Category Archives: History

History

On this day April 10

Today in History

  • 2010 The President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, dies in a plane crash

    Several high-ranking officials, senior members of the Polish clergy, as well as relatives of the Katyn massacre victims were killed. The accident was blamed on pilot error and bad weather.

  • 2001 Mercy killings become legal in the Netherlands

    In a controversial decision the Dutch senate approved a bill legalizing euthanasia for patients with unbearable, terminal illness.

  • 1998 Negotiators in Northern Ireland reach an historic peace deal

    The Good Friday Agreement ended 30 years of violent conflict about Northern Ireland’s constitutional status (“The Troubles”).

  • 1970 The Beatles break up as Paul McCartney leaves the band

    In their ten years of existence, the British rock group became one of the most successful bands of all time, selling over a billion albums, according to EMI. McCartney’s announcement came a week before the release of his debut solo album, the starting point of a successful solo career.

  • 1815 Mount Tambora explodes in one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history

    At least 71,000 people were killed by the eruption. The explosion was heard up to 2000 km (1200 mi) away.

History

On this day in history – Today, April 9

Today in History

  • 2005 Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles

    Charles was formerly married to Diana, Princess of Wales. His second marriage to Camilla made him the first member of the British Royal Family to have a civil wedding.

  • 1967 The first Boeing 737 takes off on its maiden flight

    The short-to-medium range plane is the best-selling airplane in history.

  • 1952 The Bolivian National Revolution overthrows Hugo Ballivián’s government

    The nationalist movement initiated radical reforms, including universal suffrage, the nationalization of tin mines, and the inclusion of previously marginalized ethnicities into national life.

  • 1940 Germany invades Denmark and Norway

    The rationale of Operation Weserübung was to secure access to Swedish iron ore. In Norway, a resistance group around Max Manus and Gunnar Sønsteby successfully sabotaged the German war effort.

  • 1860 The world’s first recording of the human voice is created

    French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville used his phonautograph, the earliest known sound recording device, to capture himself singing the French folk song “Au clair de la lune”.

History

On this day April 8

Today in History

  • 2005 Over 4 million people pay their last respects to Pope John Paul II

    Karol Józef Wojtyła from Poland was an immensely popular Pope. He was succeeded by German Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger.

  • 1977 The Clash release their debut album of the same name

    The British combo around lead vocalist Joe Strummer is considered one of the most influential early punk rock bands.

  • 1959 One of the first modern programming languages is created

    The Common Business-Oriented Language or COBOL was primarily designed by a woman, Grace Hopper. Also known as Amazing Grace, she is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field.

  • 1953 Jomo Kenyatta is sentenced to 7 years hard labor

    Kenyatta led the Mau Mau movement against the British colonialists. He is considered to be Kenya’s founding father and became the country’s first President in 1964.

  • 1904 France and the United Kingdom sign the Entente cordiale

    The treaty, which was initially designed to regulate the countries’ colonial interests in Africa, later evolved into the Triple Entente to fight Germany in World War I.

History

On this day April 3

Today in History

  • 1996 The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, is arrested

    The mathematician who was driven by anarchist ideas sent out 16 letter bombs between 1978 and 1995, killing 3 people and injuring 23.

  • 1973 The first public mobile telephone call is placed on a Manhattan sidewalk

    Motorola’s Martin Cooper called Joel Engel of Bell Labs. He later told the BBC that his first words were “Joel, I’m calling you from a ‘real’ cellular telephone. A portable handheld telephone.”

  • 1948 Harry S. Truman signs the Marshall Plan

    $12.4 billion was allocated to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II and prevent communists from seizing control.

  • 1940 Soviet troops massacre about 22,000 Polish nationals

    The Katyn massacre is considered the worst massacre of prisoners of war in history. The order to execute all captive members of the Polish Officer Corps was signed by Joseph Stalin.

  • 1885 Gottlieb Daimler patents his engine design

    The German engineer’s so-called “grandfather clock engine” was lighter than previous four-stroke engines and is considered a milestone for the invention of the automobile.