
1981 - Beth Daniel wins LPGA Florida Lady Citrus Golf
1981 - Oakland A's runs record to 11-0
1981 - William Finn's musical "March of Falsettos" premieres in NYC
1981 - Rochester Red Wings & Pawtucket Red Sox play to 2-2 tie in 32 innings, game suspended at 4:07 AM (Pawtucket later wins in 33rd)
1982 - 11th Boston Women's Marathon won by Charlotte Teske of Ger in 2:29:33
1982 - 86th Boston Marathon won by Alberto Salazar of Oreg in 2:08:51
1982 - Guinon Bluford announced as 1st black astronaut
1982 - Rosie Ruiz, marathon race cheater, arrested for forgery
1982 - Sally Ride announced as 1st woman astronaut
1982 - USSR Salyut 7 space station put into orbit
1983 - France performs nuclear test
1984 - Nemesis, death star of dinosaurs 1st appears in print (Nature magazine)
1985 - 16th Space Shuttle Mission (51-D)-Discovery 4 returns to Earth
1985 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
The flag of Australia
• In 1985 on this day, Advance Australia Fair was proclaimed as Australia's national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.
1986 - Michael Spinks beats Larry Holmes in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1987 - Brendon Kuruppu scores 201* on Test Cricket debut (Sri Lanka v NZ)
1987 - Brewers score 5 runs in 9th to win 6-4 & record 12th straight AL win
1987 - Gregory Robertson does 200-mph free fall to save unconscious skydiver
1987 - Jacqueline Blanc, sets women's downhill ski speed rec (124.902 mph)
1987 - Jan Stephenson wins LPGA Santa Barbara Golf Open
1987 - LA Clippers end season with a terrible 12-70 record
1987 - Last wild condor captured on California wildlife reserve
1987 - USSR performs underground nuclear test
1989 - Gun turret explodes on USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors
1989 - Kevin Elster (NY Mets), sets errorless shortstop mark at 73
1989 - Republic Day in Sierra Leone
1990 - Contra guerrillas, leftist Sandinistas & incoming government agree to truce
1990 - Marla Maples appears on ABC's Prime-Time
1990 - Pistons & 76'ers get into a fight accruing $162,500 fines (NBA record)
1990 - Truce in Nicaragua's civil war
Champion Boxer Evander HolyfieldChampion Boxer Evander Holyfield 1991 - Evander Holyfield beats George Foreman in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
1991 - Greyhound Bus posts $195 million loss for 1990
1993 - Branch Davidians in Waco Texas dies in fire after 51 day siege (accident, suicide, tear gas are disputed causes)
• In 1993 on this day, the Branch Davidian compound, led by David Koresh, burned in Waco, Texas. At Mount Carmel in Waco, Texas, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launches a tear-gas assault on the Branch Davidian compound, ending a tense 51-day standoff between the federal government and an armed religious cult. By the end of the day, the compound was burned to the ground, and some 80 Branch Davidians, including 22 children, had perished in the inferno. On February 28, 1993, agents of the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) launched a raid against the Branch Davidian compound as part of an investigation into illegal possession of firearms and explosives by the Christian cult. As the agents attempted to penetrate the complex, gunfire erupted, beginning an extended gun battle that left four ATF agents dead and 15 wounded. Six Branch Davidians were fatally wounded, and several more were injured, including David Koresh, the cult's founder and leader. After 45 minutes of shooting, the ATF agents withdrew, and a cease-fire was negotiated over the telephone. The operation, which involved more than 100 ATF agents, was one of the largest ever mounted by the bureau and resulted in the highest casualties of any ATF operation. David Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell in Houston, Texas, in 1959. In 1981, he joined the Branch Davidians, a sect of the Seventh Day Adventist Church founded in 1934 by a Bulgarian immigrant named Victor Houteff. Koresh, who possessed an exhaustive knowledge of the Bible, rapidly rose in the hierarchy of the small religious community, eventually entering into a power struggle with the Davidians' leader, George Roden. For a short time, Koresh retreated with his followers to eastern Texas, but in late 1987 he returned to Mount Carmel with seven armed followers and raided the compound, severely wounding