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
Tag: History
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
Martin Luther King: ‘I Have A Dream’
Martin Luther King's famous speech, August 28th 1963: I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree … Continue reading Martin Luther King: ‘I Have A Dream’
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
March 26 1953 Jonas Salk Announces Polio Vaccine
On March 26th 1953, American medical researcher Dr Jonas Salk made public that a vaccine he had developed for poliomyelitis had been successfully tested. The crippling disease had reached epidem9ic proportions in 1952, with 58,000 new cases reported in the Unites States, of which over 3,000 had died. The disease is also called "infant paralysis" … Continue reading March 26 1953 Jonas Salk Announces Polio Vaccine
March 25 1932 Scottsboro Case Verdict Announced
On March 25th 1932, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Powell v. Alabama. The case arose out of the infamous Scottsboro case. Nine young black men were arrested and accused of raping two white women on train in Alabama. The boys were fortunate to barely escaped a lynch mob sent … Continue reading March 25 1932 Scottsboro Case Verdict Announced
March 24 1958 Elvis Presley Inducted Into Army
On March 24th 1958, after several deferments, Elvis Aaron Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, was finally inducted into the United States Army. In effect, he started the day as the King, but ended it as a lowly army private. After turning 18 on January 8, 1953, he fulfilled his patriotic duty and legal … Continue reading March 24 1958 Elvis Presley Inducted Into Army
March 23 1998 Titanic Wins 11 Oscars
On March 23rd 1998, as James Cameron took the stage to accept his Academy Award for Best Director, it was clear that the blockbuster film Titanic was dominating the Oscars. Titanic had already tied with 1950's All About Eve for the record of most Oscar nominations, at 14. By the end of the night, it … Continue reading March 23 1998 Titanic Wins 11 Oscars
March 22 1947 Novelist James Patterson Born
On March 22nd 1947, one of the world’s top-selling novelists, James Patterson, was born. Best known for his thrillers, Patterson, the creator of the Alex Cross detective series and the Women’s Murder Club series, among others, has written books in a variety of genres, from historical fiction to young adult. His novels have sold an … Continue reading March 22 1947 Novelist James Patterson Born
March 21 1963 Alcatraz Closes
On March 21st 1963, Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay closed down and transferred all it's prisoners to other institutions, according to official government sources. At it's peak period of use in the 1950s, "The Rock," or "America's Devil Island" housed over 200 inmates at the maximum-security facility. Alcatraz remains an icon of American prisons … Continue reading March 21 1963 Alcatraz Closes
March 20 1852 Uncle Tom’s Cabin Published
On March 20th 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, was published. Within three months, the novel had sold 300,000 copies and was so widely read that when President Abraham Lincoln met Stowe in 1862, he reportedly said, "so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war." … Continue reading March 20 1852 Uncle Tom’s Cabin Published
March 19 1953 Cecil B DeMille Wins His First And Only Oscar
On March 19th 1953, Cecil B. DeMille won the only Academy Award of his career. The legendary film maker won with The Greatest Show on Earth, taking home the Oscar for Best Picture. The big-budget film extravaganza about circus life starred Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, and Cornel Wilde. Born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, in 1881, DeMille … Continue reading March 19 1953 Cecil B DeMille Wins His First And Only Oscar
March 18 1950 Taiwan Nationalists Invade Mainland China
On March 18th 1950, military forces of the Nationalist Chinese government on Taiwan made a surprise invasion of the communist People's Republic of China (PRC), and captured the mainland town of Sungmen. Because the United States supported the attack, it resulted in even deeper tensions and ill feeling between the U.S. and the PRC. In … Continue reading March 18 1950 Taiwan Nationalists Invade Mainland China
March 17 461 Saint Patrick Dies
On March 17th 461, Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland. Much of what is known about Patrick's legendary life comes from the Confessio, a book he wrote during his last years. Born in Great Britain, probably in Scotland, to a rich Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick … Continue reading March 17 461 Saint Patrick Dies
Craig Hill 