This Day in History
April 8

What happened in history on this day: April 8? On April 8 in ... 217 - Caracalla [Marcus Aurelius Antoniius], Roman emperor (198-217), murdered at age 29. 1143 - John II Comnenus Emperor of Byzantium (1118-43), dies in an accident. 1195 - Alexius III Angelus drives out brother Isaäk II as Byzantine emperor. 1341 - Francesco Petrarca crowned in Rome. 1364 - Jan II the Good, King of France (1350-64), dies at age 44. 1378 - Bartolomeo Prignano elected as Pope Urban VI. 1455 - Alfonso de Borgia elected as Pope Callistus III. 1460 - Birth of Ponce de León San Tervas de Campos Spain, Spanish conqueror/explorer, searched for fountain of youth, found Florida. 1492 - Lorenzo I de' Medici"il Magnifico" ruler of Florence (1469-92), dies. 1498 - Charles VIII King of France (1483-98), beheaded at age 27. 1500 - Battle at Novara; King Louis XII beats duke Ludovico Sforza. 1533 - Birth of Claudio Merulo organist/composer. 1537 - Willem Aerts Flemish architect, dies. 1582 - Birth of Phienas Fletcher poet. 1605 - Birth of Louis de Vadder Flemish painter. 1605 - Birth of Philip IV king of Spain and Portugal (1621-65). 1614 - Birth of El Greco [Domenikos Theotokopoulos] Iráklion Crete Greece, painter (View of Toledo). 1629 - Willem Teellinck Dutch theologist/vicar, dies at age 50. 1631 - Birth of Cornelis de Heem painter. 1642 - Birth of Gerard Callenbach Dutch Admiral. 1655 - Birth of Louis Willem I Margrave (Baden-Baden). 1689 - Charles Mordaunt is appointed first lord of the treasury of England. 1692 - Birth of Giuseppe Tartini Italy, violinist/composer (Trillo del Diavolo). 1695 - Birth of Johann C Günther writer. 1697 - Birth of Pierre Prowo composer. 1697 - Niels Juel Danish Admiral (Oland, Moen, Kjögebocht), dies at age 67. 1708 - Birth of Georg Zarth composer. 1716 - Duke Karel Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin signs covenant with Russia and marries Czar Peter the Great's niece. 1726 - Birth of Lewis Morris Bronx New York, US farmer (signed Declaration of Independence). 1730 - First Jewish congregation in US consecrates synagogue, "Shearith Israel, New York City". 1731 - Birth of William Williams Lebanon Connecticut, US merchant (signed Declaration of Independence). 1732 - David Rittenhouse is born; astronomer/inventor/mathematician (dies 1796). 1736 - Pedro Vaz Rego composer, dies at age 63. 1741 - Birth of José B da Gama Portuguese poet (O Uraguai). 1756 - Birth of Joseph Gehot composer. 1759 - British troops chase French out of Masulipatam India. 1759 - François de La Croix composer, dies at age 76. 1766 - First fire escape patented, wicker basket on a pulley and chain. 1775 - Birth of Adam A earl von Neipperg Austrian General/Napoleon's wife Marie lover. 1776 - Birth of Thaddaus Weigl composer. 1778 - Pieter Teyler van der Hulst Dutch founder (Teyler Museum), dies at age 76. 1781 - Premiere of Mozart's violin sonata K379. 1783 - Birth of John Claudius London England, horticulturist. 1783 - Catharina II of Russia annexes the Krim. 1789 - House of Representives first meeting. 1794 - Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicholas-Caritat mathematician dies. 1798 - Birth of Dionysios Solomos poet. 1801 - Soldiers riot in Bucharest, kill 128 Jews. 1802 - French Protestant church becomes state-supported and -controlled. 1816 - Birth of Frederick William Burton painter. 1818 - Birth of Christaan IX king of Denmark (1863-1906). 1820 - The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Melos. 1828 - Birth of George Baird Hodge Brigadier General (Confederate Army). 1831 - Birth of Allard Pierson Dutch theologiost/philosopher/art historian/poet. 1832 - Birth of Alfred von Waldersee Prussian fieldmarshal. 1832 - Charles Darwin begins trip through Rio de Janeiro. 1838 - Steamship "Great Western" maiden voyage (Bristol England to New York City, New York). 