On April 20th 1689, James II, the former British king, began a siege of Londonderry, a Protestant stronghold in Northern Ireland. James, having encircled Londonderry, began a bombardment of the fortified city, causing devastating fires and significant loss of life. However, despite this and other assaults, the city refused to surrender, and its poorly supplied … Continue reading April 20 1689 Siege Of Londonderry
Category: Daily History
On This Day In History
April 19 1824 Death of Lord Byron in Greece
On April 19th 1824, George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, died in what is now Greece, where he had travelled to support the Greek struggle for independence from Turkey. Even today, he is considered a Greek national hero. Byron's scandalous history, exotic travels, and flamboyant life made such an impression on the world that the … Continue reading April 19 1824 Death of Lord Byron in Greece
April 18 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake
On April 18th 1906, at 5:13 am., an earthquake estimated at about 8.0 on the Richter scale struck San Francisco, California, killing hundreds of people as it toppled numerous buildings. The quake was caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a segment about 275 miles long, and shock waves could be felt … Continue reading April 18 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake
April 17 1970 Apollo 13 Returns To Earth
On April 17th 1970, with the world anxiously watching, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returned to Earth. On April 11th, the third manned lunar landing mission was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying astronauts James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert, and Fred … Continue reading April 17 1970 Apollo 13 Returns To Earth
April 16 1881 Bat Masterson’s last shootout in Dodge City
On April 16th 1881, on the streets of Dodge City, famous western lawman and gunfighter Bat Masterson fights the last gun battle of his life. William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was born November 26th 1853 at Henryville, Canada East, the second child in a family of five brothers and two sisters. They were raised on farms … Continue reading April 16 1881 Bat Masterson’s last shootout in Dodge City
April 15 1912 Titanic Sinks
On April 15th 1912, the RMS Titanic, billed as unsinkable, sank into the icy waters of the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage, killing 1,517 people, of the 2,200 on board. It was 2:20 am, and about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. The United Kingdom's White Star Line built the … Continue reading April 15 1912 Titanic Sinks
April 14 1865 Abraham Lincoln Shot
On April 14th 1865, United States President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathiser. The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. Booth was born on May 10th 1838 … Continue reading April 14 1865 Abraham Lincoln Shot
April 13 1964 Sidney Poitier Wins Oscar For Lilies Of The Field
On April 13th 1964, Sydney Poitier became the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role as a construction worker who helps build a chapel in Lilies of the Field. Poitier was born on February 20th 1927, in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida, while his parents were visiting the United … Continue reading April 13 1964 Sidney Poitier Wins Oscar For Lilies Of The Field
April 12 1633 Inquisition Of Galileo For Heresy Begins
On April 12th 1633, the inquisition of physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei began, under the auspices of chief inquisitor Father Vincenzo Maculano da Firenzuola, appointed by Pope Urban VIII. Galileo was ordered to turn himself in to the Holy Office to begin trial for holding the belief that the Earth revolves around the Sun, which … Continue reading April 12 1633 Inquisition Of Galileo For Heresy Begins
April 11 1814 Napoleon Bonaparte Exiled To Elba
On April 11th 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte was banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba after abdicating his throne in the Treaty of Fontainebleau. Napoleon was the emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history. The future emperor was born as Napoleone di Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15th 1769, the … Continue reading April 11 1814 Napoleon Bonaparte Exiled To Elba
April 10 1970 The Beatles Breakup Announced
On April 10th 1970, in an ambiguous self-interview by Paul McCartney, the international media correctly interpreted that the Beatles had broken up. During the "interview, in which McCartney was both questioner and interviewee, he asked himself the question "Do you foresee a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?" His response to his … Continue reading April 10 1970 The Beatles Breakup Announced
April 9 1959 NASA Introduces First Astronauts
On April 9th 1959, America's first seven astronauts were introduced to the public. They were Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr, John H. Glenn Jr, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr, Alan Shepard Jr, and Donald Slayton. They were all military pilots, selected to take part in Project Mercury, America's first manned space program. The … Continue reading April 9 1959 NASA Introduces First Astronauts
April 8 1990 Twin Peaks Premieres
