1877 – 1st Easter egg roll held on White House lawn
1917 – Jeannette Rankin (Rep-R-Montana) begins her term as 1st woman member of US House of Reps
1932 – “Tarzan the Ape Man” released starring Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in the first of his 12 Tarzan films
1944 – Dmitri Shostakovich’s 8th Symphony premieres in NY
1960 – Cuba buys oil from USSR
1993 – 1st test flight of Fokker 70 (Amsterdam)
1996 – Vancouver Grizzlies beat Minnesota Timberwolves, 105-103 at General Motors Place Arena to end their NBA single-season record 23-game consecutive loss streak
2017 – 36th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: South Carolina defeats Mississippi State, 67-55; Gamecocks power forward A’ja Wilson, 23 points
2019 – NASA states it wants to send astronauts to Mars by 2033, and land on the Moon again in 2024
2020 – Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro downplays the COVID-19 pandemic saying “its not all its being made out to be”
Author: gil7
Today in History for 2nd April 2024
Historical Events
1905 – Cairo-Capetown railway opens
1987 – IBM introduces PS/2 and OS/2
1995 – Longest strike in American major league sports history (232 days) ends as MLB owners accept players’ offer to return to work without a contract; MLB is first major pro sports league to lose an entire postseason due to labor struggles
1996 – Vancouver Grizzlies beat Minnesota Timberwolves, 105-103 at General Motors Place Arena to end their NBA single-season record 23-game consecutive loss streak
2010 – Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million
2013 – Uruguay passes legislation to legalize same-sex marriage
Famous Birthdays
1740 – Armand-Gaston Camus, French revolutionary and Chairman of the Council of 500, born in Paris (d. 1804)
1900 – Roberto Arlt, Argentine writer (The Seven Madmen), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1942)
1910 – Arnie Herber, American Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (NFL C’ship 1930, 31, 36, 39; First-team All-Pro 1932, 35, 36; Green Bay Packers, NY Giants), born in Green Bay, Wisconsin (d. 1969)
1963 – Dermot Reeve, English cricket all-rounder (3 Tests, 29 ODIs), born in Kowloon, Hong Kong
1982 – Jeremy Bloom, American alpine skier (FIS Freestyle World Ski C’ships gold dual moguls 2003) and football wide receiver (Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Loveland, Colorado
1982 – Leyla Milani, Iranian-Canadian actress and model, born in Toronto, Ontario
Famous Deaths
1787 – Francisco Javier Clavijero, Mexican Jesuit teacher and writer, dies at 55
1956 – Chester Clute, American actor (“Arsenic and Old Lace”; “Too Many Girls”; “Niagara Falls”), dies of a heart attack at 65
1980 – Pascual de Rogatis, Argentine composer (Huemac; Estampas Argentinas), dies at 99
1993 – Eugenie Leontovitch, Russian actress (Homicidal, The Rains of Ranchipur), dies at 93
1995 – Harvey Penick, American golfer, coach, author (World Golf Hall of Fame), dies of degenerative arthritis at 90
2002 – Henry Slesar, American writer and playwright (The Edge of Night), dies at 74
Famous Deaths for 1st April 2024
1637 – Niwa Nagashige, Japanese warlord, dies at 65
1924 – Stan Rowley, Australian athlete (Olympic gold 5,000m team, bronze 60m, 100m, 200m 1900), dies at 47
1925 – Francis William Davenport, English composer, dies at 77
1973 – Gus Aiken, American jazz and blues trumpeter (Jenkins Orphanage Band), dies at 70
1983 – Ken Kersey, Canadian jazz pianist, and composer (“Boogie Woogie Cocktail”), dies at 66
1989 – Henk Gortzak [Hendricus Gortzak], Dutch carpenter and politician (CPN/PSP), dies at 57
1996 – Florence Buchsbaum, French theater director (b. 1926)
2004 – Aaron Bank, American OSS officer and founder of the US Army Special Forces (b. 1902)
2005 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, conductor, educator, and composer (McGill Chamber Orchestra), dies at 90
2019 – Michel Sénéchal, French operatic tenor, and educator, dies at 91
Historical Events for 1st April 2024
1862 – Shenandoah Valley campaign, Jackson’s Battle of Woodstock, Virginia
1905 – British East African Protectorate becomes colony of Kenya
1931 – Earthquake devastate Managua Nicaragua, kills 2,000
1934 – Clyde Barrow kills two young highway patrolmen, H. D. Murphy and Edward Bryant Wheeler, at the intersection of Route 114 near Grapevine, Texas. Bonnie Parker’s role in the murders helps turn public perception against the gang for good
1948 – “Big Bang” theory proposed in scientific journal “Physical Review” by American cosmologists Ralph Alpher, Hans Bethe, and George Gamow
1957 – Trial begins in Budapest against participants of the Hungarian Uprising of October 1956
1976 – Conrail takes over operations from six bankrupt railroads in the northeastern U.S..