1843 - Birth of Asger Hamerik [Hammerich], composer. 1844 - Ignaz Franz von Mosel composer, dies at age 72. 1848 - First battle at Gioto: Sardinia-Piemonte beats Austrians. 1848 - Battle at Xaquixaguana, Peru: Pedro de la Gasca beats Gonzalo Pizarro. 1848 - Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti Italian composer, dies at age 50. 1850 - Birth of William Henry Welch US, pathologist, founded John Hopkins. 1851 - John Parry composer, dies at age 75. 1853 - Jan W Pieneman historical painter (Battle at Waterloo), dies at age 73. 1858 - Anton Diabelli Austrian composer/publisher, dies at age 76. 1859 - Birth of Edmund Husserl Germany, philosopher (founded Phenomenology). 1861 - Elisha G Otis US elevator builder (Otis), dies at age 50. 1861 - US mint at Dahlonega, Georgia, seized by confederacy. 1862 - John D Lynde patents aerosol dispenser. 1863 - Joseph Netherclift composer, dies at age 70. 1864 - Battle of Mansfield, Louisiana; Federals routed by General Richard Taylor. 1865 - John Park composer, dies at age 61. 1865 - General Robert E Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. 1867 - The first World's Fair is inaugurated in Paris. 1869 - American Museum of Natural History opens (New York City, New York). 1869 - Birth of Harvey Cushing US, neurosurgeon (blood pressure studies). 1870 - Charles-Auguste de Beriot Belgian violinist/composer, dies at age 68. 1871 - Charles-Louis Hanssens composer, dies at age 68. 1875 - Birth of Albert I von Saksen-Coburg king of Belgium (1909-34). 1876 - Amiliare Ponchielli's opera "La Gioconda", premieres in Milan. 1878 - Birth of Rudolf Nelson composer. 1879 - Khedive Ismael of Egypt fires French/British ministers. 1879 - Milk is sold in glass bottles for first time. 1880 - Birth of Victor Schertzinger composer/director (Uptown New York). 1881 - Birth of Fernand Lamy composer. 1885 - Birth of Dimitrios Levidis composer. 1886 - Birth of Margaret A Barnes writer. 1887 - Birth of Walter Connolly Cincinnati Ohio; actor (Good Earth, 5th Avenue Girl). 1889 - Birth of Sir Adrian Boult Chester England, conductor (BBC Symphony Orchestra). 1889 - Henry Jupp cricketer (scored 63 on Test debut for England in 1877), dies. 1890 - Junius Morgan philanthropist, dies at age 76. 1892 - Birth of Richard J Neutra Austrian/US architect (Who Built America?). 1893 - Birth of Grace Cunard Columbus Ohio, silent screen actress (Resurrection). 1893 - Birth of Henri Puvrez Belgian sculptor (Sereniteit). 1893 - Birth of Mary Pickford [Gladys Louise Smith] in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; actress (Poor Little Rich Girl, Daddy Long Legs). 1893 - The Critic reports that the ice cream soda is our national drink. 1894 - Bankim C Chattopadhyaya writer (Mrinalini, Anandamath), dies at age 55. 1895 - Birth of Bert I[ra] Gordon Kenosha Wisconsin, diector/producer (Empire of the Ants, Magic Sword, Amazing Colossal Man). 1895 - Birth of Sigurdur Thordarson composer. 1896 - Birth of Karl Hermann Pillney composer. 1897 - Birth of Herbert Eimert German composer/musicologist (Glockenspiel). 1897 - George Garrett composer, dies at age 62. 1897 - Heinrich von Stephan United Kingdom politician, dies. 1898 - Battle of Atbara River, Anglo-Egyptian forces crush 6,000 Sudanese. 1898 - Birth of Achiel H Acker Belgian premier (1945-46, 1954-58). 1898 - Birth of Cecil [Maurice] Bowra British classics expert (Greek experience). 1898 - Birth of E Y "Yip" Harburg [Isidore Hochberg], lyricist/librettist. 1902 - Birth of Arthur Wellard cricketer (big hitting Somerset and England batsman). 1902 - Birth of Josef Krips Vienna Austria, conductor (London Symphony 1954-63). 1902 - Sipyagain Russian minister of interior/headed Secret Service, assassinated. 1903 - Birth of Ilka Chase New York City, New York, actress (Masquerade Party, Trials of O'Brien). 