On April 8th 1990, David Lynch’s surreal television drama Twin Peaks premiered on ABC. Immediately, the question on everyone's mind was “Who killed Laura Palmer?” In the opening episode, the naked body of the beautiful blonde homecoming queen was found washed up on a riverbank wrapped in plastic. This had the effect of throwing the … Continue reading April 8 1990 Twin Peaks Premieres
April 7 1970 John Wayne Wins Academy Award For True Grit
On April 7th 1970, the legendary actor John Wayne won his first and only acting Academy Award, for his role in director Henry Hathaway’s Western True Grit. John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26th 1907 in Winterset, Iowa. His parents changed his name to Marion Mitchell Morrison later, when they decided to … Continue reading April 7 1970 John Wayne Wins Academy Award For True Grit
April 6 1974 ABBA Wins Eurovision Contest
On April 6th 1974, in Brighton, England, at the 19th Eurovision Song Contest, the tiny nation of Luxembourg was devastated when it failed to secure a third consecutive win at the pan-European musical event. The judges did the rest of the world a favour, however, by selecting the Swedish entry as the winner instead. The … Continue reading April 6 1974 ABBA Wins Eurovision Contest
April 5 1955 Winston Churchill Resigns As British Prime Minister
On April 5th 1955, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill retired as prime minister of Great Britain. The British leader, who guided Great Britain and the Allies through the crisis of World War II, is widely regarded as one of the greatest war time leaders of the 20th century. Remembered as a statesman and orator, Churchill … Continue reading April 5 1955 Winston Churchill Resigns As British Prime Minister
April 4 1968 Martin Luther King Jr Assassinated
On April 4th 1968, just after 6 pm, Martin Luther King Jr was standing on the balcony outside his second-story room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was fatally shot. The civil rights leader was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers' strike and was on his way to dinner. A bullet struck him … Continue reading April 4 1968 Martin Luther King Jr Assassinated
April 3 1942 The Fall Of Bataan Begins
On April 3rd 1942, the Japanese infantry staged a major offensive against Allied troops in Bataan, the peninsula guarding Manila Bay of the Philippine Islands. The invasion of the Japanese 14th Army, which began in December 1941 and was led by General Masaharu Homma, had already forced General Douglas MacArthur's troops from Manila, the Philippine … Continue reading April 3 1942 The Fall Of Bataan Begins
April 2 2005 Death Of Pope John Paul II
On April 2nd 2005, Pope John Paul II, leader of the Catholic Church, and history's second longest ruling Pope, died at the age of 84. John Paul II was the most widely travelled Pope, and the first non-Italian to hold the position since 1523. Acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th … Continue reading April 2 2005 Death Of Pope John Paul II
April 1 1984 Marvin Gaye Killed By Father
On April 1st 1984, the day before his 45th birthday, soul singer Marvin Gaye's life came to a tragic end, when he was shot and killed by his own father after a violent physical fight. At the peak of his career, Marvin Gaye was the Prince of Motown; the soulful voice behind hits as wide-ranging … Continue reading April 1 1984 Marvin Gaye Killed By Father
March 31 1959 Dalai Lama Exile Begins
On March 31st 1959, the Dalai Lama fled the Chinese suppression of a national uprising in Tibet, and crossed the border into India, where he was granted political asylum. Born as Tensin Gyatso on 6th July 1935 in Taktser, China, he was designated the 14th Dalai Lama in 1940, a position that eventually made him … Continue reading March 31 1959 Dalai Lama Exile Begins
March 30 1981 President Reagan Shot
On March 30th 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by a deranged drifter named John Hinckley Jr. The president had just finished addressing a labour meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel and was walking with his entourage to his limousine when Hinckley, standing among a group of … Continue reading March 30 1981 President Reagan Shot
March 29 2009 General Motors CEO Ousted By White House
On March 29, 2009, US President Obama and his administration requested and received the resignation of Rick Wagoner, the chairman and chief executive of troubled auto giant General Motors (GM). Wagoner spent more than 8 years in the top job at GM, during which the company lost billions of dollars. In 2008, GM was surpassed … Continue reading March 29 2009 General Motors CEO Ousted By White House
March 28 1939 Civil War Ends In Spain
On March 28th 1939, the Spanish Civil War came to an end after three years of bloody fighting, when the Republican defenders of Madrid raised the white flag over the city. In 1931, Spanish King Alfonso XIII approved elections to decide the government of Spain, and voters overwhelmingly chose to abolish the monarchy in favour … Continue reading March 28 1939 Civil War Ends In Spain
March 27 1977 Two Jumbos Collide In Canary Islands
On March 27th 1977, on the runway at a Canary Islands airport, two 747 jumbo jets crashed into each other, killing 583 passengers and crew members. The crash still stands as the worst in aviation history. The airport was the Los Rodeos Airport on Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The Boeing 747s were both charter jets … Continue reading March 27 1977 Two Jumbos Collide In Canary Islands
Craig Hill 