1407 – Lama Deshin Shekpa visits the Ming Dynasty capital at Nanjing and is awarded the title Great Treasure Prince of Dharma
1516 – 1st Jewish ghetto established: Venice compels Jews to live in a specific area
1710 – The first law regulating copyright is issued in Great Britain
1816 – Samuel Taylor Coleridge recites his poem “Kubla Khan” to fellow poet Lord Byron, who persuades him to publish it
1925 – Tsaritsyn re-named Stalingrad (now Volgograd)
1954 – KRGV TV channel 5 in Weslaco, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1968 – Ferry Wahine sinks in Wellington harbour, New Zealand on route from Lyttelton (51 killed)
1974 – Magicians Penn and Teller 1st meet
1986 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
2005 – At 16 years, 271 days James Vaughan scores for Everton in a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park; becomes youngest goalscorer in EPL history
Author: gil7
Today in History for 10th April 2020
Historical Events
1845 – More than 1,000 buildings damaged by fire in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1874 – British Open Men’s Golf, Musselburgh Links: Mungo Park wins first title by 2 strokes from Tom Morris Jr
1944 – “Patrolling the Ether” is shown on 3 TV stations simultaneously
1953 – “House of Wax” 1st color 3-D movie, premieres in New York
1968 – “George M!” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 435 performances
2019 – New species of human announced named Homo luzonensis, 3ft tall, remains dated 50-60,000 years old found in cave on island of Luzon, Philippines
Famous Birthdays
1704 – Benjamin Heath, English classical scholar, born in Exeter, Devon, England (d. 1766)
1880 – Frances Perkins, American politician and 1st woman to hold cabinet-level position (Labor 1933-45), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1965)
1916 – Alfie Bass [Abraham Basalinsky], British actor (Moonraker, Are You Being Served), born in London, England (d. 1987)
1936 – Michael Naylor, English insurance broker (Endsleigh Insurance), born in Croydon (d. 1995)
1980 – Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player, born in North York, Ontario, Canada
1983 – Ryan Merriman, American actor (The Ring Two), born in Choctaw, Oklahoma
Famous Deaths
1825 – Paul-Louis Courier, (Mere), French writer/interpreter, dies at 53
1961 – Irene Warfield, silent screen actress (Satan Sanderson), dies at 65
1995 – Gunter Guillaume, German politician, dies
2007 – Dakota Staton, American jazz singer, dies at 76
2010 – Maria Kaczyńska, Polish economist and First Lady of Poland, is killed in the crash of a Polish Air Force Tu-154 at 67
2013 – Jimmy Dawkins, American electric blues musician, dies at 76
Famous Deaths for 9th April 2020
1024 – Benedict VIII, [Theophylactus van Tusculum], Pope (1012-24), dies
1889 – Michel Eugène Chevreul, French chemist (b. 1786)
1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian politician (b. 1903)
1959 – Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect (Guggenheim) recognized as “the greatest American architect of all time”, dies at 89
1991 – Maurice Binder, American photographer and film title designer (James Bond Movies), dies at 73
2005 – Jerrel Wilson, American NFL punter (Pro Bowl 1970-72; Super Bowl 1970; KC Chiefs), dies of cancer at 63
2010 – Zoltán Varga, Hungarian Footballer (b. 1945)
2013 – David Hayes, American sculptor, dies from leukemia at 82
2014 – Bertha Tickey, American softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1973), dies at 91
2019 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer, co-founder LPGA (Titleholders Championship 1963-64), dies at 89
Historical Events for 9th April 2020
1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark (1440-48)
1948 – Massacre at Deir Yassin.
1950 – Bob Hope’s 1st TV appearance
1950 – 14th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jimmy Demaret becomes the first 3-time Masters champion by 2 strokes ahead of Australian Jim Ferrier
1957 – Howard Hanson’s “Song of Democracy” premieres in Washington, D.C.