1904 - Birth of John Antill composer. 1904 - Birth of John R Hicks British economist (Nobel Prize 1972). 1904 - Great Britain and France sign Cordial Entente concerning colonial matter. 1904 - Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square (after The New York Times). 1905 - Birth of George Baxter Paris France; actor (Flying Saucer, Lili, Caged). 1905 - Birth of Hans Scherfig Danish marxist/writer (Idealister, Frydenholm). 1905 - Birth of Helen B M Fennell Joseph anti-apartheid writer (Side by Side). 1905 - Birth of Pierre Wigny Belgian minister of Foreign affairs (1958-61) [or 4/18]. 1906 - Birth of Charles J B Jonckheere Flemish poet/writer (Mirror of the Sea). 1907 - Birth of Maurice Stacey chemist. 1908 - Birth of Neil Lawson British high court judge. 1908 - Lord Herbert Henry Asquith succeeds Henry Campbell-Bannerman as British Prime Minister. 1909 - Birth of George Dixon trumpet/sax. 1909 - Birth of Olavi Pesonen composer. 1909 - Birth of William James Millar Mackenzie political scientist. 1910 - Birth of George Musso NFL guard (Chicago Bears). 1910 - Birth of Wendell Bill cricketer (New South Wales bat 1929-36 Century on debut 1930). 1911 - Birth of Douglas Hyde socialist/Christian. 1911 - Birth of Melvin Calvin US chemist (photosynthesis, Nobel Prize 1961). 1911 - Birth of Émile Michel Cioran Romania, writer (The Trouble With Being Born, Anathemas and Admirations). 1912 - Birth of Josef Gabcík Czechoslovakia, resistance fighter (attacked Heydrich). 1912 - Birth of Sonja Henie Oslo Norway, ice skater/actress (Olympics-gold-1928,32,36). 1912 - Steamers collide in the Nile, drowning 200. 1913 - 17th amendment, requiring direct election of senators, ratified. 1913 - Birth of H Ernst bishop (Breda Netherlands). 1913 - Opening of China's first parliament takes place in Peking (now Beijing). 1914 - Birth of John Cameron cricketer (brother of Jimmy, West Indies vice-captain 1939 England tour). 1914 - Jakub Arbes Czechoslovakia, author (Andél Miru), dies at age 73. 1914 - US and Colombia sign a treaty concerning the Panamá Canal Zone. 1916 - Norway approves active and passive female suffrage. 1919 - Birth of [Douglas] Ian Smith premier of Rhodesia (1964-). 1919 - Roland baron Eötvös Hungarian physicist, dies at age 70. 1920 - Birth of Carmen [Mercedes] McRae New York City, New York, US jazz singer/pianist (Downbeat's New Star of 1954). 1920 - Birth of Erik Pausin Austria, figure skating pairs (Olympics-silver-1936). 1920 - Charles Tomlinson Griffes US composer (White Peacock), dies at age 35. 1920 - LONGA soccer team forms in Tilburg. 1921 - Birth of Alfie Bass London England; actor (Moonraker, Are You Being Served). 1921 - Birth of Betty [Bloomer] Ford; first lady (1975-76)/namesake for Betty Ford Clinic. 1921 - Birth of Jan Novak composer. 1921 - Birth of Virginia O'Brien Los Angeles California, actress/singer (Gus, Ziegfeld Follies, Thousands Cheer). 1921 - Earnest von Possart German actor/stage manager, dies. 1923 - Birth of Edward Mulhare Cork Ireland; actor (Daniel Gregg-Ghost and Mrs Muir). 1923 - Birth of Franco Corelli Ancona Italy, tenor (Don José-Carmen). 1925 - Birth of Shecky Greene in Chicago, Illinois; comedian/actor (Love Machine, Combat). 1928 - Birth of Eric Porter London England; actor (Antony and Cleopatra, 39 Steps). 1928 - Birth of John Gavin Los Angeles California; actor (Back Street, Psycho, Murder for Sale). 1928 - Birth of Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus CEO (NVSH). 1928 - Birth of Monty Sunshine jazz bandleader (Gotta Travel On). 1929 - Birth of Jacques Brel Brussels Belgium, songwriter/singer/actor (Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Pain in the A__). 1929 - Birth of Renzo de Felice historian. 1929 - Birth of Walter Berry Austria singer/ex husband of Christa Ludwig. 1929 - Birth of William K Everson film historian. 