1983 – Anti-nuclear demonstrators link arms in 14-mile human chain in England
1999 – Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th pro game with an 88-84 win over Miami Heat; Brown record: 671-547 NBA, 229-107 ABA, combined 900-654
2009 – Croatia and Albania join NATO
Today in History for 1st April 2024
Historical Events
1881 – Kingdom post office in Netherlands opens
1891 – The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
1931 – Earthquake devastate Managua Nicaragua, kills 2,000
1937 – Aden becomes a British crown colony
1990 – WrestleMania VI, Skydome, Toronto, ON (67,678): Ultimate Warrior beats Hulk Hogan for WWF Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles
2020 – All England Lawn Tennis Club cancels Wimbledon for the first time since World War II because of the COVID-19 pandemic; entire grass-court season abandoned
Famous Birthdays
1933 – Stan Weston, US toy licensing agent, had concept for G.I. Joe, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2017)
1945 – John Barbata, American drummer (Turtles – “Happy Together”; “Elenore”), born in Passiac, New Jersey
1975 – Kristine Quance, American swimmer (Olympics gold 4×100m medley relay 1996), born in Northridge, California
1978 – Jean-Pierre Dumont, Canadian ice hockey right wing (World C’ship gold 2004; Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators), born in Montreal, Quebec
1982 – Sam Huntington, American actor (Jungle 2 Jungle, Being Human), born in Peterborough, New Hampshire
1985 – Beth Tweddle, English gymnast (World C’ship gold 2006, 09, 10; Olympic bronze 2012), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
Famous Deaths
1975 – Eugeen Yoors, Flemish etcher and glass painter, dies at 95
1983 – Ken Kersey, Canadian jazz pianist, and composer (“Boogie Woogie Cocktail”), dies at 66
1984 – Marvin Gaye, American soul singer-songwriter (“It Takes Two”; What’s Going On”; “Let’s Get It On”), shot to death by his father Marvin Gay, Sr., during a domestic dispute in Los Angeles at 44
1993 – Wayne Mack, American sportscaster (New Orleans Saints, Tulane University) and actor (Storyville), dies of cancer at 68
2004 – Nilo Soruco, Bolivian singer-songwriter (“Ya la pagarán”; “Caraqueña”), dies at 76
2005 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, conductor, educator, and composer (McGill Chamber Orchestra), dies at 90
Famous Deaths for 31st March 2024
1578 – Juan de Escobedo, sec of Spanish land guardian Don Juan, murdered
1944 – Mineichi Koga, admiral of Japanese fleet, dies
1957 – Gene Lockhart, American actor (Going My Way), dies at 65
1971 – Liselotte Liselot Beekmeyer, Dutch actress (Child Crying), dies at 31
1993 – Chichay [Amparo Robles Custodio], Filipino comedienne and actress (Bilangguang puso, Ngitngit ng pitong whistle bomb), dies at 75
1993 – Jose Maria Lemus, president of El Salvador (1956-60), dies
1998 – Tim Flock, American auto racer (Winston Cup 1952, 55), dies of liver and throat cancer at 73
2020 – Pape Diouf, Senegalese journalist and football agent (president Olympique de Marseille 2005-09; first black president in Europe’s top 6 leagues), dies from COVID-19 at 68
2021 – Ron Greene, American college basketball coach (Uni of New Orleans, Mississippi State, Murray State, Indiana State), dies at 82
2022 – Fred Johnson, American doo-wop bass vocalist (The Marcels – “Blue Moon”), dies at 80
Historical Events for 31st March 2024
1877 – The family with samurai antecedents who responded to the Saigo army in Ōita Nakatsu rebels.