1965 – 1st game at Astrodome, Houston beats Yankees 2-1 in exhibition as Mickey Mantle hits 1st indoor homerun
1968 – Ralph Aberbathy elected to head So Christian Leadership Conference
1978 – 42nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: 42 year old Gary Player shoots a record-tying final round 64 (−8) to win by 1 stroke from Rod Funseth, Tom Watson and Hubert Green
1980 – Soyuz 35 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6
2013 – 37 people are killed and 850 are injured after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Iran
Today in History for 9th April 2020
Historical Events
1691 – French troops occupy Mons
1783 – Tippu Sahib drives out British from Bednore, India
1914 – Tampico incident – US ship crew arrested in Mexico
1941 – PGA establishes Golf Hall of Fame
2013 – 37 people are killed and 850 are injured after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Iran
2019 – Wolves have returned to the Netherlands after 140 years claim ecologists
Famous Birthdays
1865 – Charles Proteus Steinmetz, German-American electrical engineer (development of alternating current), born in Breslau, Province of Silesia, Prussia (d. 1923)
1883 – Renzo Bossi, Italian composer, born in Como (d. 1965)
1884 – Franco Vittadini, Italian composer, born in Pavia, Italy (d. 1948)
1904 – Lyle Latell, American actor (Not of the Earth, Dick Tracy’s Dilemma, Sky Dragon), born in Alma, Iowa (d. 1967)
1965 – Mark Pellegrino, American actor (Lucifer-Supernatural), born in Los Angeles, California
1965 – Jay Wesley Neill, American convicted mass murderer (d. 2002)
Famous Deaths
491 – Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor (474-75, 476-91), dies at 66
1557 – Michael Agricola, Finnish theologist/church reformer/bishop, dies
1807 – John Opie, English painter (The Murder of Rizzio), dies at 46
1936 – Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist and philosopher, dies at 80
1997 – Helene Hanff, author (84 Charing Cross Road), dies at 80
1999 – Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, Niger politician and general, assassinated at 49
Famous Deaths for 8th April 2020
1820 – Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, Scottish philanthropist, dies at 48
1853 – Jan Willem Pieneman, Dutch historical painter (Battle at Waterloo), dies at 73
1899 – John Wesley Turner, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), dies at 65
1936 – Robert Bárány, Austrian physician, Nobel laureate (b. 1876)
1981 – Norman Taurog, American film director (Skippy), dies at 82
1992 – Nelson Olmsted [or Olmstead], American voice actor (Sleep No More) dies at 78
1997 – Charles Hayes, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1983-93), dies at 79
2007 – Sol LeWitt, American artist (b. 1928)
2013 – Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister (1979 – 1990) dies aged 87
2017 – Brian Matthew, British disc jockey (Saturday Club), dies at 88
Historical Events for 8th April 2020
1149 – Pope Eugene III takes refuge in the castle of Ptolemy II of Tusculum
1904 – British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribes the first chapter of the Book of the Law
1953 – Jomo Kenyatta convicted of involvement with the Mau Mau rebellion and sentenced to 7 years jail in Kenya
1966 – AFL chooses 36 year old Al Davis as commissioner
1967 – 121st Grand National: John Buckingham aboard rank 100/1 outsider Foinavon avoids famous carnage to win by 15 lengths from favourite Honey End
1974 – Discovery Island opens at Walt Disney World, Florida
1980 – Islander Potvin’s 2 shorthanded goals tie NHL record vs Kings and set NHL rec of 2 shorthanded playoff goals in 1 period
1994 – Atlanta Brave Kent Mercker no-hits Dodgers, 6-0
2003 – 22nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 73-68; UConn guard Diana Taurasi is named Most Outstanding Player
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 2020
Historical Events
1866 – Italy and Prussia ally against Austria-Hungary.
1924 – South African State pass the Industrial Conciliation Act No 11: provides for job reservation, excluded blacks from membership of registered trade unions, prohibited registration of black trade unions
1943 – Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Detroit Red Wings beat Boston Bruins, 2-0 for a 4-0 series sweep and their 3rd SC Championship
1967 – 12th Eurovision Song Contest: Sandie Shaw for United Kingdom wins singing “Puppet on a String” in Vienna
1991 – “I Hate Hamlet” opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC for 88 performances
1995 – Oliver McCall beats Larry Holmes in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
Famous Birthdays
1908 – Neil Lawson, British high court judge
1928 – Leah Rabin, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (d. 2000)
1929 – Walter Berry, Austria singer/ex husband of Christa Ludwig
1943 – Carol Lavell, Fairfax Vt, equestrian dressage (Olympic bronze 1992, 96)
1973 – Khaled Badra, Tunisian footballer
1979 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish guitarist and singer (Children of Bodom, Sinergy, Kylähullut)
Famous Deaths
1857 – Mangal Pandey, Indian Sepoy (soldier) in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (B.N.I.) regiment of the British East India Company, hanged at 29
1897 – George Garrett, English composer, dies at 62
1898 – William Polk Hardeman, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 81
1986 – Yukiko Okada, Japanese idol singer, dies at 18
1996 – Charles Donald Adams, singer, dies at 67
1996 – Basil Hembry, farmer/campaigner, dies at 80
Famous Deaths for 7th April 2020
30 – Jesus Christ is crucified, according to astronomer Schaefer
1719 – Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, French priest and saint of the Catholic Church, dies at 67
1850 – William Lisle Bowles, English poet (14 Sonnets), dies at 87
1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and Father of Confederation, dies at 42
1900 – Frederick Edwin Church, American romantic landscape painter (Hudson River Sch), dies at 73
1943 – Jovan Ducic, Serbian poet (Blue Legends), dies at 72
1971 – Charles F Pahud de Mortanges, (Olympic gold 1928, 32), dies at 74
1989 – Alberto Morin, Puerto Rican actor (Two Mules for Sister Sara, Rio Grande), dies at 86
1994 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Prime Minister of Rwanda (1993-94) and one of the 1st female political figures in Africa, assassinated by the presidential guard in the opening stages of the Rwandan Genocide at 40
1998 – Broery Marantika, Indonesian singer
Historical Events for 7th April 2020
1625 – Albrecht von Wallenstein appointed German supreme commander
1890 – Completion of the first Lake Biwa Canal, Japan
1906 – The world’s 1st animated cartoon “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces” by J. Stuart Blackton is released
1943 – Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met for an Axis conference in Salzburg
1946 – 10th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: American Herman Keiser wins his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of tour money-leader Ben Hogan; first Masters in 4 years because of World War II
1977 – German Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light.
1991 – Compton Gamma Ray Observatory orbits Earth
1996 – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to win Singer Cup in Singapore
2012 – Joyce Banda becomes President of Malawi
2017 – US President Donald Trump orders missile strike on Syrian airfield after chemical weapons attack on Khan Sheikhoun