1930 - Birth of Dorothy Tutin London England, actress (Importance of Being Earnest, Cromwell). 1930 - Birth of John Bartholomew Tucker Pennsylvania, TV host (Candid Camera, Treasure Island). 1930 - Birth of John Reardon New York City, New York, baritone (Falke-Die Fledermaus). 1930 - Birth of Julien Van Remoortere [Piet Mortelman], Flemish writer (Fist). 1930 - Birth of Mary Moore principal (Saint Hilda's College, Oxford). 1931 - "White Horse Inn" opens in London. 1931 - Dmitri Shostakovich's ballet "The Arrow", premieres. 1931 - Eric Axel Karlfeldt poet, dies. 1932 - Birth of John Gavin Los Angeles California; actor (Felony, Jennifer, House of Shadows). 1933 - Birth of Fred Ebb lyricist (Cabaret). 1933 - Birth of Jaroslav Smolka composer. 1933 - Manchester Guardian warns of unknown nazi terror. 1935 - Second Golf Masters Championship: Gene Sarazen wins, shooting a 282. 1935 - Bartóks 5th String quartet premieres in Washington DC. 1935 - Birth of Albert G Bustamante (Representative-Democrat-Texas, 1985-). 1935 - Birth of Donald Thompsett cricket umpire. 1935 - Birth of Elizabeth Barrett-Connor epidemiologist (Living legacy award-1984). 1935 - Edwin Cannan economist, dies. 1935 - Works Progress Administration approved byUS Congress. 1936 - Birth of Klaus Lowitsch Berlin; actor (Despair, Marriage of Marla Braun). 1937 - Arthur William Foote US organist/composer, dies at age 84. 1937 - Birth of Ronald Anthony "Tony" Clegg property trader. 1937 - Birth of Seymour Hersh award winning investigative reporter (New York Times). 1937 - William Henry Hadow composer (Studies in Modern Music), dies at age 77. 1938 - Birth of Barton Keith McLean composer. 1938 - Birth of Lory Patrick Beckley West Virginia, actress (Trina-Tales of Wells Fargo). 1938 - Birth of Mohammad Farooq cricketer (Pakistani pace bowler in 7 Tests 1960-65). 1938 - Harold Baumgartner cricketer (took 2-99 lefty in test for S Af), dies. 1939 - ACV soccer team forms in Axes. 1939 - King Zog I of Albania, flees. 1940 - Birth of John Havlicek Martin's Ferry Ohio, NBA hall-of-famer (Boston Celtics). 1940 - Germany battle cruisers sink British aircraft carrier Glorious. 1941 - Birth of Peggy Lennon Los Angeles California, singer (Lennon Sisters). 1941 - Eugène-Marcel Prévost novelist, dies. 1941 - Joe Louis TKOs Tony Musto in 9 for heavyweight boxing title. 1942 - A Schoenberg and Tudor's ballet "Pillar of Fire", premieres in New York City. 1942 - Alfred Mombert writer, dies. 1942 - Birth of Douglas Trumbull director (Silent Running, Brainstorm). 1942 - Birth of Eduard Visser Dutch writer (Fyffes are now called Chiquita). 1943 - Birth of Carol Lavell Fairfax Vermont, equestrian dressage (Olympics-bronze-1992, 1996). 1943 - Birth of J P Kavanaugh racehorse trainer. 1943 - Birth of Michael Bennett aids victim/choreographer (A Chorus Line). 1943 - Birth of Robby Weaver actor (Stone). 1943 - Birth of Tony Banks English politician (Labour Party). 1943 - Birth of William Garth Morrison Chief scout. 1943 - Hakuun Yasutani Roshi, founder of Sanbo Kyodan, receives dharma. 1943 - Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya convicted of involvement with Mau Mau. 1943 - Paul Colin Belgian journalist/collaborator, executed. 1943 - Richard Sears first to win US amateur national tennis match, dies at age 81. 1943 - Stanley Cup: Detroit Red Wings sweep Boston Bruins in four games. 1944 - Birth of Anthony Farrar Hockley; military historian. 1944 - Birth of Christoph Hein in Heinzendorf, Silesia; writer. 1944 - Birth of Hywel Bennett in South Wales; actor (Family Way, Shelley). 1944 - Birth of Roger Chapman in Leicester, Leicestershire, England; rock vocalist (Family - "Family Entertainment"). 1944 - Birth of Santiago Jimenez Jr; American accordionist ("El Mero Mero", "Viva Seguin"). 1945 - Birth of Ian White; Member of European Parliament for Bristol. 