Roden. Koresh went on trial for attempted murder, but the charge was dropped after his case was declared a mistrial. By 1990, he was the leader of the Branch Davidians and legally changed his name to David Koresh, with David representing his status as head of the biblical House of David, and Koresh standing for the Hebrew name for Cyrus, the Persian king who allowed the Jews held captive in Babylon to return to Israel. Koresh took several wives at Mount Carmel and fathered at least 12 children from these women, several of whom were as young as 12 or 13 when they became pregnant. There is also evidence that Koresh may have harshly disciplined some of the 100 or so Branch Davidians living inside the compound, particularly his children. A central aspect of Koresh's religious teachings was his assertion that the apocalyptic events predicted in the Bible's book of Revelation were imminent, making it necessary, he asserted, for the Davidians to stockpile weapons and explosives in preparation. Following the unsuccessful ATF raid, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took over the situation. A standoff with the Branch Davidians stretched into seven weeks, and little progress was made in the telephone negotiations, as the Davidians had stockpiled years of food and other necessities before the raid. On April 18, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno approved a tear-gas assault on the compound, and at approximately 6:00 a.m. on April 19 the Branch Davidians were informed of the imminent attack and asked to surrender, which they refused to do. A few minutes later, two FBI combat vehicles began inserting gas into the building and were joined by Bradley tanks, which fired tear-gas canisters through the compound's windows. The Branch Davidians, many with gas masks on, refused to evacuate, and by 11:40 a.m. the last of some 100 tear-gas canisters was fired into the compound. Just after noon, a fire erupted at one or more locations on the compound, and minutes later nine Davidians fled the rapidly spreading blaze. Gunfire was reported but ceased as the compound was completely engulfed by the flames. Koresh and at least 80 of his followers, including 22 children, died during the federal government's second disastrous assault on Mount Carmel. The FBI and the Justice Department maintained there was conclusive evidence that the Branch Davidian members ignited the fire, citing an eyewitness account and various forensic data. Of the gunfire reported during the fire, the government argued that the Davidians were either killing each other as part of a suicide pact or were killing dissenters who attempted to escape the Koresh-ordered suicide by fire. Most of the surviving Branch Davidians contested this official position, as do some critics in the press and elsewhere, whose charges against the ATF and FBI's handling of the Waco standoff ranged from incompetence to premeditated murder. In 1999, the FBI admitted they used tear-gas grenades in the assault, which have been known to cause fires because of their incendiary properties.
1993 - Fire in psychiatric institute in South Korea, kills 40
1993 - South Dakota governor George Mickelson and seven others are killed when a state-owned aircraft crashed lands in Iowa.
1994 - 15th Emmy Sports Award presentation
1994 - Graeme Obree bicycles world record 10km (11:25.88)
1994 - Inkatha ends boycott of South African multi-racial election
1994 - Rodney King award $3,800,000 in compensation for his police beating
1994 - Supreme Court outlaws excluding people from juries because of gender
Victim of Police Violence Rodney KingVictim of Police Violence Rodney King 1995 - Chopper 4 1st used on WNBC TV (NYC) news
1995 - Truck bomb at Federal Building in Oklahoma City, kills 168 & injures 500
1996 - Rangers scores 16 in 8th vs Orioles
1996 - South Africa defeat Pakistan to win the Pepsi Cup in Sharjah
1997 - Renee Slaughter crowned 14th Miss Hawaiian Tropic Intl
1997 - SD Padres & St Louis Cards play at Aloha Stadium Hawaii
1998 - 59th PGA Seniors Golf Championship:
1999 - The German Bundestag returns to Berlin.
2005 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger elected Pope Benedict XVI on the second day of the Papal conclave.
2011 - Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party of Cuba's central committee after 45 years of holding the title.
