1845 – More than 1,000 buildings damaged by fire in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1884 – US Senate accepts Belgian administration of Congo
1919 – Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos
1934 – Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Chicago Blackhawks beat Detroit Red Wings, 1-0 in double OT for a 3-1 series win; Black Hawks’ first Stanley Cup
1939 – Prime Minister Hendrikus Colijn’s Dutch government opens camp Westerbork for German Jews
1942 – Cigarettes and candy rationed in Holland
1968 – Musical “George M!”, based on the life of Broadway star George M. Cohan, opens at Palace Theater NYC for 435 performances
1972 – 7.0 earthquake kills 1/5 of population of Iranian province of Fars
1990 – CUNY/Lehman College, Bronx, opens a branch campus in Hiroshma, Japan
1991 – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is awarded to John Updike for novel ‘Rabbit At Rest’
Author: gil7
Today in History for 10th April 2024
Historical Events
1741 – War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia defeats Austria in the Battle of Mollwitz
1815 – Austria declares war on Kingdom of Naples
1942 – Cigarettes and candy rationed in Holland
1957 – USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
1972 – 20 days after he was kidnapped in Buenos Aires, Oberdan Sallustro is executed by communist guerrillas
2019 – Four tiny sweat bees removed alive from a woman’s eye in world’s first operation of its kind at Fooyin University Hospital, Taiwan
Famous Birthdays
1925 – Bernard Moitessier, French sailor, vagabond and author who famously led the 1st non-stop, singlehanded, round the world yacht race before sailing a 2nd lap of the world back to Tahiti, born in Saigon, French Vietnam (d. 1994)
1932 – Mae Faggs, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m 1952), born in Mays Landing, New Jersey (d. 2000)
1948 – Fred Smith, American rock bassist (Television – “Marquee Moon”; Blondie, 1974-75), born in New York City
1958 – Bob Bell, British engineer and Chief Technical Officer of the Renault Formula One team, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
1979 – Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese actor and singer (KinKi Kids), born in Nara, Japan
1981 – Liz McClarnon, British singer (Atomic Kitten), born in Liverpool
Famous Deaths
1640 – Charlotte Flandrina van Nassau, French abbess and daughter of William I of Orange, dies at 60
1885 – Jan Hendrik Scholten, Dutch radical theologist (Free Will), dies at 73
1979 – Nino Rota [Giovanni Rota Rinaldi], Italian classical and film score composer (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze; The Godfather (I and II; 16 Fellini films), dies from a coronary thrombosis at 67
1986 – Linda Creed, American singer and songwriter (“The Greatest Love Of All”), dies of breast cancer at 37
1994 – Sam B. Hall, American politician and judge (Rep (D) Texas 1976-85), dies at 70
2005 – Al Lucas, American football player (b. 1978)
Famous Deaths for 9th April 2024
491 – Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor (474-75, 476-91), dies at 66
1024 – Benedict VIII [Theophylactus van Tusculum], Pope (1012-24), dies
1557 – Michael Agricola, Finnish theologist/church reformer/bishop, dies
1768 – Sarah Fielding, English writer (The Adventures of David Simple), dies at 58
1851 – Antoine-Charles Glachant, French violinist, composer, and artillery commander, dies at 79
1876 – Charles Goodyear, American politician (D-NY), dies at 71
1994 – Keith Watson, British comic strip artist (Dan Dare), dies at 59
2010 – Zoltán Varga, Hungarian Footballer (b. 1945)
2014 – Bertha Tickey, American softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1973), dies at 91
2021 – Ekkehard Fasser, Swiss bobsledder (Olympic gold, four-man 1988; World C’ship gold 1983; World Cup champion 1985-86), dies at 68
Historical Events for 9th April 2024
1816 – African Methodist Episcopal Church organizes (Philadelphia)
1864 – Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, Confederate assault repulsed by Union side with high cost of estimated 3,100 causalities
1928 – Eugene O’Neill’s play “Lazarus Laughed” premieres in Pasadena, with a masked chorus of over 100
1945 – Liberty ship at Bari Italy carrying aerial bombs explodes, kills 360
1968 – German DR adopts constitution