1945 - Nazi occupiers executed, Nazi General Christiansen flees Netherlands. 1946 - Birth of Jim "Catfish" Hunter; major-league pitcher (Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees). 1946 - Birth of Stuart Pankin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; comedian (Striptease, Congo, Earl - Dinosaurs). 1946 - League of Nations assembles for last time. 1947 - Birth of Cindy Pickett in Norman, Oklahoma, USA; actress (Guiding Light, St. Elsewhere). 1947 - Birth of Gerald McRaney in Collins, Mississippi, USA; actor (Rick - Simon and Simon, Major Dad). 1947 - Birth of Hsiao-hsien Hou; director (Cheerful Wind, City of Sadness, Puppetmaster). 1947 - Birth of Peter Banks in England; guitarist (Yes). 1947 - Birth of Steve Howe in London, England; rock guitarist (Asia, Yes - "Roundabout"). 1947 - Birth of Thomas D Delay; American politician (Representative-Republican-Texas, 1985-). 1947 - Henry Ford, American industrialist (Ford cars), dies. 1947 - Largest recorded sunspot (7,000) observed. 1948 - Birth of Richard Alan in Litchfield, Massachusetts, USA; bank robber (FBI most wanted). 1948 - Josef B Kjellgren, Swedish writer (Guldkedjan), dies at age 40. 1949 - Birth of Jim Lampley in Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA; newscaster (Monday Night Baseball). 1950 - Miss Liberty closes at Imperial Theater in New York City after 308 performances. 1950 - Albert Ehrenstein, Austria writer (Strum), dies at age 63. 1950 - Vaslav Fromich Nijinsky, Ukrainian ballet dancer, dies in London, England. 1951 - Birth of Mel Schachter; rocker (Grand Funk Railroad). 1952 - Birth of Adam Woods; rock drummer/pianist (Fixx). 1952 - US President Harry Truman seizes the steel mills to prevent a strike. 1954 - Birth of Gary Carter; catcher (Montreal Expos, New York Mets). 1954 - Birth of John Schneider in Mount Kisco, New York, USA; actor (Bo - The Dukes of Hazzard). 1955 - Birth of John Campbell; harness racer (three-time winner of Hambletonian). 1956 - 20th Golf Masters Championship: Jack Burke Jr wins, shooting a 289. 1956 - Six marine recruits drown during exercise at Paradise Island, South Carolina, USA. 1956 - M Bandaranaike's People's Front wins election in Ceylon. 1957 - Birth of Michael Spound in Santa Monica, California, USA; actor (Dave - Hotel). 1957 - Frank Chester; cricketer (distinguished one-armed England Test ump), dies. 1958 - ABC resumes airing the Pantomime Quiz 30-minute TV game show. 1959 - Birth of Franklyn Stephenson; cricketer (great all-rounder). 1959 - Birth of Martin John Weston in Worcester, England; cricketer. 1959 - Gustave Charlier, Belgian literature historian, dies. 1960 - John Schneider is born; actor/singer. 1960 - Netherlands and Germany sign accord concerning war casualties. 1961 - British liner Dara explodes in Persian Gulf, kills 236. 1962 - Accords of Evian (Algeria) accepted by referendum in France. 1962 - Birth of Izzy Stradlin [Jeff Isabelle] in Lafayette, Indiana, USA; guitarist (Guns N' Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"). 1963 - 35th Academy Awards - Lawrence of Arabia, Anne Bancroft and Gregory Peck win. 1963 - Birth of Alec James Stewart in Merton, England; cricketer (son of Mickey/opening bat/occasional wicket keeper). 1963 - Birth of Erica Terwillegar in Nelsonville, New Jersey, USA; lugist. 1963 - Birth of Julian Lennon in Liverpool, England, son of John Lennon; singer ("Too Late for Goodbyes")/subject of Beatles' "Hey Jude". 1963 - Birth of Terry Porter; NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves). 1963 - Len Tuckett, cricketer (no runs no wickets in 1 Test for South Africa), dies. 1963 - Detroit Tigers claim young pitcher Denny McLain from the Chicago White Sox for US$25,000. 1964 - Birth of Biz Markie; rocker (Meteor Man, Townsend Television). 