1803 – Chancellor Robert Livingston and James Monroe sign Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris at a cost of 15 million dollars, doubles the size of the USA
1871 – The Camp Grant Massacre of Apache Indians in Arizona Territory is committed by white and Mexican adventurers, 144 die
1939 – Lou Gehrig sets a MLB record playing his 2,130th consecutive and final game for the New York Yankees.
1972 – “Arthur Godfrey Time” ends a 27 year run on radio
1973 – Women’s tennis groups end disputes over sanctioning tournaments
1995 – After 120 years the last 15 A and S department stores close
1997 – Tajik Prest Imomali Rakhmonov wounded in assassination attempt
2019 – New type of dementia identified and named limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (Late) after misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease
Author: gil7
Today in History for 30th April 2026
Historical Events
1492 – Spain announces it will expel all Jews
1945 – Concentration camp Munchen-Allag freed
1977 – Revival of musical revue “A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green” closes at Little Theatre, NYC after 92 performances
1997 – Big Ben stops at 12:11 PM for 54 minutes
2012 – Manchester City defeats Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in English Premier League history
Famous Birthdays
1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and naturalist (Ornithologie), born in Fontenay-le-Comte (d. 1806)
1909 – Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands (1948-80), born in Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2004)
1913 – Bernard Sendall, British deputy director general of the Independent Television Authority and author (Independent Television in Britain), born in Malvern, England (d. 1996)
1936 – Bernie Clifton [Quinn], British comedian (Oswald the Ostrich), born in St Helens, Lancashire, England
1982 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress (Interview with the Vampire, Spider-Man), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
1848 – Friedrich Freiherr Gagern, German Dutch army commandant, dies at 53
1942 – J. C. Arthur, American botanist (studied parasitic fungi rusts), dies at 92
1983 – Joel H. Hildebrand, American chemist and educator (research led to new treatments for divers with the ‘bends’ through the use of helium and oxygen breathing mixtures), dies at 101
1998 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet (b. 1926)
2007 – Gordon Scott [Werschkul], American actor (Tarzan series), dies at 80
Famous Deaths for 29th April 2026
1951 – Jules Verstraete [Julien Gustave de Graef], Flemish actor (rubber, The Three Wishes), dies at 67
1975 – Michael John Shea, American First Lieutenant US Marine Corps, one of the last soldiers killed in Vietnam, dies at 25
1982 – Herbert Collum, German organist (Kreuzkirche, Dresden, 1935-82), harpsichordist, composer, and conductor, dies at 67
1993 – Cy Howard, American director, producer and screenwriter (My Friend Irma, Lovers and Other Strangers), dies from heart failure at 77
2008 – Michael “Micky” Waller, British blues and rock drummer (Long John Baldry; Jeff Beck Group), dies of liver failure at 66
2013 – John La Montaine, American composer, dies at 93
2018 – Luis García Meza Tejada, Bolivian general and dictator, dies at 88
2019 – Gino Marchetti, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (Pro Bowl x 11), dies of pneumonia at 93
2020 – Trevor Cherry, English soccer defender (27 caps; Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Bradford City) and manager (Bradford City), dies at 72
2021 – Billie Hayes [Brosch], American stage, film, and television actress Li’l Abner – “Mammy Yokum”; Witchiepoo), dies at 96
Historical Events for 29th April 2026
1644 – Farm leader Li Zicheng becomes Emperor of China and flees Peking
1707 – English and Scottish parliaments accept Act of Union; creates the United Kingdom of Great Britain (comes into being 1st May)
1854 – Ashmun Institute (later Lincoln University), in Hinsonville, Pennsylvania, receives its charter from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, making it the 1st degree-granting Black college in US
1862 – 100,000 federal troops prepare to march into Corinth, Mississippi
1864 – The Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York
1953 – Milwaukee Braves’ Joe Adcock is 1st to homer into New York’s Polo Grounds center field bleachers
1995 – KC Royal John Nonely is 70th to HR on his 1st at bat
1996 – Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Fresno, California on KFRR 104.1 FM
Today in History for 29th April 2026
Historical Events
1540 – Emperor Charles declares all privileges of Ghent ended
1636 – Prince Frederick Henry occupies Schenkenschans fortress after a nine-month siege during the Dutch Revolt
1965 – Australian government announces it would send troops to Vietnam
1986 – NFL Draft: Auburn running back Bo Jackson first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2016 – “H.O.L.Y” single released by Florida Georgia Line (Billboard Song of the Year, 2016)
Famous Birthdays
1837 – Georges Boulanger, French general and politician, born in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, France (d. 1891)
1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch artist (The Blue Barge) and resistance fighter, born in Leens, Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1945)
1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder (founder Burton Snowboards; one of the inventors of modern day snowboard), born in New York City (d. 2019)
1983 – Sam Jones III, American actor (Smallville), born in Boston, Massachusetts
2007 – Infanta Sofía of Spain, Princess of Spain, second in the line of succession to the Spanish throne, born in Madrid, Spain
Famous Deaths
1712 – Juan Bautista Jose Cabanilles, Spanish organist and composer, dies at 67
1928 – Henrich Federer, Swiss writer (I Switch Off The Light), dies at 61