1985 – White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver starts a record 15th opening day game
1988 – US imposes economic sanctions on Panama
1990 – “Capital News” starring Lloyd Bridges premieres on ABC-TV
1997 – Cleveland Indians pitcher Jose Mesa is acquitted of rape
2014 – Stuart Parkin is awarded the Millennium Technology Prize for his work on magnetic storage
Today in History for 9th April 2024
Historical Events
1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark (1440-48)
1949 – UN International Court of Justice holds Albania responsible for incidents in Corfu Channel and awards Britain damages
1972 – New Zealand cricket opening batsmen Glenn Turner (259) and Terry Jarvis (187) make 387 partnership in 4th Test v WI in Georgetown, Guyana
1992 – Record 18 golfers shoot in 60s in Masters round 1 (old record 12)
2013 – 37 people are killed and 850 are injured after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Iran
2021 – Uganda opposition party National Unity Platform Party, headed by Bobi Wine, claims 623 people have been abducted and tortured by the government of President Yoweri Museveni
Famous Birthdays
1753 – Pieter Paulus, Dutch Patriot and President of the First National Assembly in The Hague, born in Axel, Netherlands (d. 1796)
1785 – Sibrandus Stratingh, Dutch physician and chemist (electric car), born in Adorp, Netherlands (d. 1841)
1865 – Erich Ludendorff, German general during World War I, born in Kruszewnia, Prussia (d. 1937)
1905 – J. William Fulbright, American senator from Arkansas, known for opposition to the Vietnam War), born in Sumner, Missouri (d. 1995)
1936 – Michael Somare, British foreign affairs minister (Paupa and New Guinea), born in Rabaul, Territory of New Guinea
1943 – Terry Knight [Knapp], American rock singer, manager, and record producer (Grand Funk Railroad), born in Lapeer, Michigan (d. 2004)
Famous Deaths
1681 – Alfonso Marsh, English composer and lutenist, dies at 54
1806 – William V of Orange, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, dies at 58
1922 – Patrick Manson, Scottish physician and parasitologist (Father of tropical medicine), dies at 77
1945 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral and head of Germany military intelligence, hanged by the Nazi regime for treason at 58
1970 – Gustaf Tenggren, Swedish-American artist and chief illustrator for The Walt Disney Company during the 1930s (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Bambi, Pinocchio), dies at 73
1976 – Akio Yashiro, Japanese composer, dies at 46
Famous Deaths for 8th April 2024
1143 – John II Komnenos, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (1118-43), dies in an accident at 55
1778 – Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, Dutch silk merchant (founded Teyler Museum), dies at 76
1851 – John Parry [Bardd Alaw], Welsh composer and harpist, dies at 75
1894 – Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Indian novelist (Mrinalini, Anandamath), dies at 55
1902 – Dmitry Sipyagain, Russian Minister of Interior/headed Secret Service, assassinated by a Socialist-Revolutionary at 49
1906 – Auguste Deter, German woman notable for being the 1st person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dies of sepsis caused by an infected bedsore at 55
1938 – Harold Baumgartner, South African cricketer (took 2-99 lefty in test for South Africa), dies at 54
1996 – Fried Walter [Schmidt], German light music and operetta composer, dies at 86
2001 – Frank Annunzio, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1965-93), dies of Parkinson’s disease at 86
2009 – Herbie Lovelle, America drummer, studio musician (Hot Lips Page) and actor (Law and Order), dies at 85
Historical Events for 8th April 2024
1767 – Ayutthaya kingdom falls to Burmese invaders
1929 – Indian Independence Movement: At the Delhi Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw handouts and bombs to court arrest
1961 – British liner “Dara” explodes in Persian Gulf, kills 236
1963 – 35th Academy Awards: “Lawrence of Arabia”, Anne Bancroft and Gregory Peck win
1966 – Time publishes its “Is God Dead” issue – its first issue without an image
1976 – 1976 NFL Draft: Lee Roy Selmon from University of Oklahoma first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2008 – 27th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Stanford, 64-48; Volunteers’ back-to-back titles; coach Pat Summitt, 8 national championships