1964 - Birth of Valinda Hilleary in Littleton, Colorado, USA; WPVA volleyballer (US Open-9th-1993). 1964 - Unmanned Gemini 1 launched. 1965 - Erik A Blomberg, Swedish art historian/poet/author, dies at age 70. 1965 - Jack Durston, cricketer (one Test for England, 4-102 and 1-34), dies. 1965 - Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (Flesh and Devil), dies after illness at age 78. 1966 - AFL chooses 36-year-old Al Davis as commissioner. 1966 - Birth of Robin [Virginia] Wright Penn in Dallas, Texas, USA; actress (Jenny - Forrest Gump, Kelly - Santa Barbara, Princess Bride). 1966 - George Creten, Belgian sculptor/painter, dies at age 79. 1966 - Leonid Brezhnev elected Secretary-General of Soviet communist party. 1966 - OAO 1, the first orbiting astronomical observatory, is launched. 1967 - Birth of Kenneth [Kenny] Charlie Griffith Benjamin in Saint John's, Antigua; cricketer (West Indies like his namesake). 1968 - 40th Academy Awards postponed to April 10th due to death of Martin Luther King Jr. 1968 - Major League Baseball's Opening Day is postponed because of Martin Luther King Jr assassination. 1968 - Birth of Don Davey; NFL defensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars). 1968 - Birth of Patricia Arquette in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Ed Wood, Nightmare on Elm Street 3). 1968 - Czechoslovakia Cernik government forms. 1969 - First Major League Baseball game in Canada - Montreal Expos beats New York Mets 10-9. 1969 - Arthur Walter Kramer, composer, dies at age 78. 1969 - Birth of Steve Jackson; NFL cornerback (Houston/Tennessee Oilers). 1969 - Denton Cooley, received first fully-artificial heart, dies at age 48. 1970 - Birth of Derek D Brown in Washington DC; team handball right wing (Olympics-1996). 1970 - Birth of Gerald Vaughn; Canadian Football League defensive back (Hamilton Tiger Cats). 1970 - Birth of Harold Bishop; NFL tight end (Cleveland Browns). 1970 - Marie V Felix, Prince of Luxemburg, dies. 1970 - US Senate rejects President Richard Nixon's nomination of Carswell to Supreme Court. 1971 - First legal off-track betting system begins (OTB-New York). 1971 - Birth of Edward Fryatt in Rochdale, England; Nike golfer (1994 NCAA West Regional). 1971 - Birth of Marc Peers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; tornado yachter (Olympics-1996). 1971 - Death of Fritz von Opel in Saint Moritz, Switzerland; automotive engineer, performed early experiments with rocket propulsion for automobiles and aircraft. 1972 - Alvin Kallicharran scores 100 in his first Test Cricket innings versus New Zealand. 1972 - Birth of Damon Watts; NFL center (Indianapolis Colts). 1972 - Birth of Isaac Davis; NFL guard (San Diego Chargers). 1972 - Birth of Katrina Powell in Canberra, Australia; field hockey striker (Olympics-1996). 1973 - Birth of Alex Gonzalez in Miami, Florida; infielder (Toronto Blue Jays). 1973 - Birth of Joel Davis; guard (Cincinnati Bengals). 1973 - Birth of Walter Nicholas Henry Tongue in Auckland, New Zealand; 50 metre/100 metre swimmer (Olympics-1996). 1973 - Pablo (Ruiz y) Picasso, Spanish/French painter (Guernica), dies near Mougins, France at age 91. 1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 714 homers. 1975 - 47th Academy Awards - Godfather II, Ellen Burstyn and Art Carney win. 1976 - Birth of Jim Farnum in Honolulu, Hawaii; kayak (alternate-Olympics-1996). 1977 - Frank Milan, actor (The Witness), dies at age 71. 1977 - Israel premier Yitzhak Rabin resigns. 1978 - Ford C Frick, baseball commissioner, dies at age 83. 1979 - 204th and final episode of All in the Family. 1979 - 8th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Sandra Post. 1979 - People's Republic of China joins International Olympic Committee. 1980 - New York Islanders' Potvin's two shorthanded goals tie NHL record vs Los Angeles Kings and set NHL record of two shorthanded playoff goals in one period. 