2012 - Levon Helm, American rock musician, dies from throat cancer at 71
1012 - Aelfheah was murdered by Danes who had been ravaging the south of England. Aelfhear became the 29th Archbishop of Canterbury in 1005. 1539 - Emperor Charles V reached a truce with German Protestants at Frankfurt, Germany. 1587 - English admiral Sir Francis Drake entered Cadiz harbor and sank the Spanish fleet. 1689 - Residents of Boston ousted their governor, Edmond Andros. 1713 - Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction, which gave women the rights of succession to Hapsburg possessions. 1764 - The English Parliament banned the American colonies from printing paper money. 1770 - Captain James Cook discovered New South Wales, Australia. Cook originally named the land Point Hicks. 1775 - The American Revolution began as fighting broke out at Lexington, MA. 1782 - The Netherlands recognized the new United States. 1794 - Tadeusz Kosciuszko forced the Russians out of Warsaw. 1802 - The Spanish reopened the New Orleans port to American merchants. 1839 - The Kingdom of Belgium was recognized by all the states of Europe when the Treaty of London was signed. 1852 - The California Historical Society was founded. 1861 - Thaddeus S. C. Lowe sailed 900 miles in nine hours in a hot air balloon from Cincinnati, OH, to Unionville, SC. 1861 - The Baltimore riots resulted in four Union soldiers and nine civilians killed. 1861 - U.S. President Lincoln ordered a blockade of Confederate ports. 1892 - The Duryea gasoline buggy was introduced in the U.S. by Charles and Frank Duryea. 1897 - The first annual Boston Marathon was held. It was the first of its type in the U.S. 1927 - In China, Hankow communists declared war on Chaing Kai-shek. 1933 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation that removed the U.S. from the gold standard. 1938 - General Francisco Franco declared victory in the Spanish Civil War. 1939 - Connecticut approved the Bill of Rights for the U.S. Constitution after 148 years. 1943 - The Warsaw Ghetto uprising against Nazi rule began. The Jews were able to fight off the Germans for 28 days. 1951 - General Douglas MacArthur gave his "Old Soldiers" speech before the U.S. Congress. In the address General MacArthur said that "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." 1951 - Shigeki Tanaka won the Boston Marathon. Tanaka had survived the atomic blast at Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. 1956 - Actress Grace Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The civil ceremony took place on April 18. 1958 - The San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers played the first major league baseball game on the West Coast. 1960 - Baseball uniforms began displaying player's names on their backs. 1967 - Surveyor 3 landed on the moon and began sending photos back to the U.S. 1971 - Russia launched the Salyut into orbit around Earth. It was the first space station. 1975 - India launched its first satellite with aid from the USSR. 1977 - Alex Haley received a special Pulitzer Prize for his book "Roots." 1981 - In Davao, Philippines, thirteen people were killed when members of the New People's Army threw hand grenades into the Roman Catholic cathedral during Easter services. 1982 - NASA named Sally Ride to be first woman astronaut. 1982 - NASA named Guion S. Bluford Jr. as the first African-American astronaut. 1982 - The U.S. announced a ban on U.S. tourist and business traval to Cuba. The U.S. charged the Cuban government with subversion in Central America. 1987 - In Phoenix, AZ, skydiver Gregory Robertson went into a 200-mph free-fall to save an unconscious colleague 3,500 feet from the ground. 1987 - The last California condor known to be in the wild was captured and placed in a breeding program at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. 1989 - A gun turret exploded aboard the USS Iowa. 47 sailors were killed. 1989 - A giant asteroid passed within 500,000 miles of Earth. 1989 - In El Salvador, Attorney General Alvadora was killed by a car bomb. 1993 - The Branch-Davidian’s compound in Waco, TX, burned to the ground. It was the end of a 51-day standoff between the cult and U.S. federal agents. 86 people were killed including 17 children. Nine of the Branch Davidians escaped the fire. 1994 - A Los Angeles jury awarded $3.8 million to Rodney King for violation of his civil rights. 1995 - The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, was destroyed by a bomb. It was the worst bombing on U.S. territory. 168 people were killed including 19 children, and 500 were injured. Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of the bombing on June 2, 1997. 1998 - Wang Dan, a leader of 1989 Tienanmen Square pro democracy protests, was freed by the Chinese government. 2000 - The Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated on the fifth anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma that killed 168 people. 2000 - Letters written by Greta Garbo were put on exhibit. The letters were made public ten years after Garbo's death. 2000 - In the Philippines, Air Philippines GAP 541 crashed while preparing to land. 131 people were killed. 2002 - The USS Cole was relaunched. In Yemen, 17 sailors were killed when the ship was attacked by terrorists on October 12, 2000. The attack was blamed on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.