2012 – German writer Günter Grass labelled ‘persona non grata’ by Israeli internal affairs minister Eli Yishai, due to his poem “What Must Be Said”
2017 – 170th Grand National: Derek Fox wins aboard 14/1 One For Arthur; second ever Scottish-trained winner of the event
2019 – 600 million birds die each year in the US after striking tall buildings with Chicago the worst city, according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Today in History for 8th April 2024
Historical Events
1879 – Milk sold in glass bottles for 1st time
1945 – 1945 NFL Draft: Charley Trippi from University of Georgia first pick by Chicago Cardinals
1960 – Netherlands and Germany sign accord concerning war casualties
1984 – 4th Golden Raspberry Awards: “Lonely Lady” wins
1995 – 148th Grand National: Irish rider Jason Titley wins aboard 40/1 outsider Royal Athlete; trainer Jenny Pitman’s second GN victory
2021 – Dr. Anthony Fauci thanks American health workers for their sacrifice during the pandemic, acknowledging their more than 3,600 deaths
Famous Birthdays
1887 – Walter Connolly, American actor (Good Earth, 5th Avenue Girl), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1940)
1924 – Frédéric Back, German-born Canadian short film director and screenwriter (The Man Who Planted Trees), born in Saarbrücken, The Territory of the Saar Basin (d. 2013)
1936 – Klaus Lowitsch, German actor (Despair, Marriage of Marla Braun), born in Berlin, Germany
1941 – Murray Khouri, New Zealand classical clarinet player (Australia Ensemble), writer, and broadcaster, born in Wellington, New Zealand (d. 2018)
1964 – Biz Markie [Marcel Hall], American rapper, DJ and record producer (“Just A Friend”), born in New York City (d. 2021)
1983 – Allu Arjun, Indian Telugu film actor (Parugu), born in Madras, India
Famous Deaths
956 – Gilbert of Chalon, Duke of Burgundy
1898 – William Polk Hardeman, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 81
1970 – Felix, of Bourbon-Parma and Prince consort of Luxemburg, dies at 76
1978 – Ford C Frick, American Baseball HOF executive (NL President 1934-51; MLB Commissioner 1951-65), dies at 83
2008 – John Button, Australian politician (Button car plan), dies at 74
2009 – Wally Baker, American supercentenarian, dies at 111
Famous Deaths for 7th April 2024
924 – Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy, Holy Roman Emperor (915-924) (b c. 845)
1661 – William Brereton, 1st Baronet, English soldier and politician, dies at 56
1668 – William Davenant, English poet (b. 1606)
1871 – Wilhelm Freiherr von Tegetthoff, Austrian admiral (Helgoland/Lissa), dies of pneumonia at 43
1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian actor (Maltese Falcon, Treasure of Sierra Madre), dies from an aneurysm at 67
1982 – Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (b. 1948)
1988 – Cesar Bresgen, Austrian organist and composer, dies at 74
1994 – Ken Carson, American western singer (Garry Moore Show), dies at 79
1994 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer and politician (Minister of Finance), dies at 70
2020 – Harv Schmidt, American college basketball coach (University of Illinois 1967-74), dies at 83
Historical Events for 7th April 2024
1712 – Slave revolt in New York kills 6 white men, 21 African Americans executed
1818 – General Andrew Jackson conquers Spanish Fort San Marcos (St Marks), in Spanish Florida during his pursuit of the Native American Seminole Tribe, in what would become known as the First Seminole War
1831 – Dom Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil, passes the throne to his six year old son Dom Pedro II so that he can return to Portugal to support his daughter, Maria II, against the usurper Miguel I
1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation is assassinated by the Irish, in one of the few Canadian political assassinations, and only federal politician
1901 – SDAP demands general voting right, abolishing First Chamber
1951 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
1956 – France officially relinquished its protectorate in Morocco., Spain follows suit for regions of her protectorate in northern Morocco
1959 – Radar 1st bounced off Sun, Stanford Calif
1976 – Chinese Politburo fires vice-premier Deng Xiaoping
1983 – Oldest human skeleton, aged 80,000 years, discovered in Egypt