1980 - Birth of Ben Freeman; British actor. 1981 - New York Islanders score nine goals against Toronto Maple Leafs in playoffs. 1981 - Omar Bradley, last American five-star General, dies in New York at age 88. 1981 - Birth of Taylor Kitsch; Canadian actor and model. 1981 - Birth of Rebecca Wilson in Queensland, Australia; gymnast (Olympics-1996). 1982 - Birth of Judy Star; American actress. 1982 - Tracy Caulkins (19) wins her 36th US swimming title. 1984 - 13th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Juli Inkster. 1984 - 4th Golden Raspberry Awards: Lonely Lady wins. 1984 - Birth of Taran Noah Smith in San Francisco, California; actor (Mark Taylor - Home Improvement). 1984 - Birth of Júlia Liptáková, Slovak model. 1984 - Death of Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1894). 1984 - Birth of Kirsten Storms, American actress. 1985 - Leader of the Pack opens at Ambassador Theater in New York City for 120 performances. 1985 - Amdahl releases UTS/V, first mainframe Unix. 1985 - India files suit against Union Carbide over Bhopal disaster. 1985 - Death of J. Fred Coots, American songwriter (born 1897). 1986 - Birth of Erika Sawajiri; Japanese actress and model. 1986 - Actor Clint Eastwood elected mayor of Carmel, California. 1986 - Facing Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants' rookie Will Clark homers in his first major league at-bat. 1986 - The Seattle Mariners' Jim Presley hits two home runs in the ninth and tenth innings helping Seattle to beat the California Angels, 8-4 in a dramatic comeback victory on Opening Day. 1986 - Death of Yukiko Okada, Japanese idol singer (born 1967). 1987 - Birth of Royston Drenthe; Real Madrid footballer. 1987 - Francis C Denebrink, US Naval officer (WWI, WWII, Korea) dies at age 90. 1988 - Birth of Philip Dowling, British actor. 1989 - One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott's debut, but lasts only 4 2/3 innings. 1989 - Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart marries producer Burt Sugarman. 1989 - Birth of Hitomi Takahashi, Japanese singer. 1990 - "Aspects of Love" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 377 performances. 1990 - Twin Peaks with Peggy Lipton premieres on ABC-TV. 1990 - 54th Golf Masters Championship: Nick Faldo wins, shooting a 278. 1990 - Doreen Sloane dies. 1990 - Jose De Vega dies of AIDS at age 56. 1990 - King Birendra of Nepal lifts 30-year ban on political parties. 1990 - Kris Monaghan wins LPGA Red Robin Kyocera Inamori Golf Classic. 1990 - Scandinavian Star, a Bahamas-registered ferry, catches fire en route from Norway to Denmark, leaving 158 dead. 1990 - Ryan White, hemophiliac AIDS sufferer, dies at age 18 (born 1971). 1991 - I Hate Hamlet opens at Walter Kerr Theater New York City for 88 performances. 1991 - Jockey Bill Shoemaker paralyzed in a car accident. 1991 - Major League Baseball umpires and baseball reach a 4-year agreement. 1991 - Michael Landon announces he has inoperable cancer of the pancreas. 1991 - Death of Per "Dead" Yngve Ohlin, vocalist for Mayhem/Morbid (suicide) (born 1969). 1991 - Oakland Athletics Stadium becomes first outdoor arena to ban smoking. 1992 - "Five Guys Named Moe" opens at Eugene O'Neill theater on Broadway for 445 performances. 1992 - After 151 years, Britain's Punch Magazine publishes its final issue. 1992 - Nelson Olmstead dies at age 78. 1992 - Death of Daniel Bovet, Swiss-born pharmacologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1907). 1993 - Arleen Whelan dies of stroke at age 78. 1993 - H Earnest, bishop of Breda, dies. 1993 - Cleveland Indians' Carlos Baerga is first to switch hit homeruns in same inning (vs New York Yankees). 1993 - Marian Anderson, American contralto (My Lord, What a Morning), dies at age 96 (born 1897). 1993 - STS-56 (Discovery) launches into orbit. 