Saturday, April 20, 2013

This Day in History - April 20

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!

295 - 8th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet

850 - Guntherus becomes bishop of Cologne

1139 - 2nd Lateran Council (10th ecumenical council) opened in Rome

1505 - Jews are expelled from Orange Burgandy by Philibert of Luxembourg

1534 - Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, set sail from St. Malo to explore the North American coastline.

1505 - Jews are expelled from Orange Burgandy by Philibert of Luxembourg

1653 - Cromwell routes English parliament to house

1657 - Battle in Santa Cruz Bay, Tenerife: English fleet under Robert Blake sinks Spanish silver fleet

1689 - The former King James II of England, now deposed, lays siege to Derry.

1769 - Ottawa Chief Pontiac was murdered by an Illinois Indian in Cahokia.

1775 - American troops began the siege of British-held Boston.

1792 - France declared war on Austria, Prussia, and Sardinia. It was the start of the French Revolutionary wars.

1799 - Napoleon issues a decree calling for establishing Jerusalem for Jews

1809 - Napoleon defeated Austria at Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria.

1828 - René Caillié is first non-Muslim to enter Timbouctou.

1841 - In Philadelphia, PA, Edgar Allen Poe's first detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," was published in Graham's Magazine.

1853 - Harriet Tubman started Underground Railroad

1861 - Robert E. Lee resigned from U.S. Army.

1889 - Adolf Hitler born in Braunau, Austria

1912 - Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, died.

1912 - The Boston Red Sox played their first game at Fenway Park. They beat the N.Y. Highlanders (who in 1913 would become known as the Yankees) 7-6.

1916 - Chicago's Wrigley Field held its first Cubs game with the first National League game at the ballpark. The Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 in 11 innings.

1919 - The Polish Army captured Vilno, Lithuania from the Soviets.

1942 - Pierre Laval, the premier of Vichy France, in a radio broadcast, establishes a policy of "true reconciliation with Germany."

1945 - Soviet troops began their attack on Berlin.

1945 - During World War II, Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart.

1951 - General MacArthur addressed the joint session of Congress after being relieved by U.S. President Truman.

1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the practice of busing for racial desegregation.

1984 - Britain announced that its administration of Hong Kong would cease in 1997.  

1987 - In Argentina, President Raul Alfonsin quelled a military revolt.

1999 - Columbine massacre in Littleton, Colorado.   Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. 14 students (including the shooters) and 1 teacher were killed; 23 others were wounded.

2008 - Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar race.

2010 - An explosion on a BP oil drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana kills 11 people and injures 17. Experts estimate that 13,000 gallons of crude oil per hour are pouring into the Gulf of Mexico.

2012 - This one is on a personal note. Some horrible things have happened on this date in history. But last year, something more cheerful happened on this day, as Basia & I had our first date, of what turned into a very nice relationship! Kocham Cię, Basia!

Also, on a personal note, it might as well be added that on this day in 1995, I organized my first ever public event as President of the Bergen Community College Environmental Club. Looking back, I still think that the day was a success, more than anything else. Stressful, yes. But enjoyable, and leaving me with pleasant memories and, yes, even a sense of pride!



http://www.historyorb.com/day/april/20

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/apr20.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/April-20

No comments:

Post a Comment