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
Author: gil7
Today in History for 7th April 2020
Historical Events
1625 – Albrecht von Wallenstein appointed German supreme commander
1923 – Workers Party of America (NYC) becomes official communist party
1944 – World War II: General Montgomery speaks to generals at St. Paul’s School about his vision for the upcoming D-Day landings
1965 – Bevan Congdon makes a stumping as 12th man NZ v Pakistan
1980 – Jimmy Carter breaks relations with Iran during hostage crisis
1987 – Al Campanis, Dodger executive for more than 40 years, resigns, after making racial remarks on “Nightline”
Famous Birthdays
1897 – Walter Winchell, Harlem newscaster/columnist (Untouchables), born in NYC, New York
1926 – Johannes Rood, Dutch immunologist (Eurotransplant)
1939 – Gary Kellgren, American music producer who cofounded The Record Plant studios, born in Shenandoah, Iowa (d. 1977)
1956 – Christopher Darden, American O.J. Simpson prosecutor
1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, duke of Lugo, Spanish royalty
1972 – Shana Williams, Bridgeton NJ, long jumper/heptathlete
Famous Deaths
1789 – Peter Camper, anatomist/animal scholar, dies at 66
1789 – Abd-ul-Hamid I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1725)
1877 – Errico Petrella, Italian composer, dies at 63
1880 – Isaac M. St. John, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 52
1987 – Maxine Sullivan [Marietta Williams], American jazz vocalist and performer (Going Places), dies following a seizure at 75
1996 – John Evan “Jasper” Weston-Davies [pen name Berkley Mather], English writer, dies at 87
Famous Deaths for 6th April 2020
912 – Nottker “the Stamelaar”, benedictine monk/poet, dies at about 71
1605 – John Stow, English historian (Survey of London), dies
1655 – David Blondel, French Protestant clergyman (b. 1591)
1953 – Whirlaway, American thoroughbred racehorse (Triple Crown 1941), dies at 15
1963 – Otto Struve, Russian-born astronomer (b. 1897)
1974 – Hudson Fysh, Australian aviator and businessman (b.1895)
1986 – Raimundo Orsi, Argentine-born Italian soccer winger (13 caps Argentina, 35 Italy; Independiente, Juventus), dies at 84
1991 – Bill Ponsford, cricketer (Test avg 48 22, 1st-class avg 65 18), dies
1995 – Vieno J Sukselainen, Prime Minister of Finland (1959-61), dies
2007 – Luigi Comencini, Italian film director (L’imperatore di Capri), dies at 90
Historical Events for 6th April 2020
1886 – City of Vancouver BC incorporated
1909 – North Pole reached by Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson
1912 – Electric starter 1st appeared in cars
1936 – 3rd Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Horton Smith wins his second Masters, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Harry Cooper, with defending champion Gene Sarazen 3rd
1941 – Italian forces holding Addis Ababa surrender to British and Ethiopian forces
1952 – 16th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Sam Snead wins his second green jacket by 4 strokes over Jack Burke Jr
1982 – Largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota 52,279
1986 – Nabisco Dinah Shore Women’s Golf, Mission Hills CC: Pat Bradley wins the 4th of her 6 major titles, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Val Skinner
1994 – Palestinian suicide bomber kills 7 Israelis and himself
1994 – Rwandan Genocide begins with the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira with their plane being shot down by surface-to-air missiles, abruptly ending peace negotiations. Those responsible have never been identified.
Today in History for 6th April 2020
Historical Events
1782 – Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Siam (modern day Thailand), who is overthrown in a coup d’état
1909 – 1st credit union forms in US
1941 – 8th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Craig Wood wins his first major title, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Byron Nelson; Masters’ first wire-to-wire champion
1958 – 22nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Arnold Palmer wins the first of his 4 Masters titles, 1 stroke ahead of Doug Ford and Fred Hawkins; first of his 7 major titles
1965 – Intelsat 1 (“Early Bird”) 1st commercial geosynchronous communications satellite launched
1972 – The Scarman Tribunal Report, an inquiry into the causes of violence during the summer of 1969 in N Ireland, is published, finding that the Royal Ulster Constabulary had been seriously at fault
Famous Birthdays
1815 – Friedrich Robert Volkmann, German composer, born in Lommatzsch, Saxony (d. 1883)
1819 – Johann A H Scheler, Belgian librarian
1892 – Lowell Thomas, Woodington Ohio, newscaster (High Adventure)
1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (d. 1989)
1940 – Donald Myrick, American saxophonist (“If Leaving Me Is Easy, One More Night), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1993)
1988 – Fabrice Muamba, Anglo-Congolese footballer
Famous Deaths
912 – Nottker “the Stamelaar”, benedictine monk/poet, dies at about 71
1605 – John Stow, English historian (Survey of London), dies
1975 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (1928-1975), dies at 87
1985 – Mark Lothar, German composer (The Story of the Lazy Bear), dies at 82