1775 The "shot heard around the world" was fired. Colonial Minute Men took on British Army regulars at Lexington and Concord, Mass., starting the American Revolution. 1824 Lord Byron died of a fever while helping the Greeks fight the Turks. 1882 Naturalist Charles Darwin, developer of the theory of evolution, died. 1897 The first Boston Marathon was run. 1933 The United States went off the gold standard. 1943 The Warsaw ghetto uprising began, one of the first mass rebellions against the Nazis. 1993 The siege at Waco, Texas, ended when FBI moved into the Branch Davidian compound with tear gas and cult members set fire to the compound killing over 80 people. 1995 The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., was destroyed by a car bomb. 168 people, including 19 children were killed in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history up to that time. 2005 Germany's Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/apr19.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
Revised (published on 04/19/14):
Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
607 - Comet 1P/607 H1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0898 AUs of Earth
1012 - Aelfheah was murdered by Danes who had been ravaging the south of England. Aelfhear became the 29th Archbishop of Canterbury in 1005. Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich, London.
1451 - Alam Shah of Delhi resigns throne 1524 - Pope Clemens VII fires Neth inquisitor-general French Van de Holly
1529 - The second Parliament of Spiers bans Lutheranism
1012 - Aelfheah was murdered by Danes who had been ravaging the south of England. Aelfhear became the 29th Archbishop of Canterbury in 1005.
1539 - Emperor Charles V reached a truce with German Protestants at Frankfurt, Germany.
1587 - English admiral Sir Francis Drake entered Cadiz harbor and sank the Spanish fleet.
1591 - Chartres surrenders to king Henri IV in France
1713 - Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction, which gave women the rights of succession to Hapsburg possessions.
1764 - The English Parliament banned the American colonies from printing paper money.
1770 - Captain James Cook glimpses the shores of Australi for the first time. Specifically, he sees New South Wales, which he originally named Point Hicks.
1775 - Capt John Parker orders not to fire unless fired upon. Ultimately, however, the famous "shot heard around the world" was fired. Colonial Minute Men took on British Army regulars at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, starting the American Revolution.
1782 - The Netherlands recognized the new United States. John Adams secures official recognition by the Netherlands of the new United States as an independent government, and the house that he purchased in The Hague, Netherlands became first American embassy.
1794 - Tadeusz Kosciuszko forced the Russians out of Warsaw.
1810 - Venezuela achieves home rule: Vicente Emparan, Governor of the Captaincy General is removed by the people of Caracas and a Junta is installed.
1824 - Lord Byron died of a fever while helping the Greeks fight the Turks.
1839 - Treaty of London constitutes Belgium an independent kingdom, and Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy
1861 - Thaddeus S. C. Lowe sailed 900 miles in nine hours in a hot air balloon from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Unionville, South Carolina.
1861 - American. President Abraham Lincoln ordered a blockade of Confederate ports.
1882 - Naturalist Charles Darwin, developer of the theory of evolution, died.
1892 - Charles Duryea drives the first ever American-made automobile in Massachusetts
1927 - In China, Hankow communists declared war on Chaing Kai-shek.
1932 - President Herbert Hoover suggested the idea of a 5 day work week
1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that the United States would go off the gold standard.
1940 - Dutch prime minister De Geer declares state of siege
1941 - Bulgarian troops invade Macedonia
1943 - The Warsaw Ghetto uprising began, one of the first mass rebellions against the Nazis.
1948 - Chiang Kai-shek elected president of Nationalist China
1959 - Uprising in La Paz Bolivia, fails
1971 - Sierra Leone becomes a republic (Natl Day)
1971 - USSR Salyut 1 launched; 1st manned lab in orbit
1972 - Bangladesh becomes a member of British Commonwealth
1972 - Hungary revises constitution
1986 - Michael Spinks defeats Larry Holmes in 15 round decision for heavyweight boxing title, ending Larry Holmes's hopes for retiring with an undefeated record, which would have made him only the second champion in history to do so. Holmes had been 48-0 going into the fight, but this would be the first of three consecutive losses.
1991 - Evander Holyfield beats George Foreman in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
1993 - The siege at Waco, Texas, ended when FBI moved into the Branch Davidian compound with tear gas and cult members set fire to the compound killing over 80 people.
1994 - Inkatha ends boycott of South African multi-racial election
1994 - Rodney King award $3,800,000 in compensation of police beating
1994 - Supreme Court outlaws excluding people from juries because of gender
1995 - The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., was destroyed by a car bomb. 168 people, including 19 children were killed in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history up to that time.
1999 - The German Bundestag returns to Berlin.
2005 - Germany's Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rome-founded
http://www.historyorb.com/day/april/19
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/apr19.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/April-19
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
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