1940 – Karelo-Finnish SSR becomes 12th Soviet republic (until 1956)
1945 – 3rd Algerian division crosses the Rhine
1955 – Merger of Chase National Bank (3rd largest bank) and Bank of the Manhattan Company (15th largest bank) forms Chase Manhattan
1969 – George Harrison and Pattie Boyd are fined £250 each for illegal drugs
1988 – Pulitzer prize awarded to Toni Morrison for her novel “Beloved”
1994 – Actor James Farentino pleads no contest to stalking ex-girlfriend Tina Sinatra
1995 – Second time in tennis history, world #1 and #2 ranked players play in the same Davis Cup team; Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi score victories in US quarter-final win against Italy in Palermo
1995 – Federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of US District Court in NYC issues an injunction against Major League Baseball owners in move that effectively ends 232-day strike
2012 – Fiji Floods kill 2 people and force thousands to be evacuated
Today in History for 31st March 2024
Historical Events
1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine are present and join the Crusade.
1917 – The Danish West Indies are officially ceded to the US for $25 million and renamed the Virgin Islands
1958 – USSR suspends nuclear weapons tests, and urges US and Britain to do same
1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere after 12 years in orbit
1984 – Mike Bossy becomes first player in NHL history to record 7 straight 50 goal seasons; scores 50th and 51st of the year in a 3-1 New York Islanders’ win at Washington
1988 – Pulitzer prize awarded to Toni Morrison for her novel “Beloved”
Famous Birthdays
1360 – Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal as wife of King John I (1387-1415), born in Leicester Castle, Leicester, England (d. 1415)
1536 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese 13th shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1546-65), born in Nanzen-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan (d. 1565)
1651 – Karl II, Elector Palatine (d. 1685)
1960 – Anne Howard, American actress (Nicole Love-Another World), born in San Diego, California
1964 – Erik Turner, American rock guitarist (Warrant – “Cherry Pie”), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1975 – Adam Green, American film director
Famous Deaths
1928 – Medardo Rosso, Italian sculptor (portraits), dies at 69
2003 – Tommy Seebach, Danish rock keyboardist, singer (Sir Henry and His Butlers), and songwriter (Eurovision), dies at 53
2005 – Terri Schiavo, American figure in right to die case (b. 1963)
2008 – William L. Dickinson, American politician (Rep-R-AL, 1965-93), dies at 82
2014 – Charles Keating, American district attorney (Los Angeles California), dies at 90
2016 – Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German Minister of Foreign Affairs (FDP), worked to re-unify Germany, dies at 89
Famous Deaths for 30th March 2024
988 – Arnulf II, count of Flanders (965-988), dies
1953 – Roderich Mojsisovics-Mojsvar, Austrian composer, dies at 75
1961 – Philibert Melotte, British astronomer (discovered Jupiter’s 8th satellite Pasiphae), dies at 81
1968 – Bobby Driscoll, American Academy Juvenile Award-winning actor (Song Of The South; The Window), dies of heart failure at 31 [date reflects discovery of his body in a deserted NYC tenement]
1976 – Jacqueline Royaards-Sandberg, Dutch actress (Hostage Rights), dies at 99
1995 – Tony Lock, English cricket spin bowler (49 Tests, 174 wickets, BB 7/35, 2 x 50; Surrey CCC, Western Australia, Leicestershire CCC), dies from cancer at 65
1996 – Ryoei Saito, Japanese businessman (Daishowa Paper Manufacturing), dies at 79
1998 – Ramsay Ames [Phillips], American actress, model and dancer (The Mummy’s Ghost; Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves), dies of lung cancer at 79
2020 – Frank Maloney, American football coach (Syracuse University 1974-1980), dies from brain cancer at 79
2020 – Manolis Glezos, Greek politician, writer and resistance hero (took down Nazi flag from Acropolis), dies at 97
Historical Events for 30th March 2024
1822 – Congress combines East and West Florida into Florida Territory
1865 – -4] Battle at 5 Forks, Virginia
1910 – Mississippi Legislature founded The University of Southern Mississippi
1923 – Zeta Phi Beta Sorority formed at Howard U in 1920 incorporates
1939 – Heinkel He 100 fighter sets a world airspeed record of 463 mph
1963 – 117th Grand National: 19-year old jockey Pat Buckley aboard 66/1 outsider Ayala wins by 3/4 of a length from Carrickbeg
1972 – North Vietnam launches a major conventional offensive against South Vietnam
1972 – Revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical-comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, starring Phil Silvers, opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC; runs for 156 performances and wins 2 Tony Awards
2008 – WrestleMania XXIV, Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL: Kane defeats Chavo Guerrero; Randy Orton beats Triple H and John Cena in a title Triple Threat match; The Undertaker downs Edge
2022 – State memorial service held for Australian cricketing great Shane Warne at Melbourne Cricket Ground, attended by 50,000