1993 – Divya Bharati, “Baby Doll” Indian Bollywood actress (Diwana), dies at 19 by mysteriously falling from her husband’s apartment
1996 – Greer Garson, British actress (Goodbye Mr Chips, Mrs Miniver), dies at 92
Famous Deaths for 5th April 2020
1693 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (Grand Mademoiselle), dies at 65
1717 – Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647)
1732 – Johann Christian Schieferdecker, German composer, dies at 52
1765 – Edward Young, English poet (Love of Fame), dies at 81
1939 – William Cooper, cricketer (two Tests for Australia 1882-84), dies
1954 – Claude Delvincourt, composer, dies at 66
1981 – Bob “Bear” Hite, rocker (Canned Heat), dies of a heart attack at 36
1984 – Theo Koomen, Dutch sportscaster, dies in auto-accident at 54
1994 – Aubrey Joseph Watson Sr., bishop, dies at 65
2005 – Debralee Scott, American actress (Cathy-Mary Hartman, Angie), dies at 52
Historical Events for 5th April 2020
456 – Saint Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop
1764 – British Parliament passes the Sugar Tax on the American colonies, introduced by Prime Minister George Grenville
1901 – Under threats from the Ottoman Turkish Government, Bulgaria is forced to arrest the leaders of the Macedonian Committee
1952 – 106th Grand National: Jockey Arthur Thompson and trainer Neville Crump combine for their second GN with Teal winning at odds of 100/7
1962 – Herb Gardner’s “Thousand Clowns” premieres in NYC
1975 – Soyuz 18A launch aborted short of orbit; cosmonauts return safely
1992 – Serbian troops begin besieging Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, which would become the longest siege in modern warfare
1992 – The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Lee Trevino win his second Champions Tour major by 1 stroke from Jack Nicklaus
2005 – 24th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Baylor beats Michigan State, 84-62; Bears’ small forward Sophia Young is named Most Outstanding Player
2063 – Earth’s 1st contact with the extra-terrestrial Vulcan species in the Star Trek universe
Today in History for 5th April 2020
Historical Events
1911 – Waldorf W Aster acquires Daily Observer
1952 – Henry Wittenberg wins his 8th AAU wrestling title
1962 – St Bernard Tunnel finished-Swiss/Italians workers shake hands
1997 – Steve Irwin’s “The Crocodile Hunter” debuts
2013 – Japan’s Nikkei 225 reaches its highest level in five years
2063 – Earth’s 1st contact with the extra-terrestrial Vulcan species in the Star Trek universe
Famous Birthdays
1853 – Alfonso Rendano, Italian composer, born in Consenza, Italy (d. 1931)
1900 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (Woman of the Year, Adam’s Rib), born in Milwaukee (d. 1967)
1907 – Jan Zeldenrust, Dutch pathologist and anatomist, born in Gronigen, Netherlands (d. 1990)
1911 – Goddard Lieberson, English composer and President of Columbia Records, born in Hanley, Staffordshire, England (d. 1977)
1923 – Michael V Gazzo, American playwright and actor (The Godfather Part II, Fear City), born in Hillside, New Jersey (d. 1995)
1990 – Haruma Miura, Japanese Actor
Famous Deaths
828 – Nicephorus I, Christian Byzantine writer and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (806-15), dies at about 77
1735 – William Derham, English clergyman, natural theologian and scientist, dies at 77
1765 – Edward Young, English poet (Love of Fame), dies at 81
1984 – Theo Koomen, Dutch sportscaster, dies in auto-accident at 54
1986 – Manly Wade Wellman, sci-fi author (Devil’s Planet), dies at 82
2001 – Brother Theodore, German-American comedian, dies at 94
Famous Deaths for 4th April 2020
1604 – Thomas Churchyard, poet/pamphleteer, dies
1643 – Simon Episcopius, [Bisschop], Dutch theologist, dies at 60
1766 – John Taylor, English classical scholar (b. 1704)
1919 – William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (Crookes-pipe, thallium), dies at 86
1923 – John Venn, English mathematician (Venn Diagram), dies at 88
1947 – William O’Donnell, Irish politician (b. ?)
1983 – Jacqueline Logan, American actress and silent film leading lady (WAMPAS Baby Star), dies at 78
1996 – Larry Laprise, songwriter, dies at 83
2013 – Carmine Infantino, American comic book artist, dies at 87
2018 – Ray Wilkins, English former footballer and captain of the National Soccer Team, dies at 61
Historical Events for 4th April 2020
1866 – Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Dmitry Karakozov in the city of St. Petersburg
1900 – Assassination attempt on Prince of Wales, later British King Edward VII when shot by Jean-Baptiste Sipido in protest over Boer war
1917 – US Senate agrees (82-6) to participate in WWI
1938 – 5th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Henry Picard wins his only Masters, 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Harry Cooper and Ralph Guldahl
1958 – The CND Peace Symbol displayed in public for the first time in London
1970 – Firestone World Tournament of Champions won by Don Johnson
1990 – Security law violator Ivan Boesky is released from federal custody
1994 – Largest Opening Day crowd at Yankee Stadium, 56,706
2007 – 15 British Royal Navy personnel held in Iran are released by the Iranian President.
2012 – Boris Tadić, President of Serbia, resigns