1967 – Anthony Mann, American film actor and director (El Cid, Winchester ’73, The Glenn Miller Story), dies from a heart attack at 60
1999 – Perry Ford [Brian Pugh], British pop singer, session musician and songwriter (The Ivy League – “Tossing And Turning”), dies at 65
2012 – Amarillo Slim, American professional poker player, dies at 83
Famous Deaths for 28th April 2026
1772 – Johann Friedrich Struensee, German physician of Christian VII of Denmark, dies at 34
1883 – William M. Browne, American Confederate politician and Brigadier General, dies at 59
1887 – Carl Ferdinand Pohl, German-Austrian music historian, organist, and composer, dies at 67
1945 – Claretta Petacci, Italian mistress of Mussolini, executed at 33
1945 – Roberto Farinacci, Italian fascist, dies at 52
1955 – Lode Cantens, Flemish playwright (Gnomes of the City), dies at 43
1987 – Ben Linder, American engineer, murdered by Contras in Nicaragua at 27
1995 – Henry C. Rogers, American publicist, dies at 81
2014 – Jack Ramsay, American Hall of Fame basketball coach (Portland Trail Blazers, 1977 NBA Champions), dies from cancer at 89
2021 – Madeline Davis, American activist and the first openly lesbian delegate to a Democratic national convention, dies of complications of a stroke at 80
Historical Events for 28th April 2026
1887 – “Europe’s first motoring competition” is ‘won’ by The Marquis de Dion on a steam-powered quadricycle built by French toymaker and engineer Georges Bouton; French newspaper Le Velocipede organized the ‘test’, and Bouton was the only participant
1914 – 181 die in coal mine collapse at Eccles, West Virginia
1919 – American stuntman and parachute developer Leslie Irvin (23) makes the first premeditated free-fall parachute jump from a plane above the US Army Air Service’s McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio
1952 – St Louis Browns lend 2 black minor leaguers to Hankyu Braves of Japan
2017 – Gwyneth Paltrow brand Goop and Condé Nast announce they will be launching a quarterly publication together
2022 – Russian missiles strike Ukrainian city of Kyiv during a visit by UN Secretary-General António Guterres
2025 – Beyoncé’s 10th concert tour, The Cowboy Carter Tour, commences in Inglewood, California
2025 – Airports, hospitals, and public transit shut down due to a widespread power outage in Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and parts of France
Today in History for 28th April 2026
Historical Events
1920 – Azerbaijan SSR joins USSR (1st time)
1940 – Glenn Miller records the song “Pennsylvania 6-5000” in NYC; tune is named after phone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan
1966 – David Diamond’s 5th Symphony premieres with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein; the work was dedicated to the conductor
2019 – Disney says Marvel film “Avengers: Endgame” made estimated $1.2 billion worldwide, first film to make more than 1 billion on opening
2024 – A worse than usual rainy season across East Africa due to El Nino kills at least 155 people in Tanzania and 60 in Kenya with hundreds of thousands displaced
Famous Birthdays
1757 – Claus Schall, Danish violinist and composer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1835)
1927 – Garry Weston, English businessman (Associated British Foods), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2002)
1952 – Chuck Leavell, American session and touring keyboardist (The Allman Brothers Band; Rolling Stones; Sea Level), and forest conservationist (The Tree Man), born in Birmingham, Alabama
1961 – Cathy Gerring, American golfer (3 x LPGA Tour wins; Solheim Cup 1990), born in Fort Wayne, Indiana
1978 – Nate Richert, American actor (Harvey-Sabrina), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Famous Deaths
1716 – Louis de Montfort, French catholic priest and saint who preached Mariology (Secret of the Rosary; True Devotion to Mary), dies at 43
1843 – William Wallace, Scottish mathematician (rights of Wallace), dies at 74
1955 – Lode Cantens, Flemish playwright (Gnomes of the City), dies at 43
1992 – Francis Bacon, Irish-British abstract painter (Study for a Pope), dies at 82
2025 – Mike Peters, Welsh rock singer (The Alarm – “Rain In the Summertime”; Big Country, 2010-13), dies of blood cancer at 66
Famous Deaths for 27th April 2026
1599 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general, dies at 61
1702 – Jean Bart, French naval captain, privateer, and sea hero (Escape from Plymouth), dies at 51
1876 – George Aiken, American playwright and actor famous for writing the most popular stage adaptation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, dies at 45
1927 – Albert J. Beveridge, American politician and historian (Progressive leader, Senator Indiana 1899-1911), dies at 64
1982 – Tom Tully, American radio, stage, and screen actor (The Caine Mutiny; Shane), dies at 73
1992 – Olivier Messiaen, French composer (L’Ame en Bourgeon; St Francois d’Assise), dies at 83
1996 – William Colby, American C.I.A. director (1973-76), dies at 76
1996 – Joan Sterndale-Bennett, British actress (Brighton Rock, Those Fantastic Flying Fools), dies at 82
1998 – John Bassett, Canadian publisher and media baron, dies at 47
1998 – Godfrey Kenton, English actor (The Tempest, Well’s Theater), dies at 96
Historical Events for 27th April 2026
1565 – First Spanish settlement in the Philippines is founded in Cebu City
1908 – IV Summer (Modern) Olympic Games open in London
1912 – Relief laws in Netherlands replace those of 1854
1940 – Himmler orders establishment of Auschwitz Concentration Camp
1952 – Revival of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein’s operetta “Four Saints in Three Acts” closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 15 performances
1968 – Congress of Political Party Radicals (PPR) forms in Netherlands
1982 – Trial of John Hinckley, Jr begins for the attempted assassination of US President Ronald Reagan
2023 – NFL Draft: Alabama quarterback Bryce Young first pick by the Carolina Panthers