1994 - Atlanta Braves' pitcher Kent Mercker no-hits Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-0. 1994 - Darryl Strawberry enters Betty Ford clinic. 1994 - Irene Eisinger, singer, dies at age 91. 1994 - Buena Vista Pictures releases the Hollywood Pictures live-action feature film Holy Matrimony to theaters in the USA. 1994 - Japan's premier Morihiro Hosokawa resigns. 1994 - Smoking banned in Pentagon and all US military bases. 1994 - Walter Arnold, German theologist (World council of Churches), dies at age 64. 1994 - Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, is found dead in Seattle, Washington. His death is believed to have been a suicide. 1995 - BPAA US Open won by Dave Husted. 1995 - Maurice Allom, cricketer (14 Test wickets-New Zealand debut hat-trick), dies. 1995 - Oliver McCall beats Larry Holmes in 12 for heavyweight boxing title. 1996 - Basil Hembry, farmer/campaigner, dies at age 80. 1996 - Ben Johnson, cowboy actor (Tex, Dillinger), dies of heart attack at age 77. 1996 - Bruce Seldon TKOs Tony Tucker in 7 to win vacated WBA boxing title. 1996 - Charles Donald Adams, singer, dies at age 67. 1996 - Death of George W. Jenkins, American businessman (born 1907). 1997 - Laura Nyro, singer, dies of ovarian cancer at age 49. 1997 - Microsoft Corp releases Internet Explorer 4.0. 1997 - STS 83 (Columbia 22), lands. 1998 - UNSCOM reports to the United Nations Security Council that Iraq's declaration on its biological weapons program is incomplete and inadequate. 1998 - A Force 5 tornado strikes the western portion of the Birmingham, Alabama area, killing 32. 1999 - In China, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. Also felt in southern Hokkaido, northern Honshu and at Tokyo, Japan. 2002 - Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing changes its company name to 3M Company. 2002 - Death of Maria Felix, Mexican actress (born 1914). 2004 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average removes AT&T Corporation, Eastman Kodak Company and International Paper Company from its index, replacing them with American International Group Incorporated, Pfizer Incorporated, and Verizon Communications Incorporated. 2004 - The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups. 2005 - A referendum is held in Curaçao on independence versus integration with the Netherlands. 2005 - Two million people pack Vatican City for the funeral of Pope John Paul II, possibly the biggest funeral in history. 2005 - Birth of Leah Isadora Behn, granddaughter of King Harald V of Norway. 2006 - The bodies of eight murdered men are found in Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. 2006 - Bristol, United Kingdom celebrates the 200th birthday of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (actually April 9) by relighting the Clifton Suspension Bridge. 2006 - Numbersixvalverde, ridden by Niall Madden, wins the Grand National at Aintree. 2006 - Bloc 8406 publishes their Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Viet Nam in Viet Nam; their name comes from this date. 2006 - Death of Gerard Reve, Dutch author (born 1923). 2007 - Zach Johnson wins the 2007 Masters Tournament. 2008 - Privy Council of Sark dismantles its feudal system to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. The first elections under the new law will be held in December 2008. 2009 - Pulte Homes in the USA announces it will buy rival Centex Corp in a US$1.3 billion all-stock deal to create the largest U.S. homebuilder. You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://thisdayinhistoryinfo.info/   and revisit each day. (this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events) Or, visit my Timelines of History page. Other web pages of interest: Chronology of World History Chronology of World War II Chronology of Personal Coins