Today in History
Significant Events
- 1478 Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo de'Medici and kill Giuliano de'Medici in Florence
- 1607 1st English colony in American lands at Cape Henry, Virginia
- 1920 Harlow Shapley and Heber D. Curtis hold "great debate" on the nature of nebulae, galaxies and size of the universe at US National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
- 1945 Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, leader of France's Vichy collaborationist regime during WW II, arrested for treason
- 1956 First modern container ship, the Ideal X, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas
- 1986 World's worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR explodes, 31 die, radioactive contamination reaches much of Western Europe
- 2005 Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country.
Did You Know?
Dan Sickles is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity - 1st time this defense used successfully in the US
On this day in 1859
Marcus Aurelius
Frederick Law Olmsted
Jet Li
Samuel Morse
Ulysses S. Grant
Casey KasemWould You Believe?
Patty Berg scores 64, best competitive round of golf by a woman
On this day in 1952
Famous Weddings
- 1709 Frisian viceroy Johan Willem Friso marries countess Maria Louisa
- 1923 English prince Albert Duke of York (George VI) (27) marries Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (22) at Westminster Abbey
- 1946 Father Divine, controversial religious leader claimed to be God, marries the much-younger Edna Rose Ritchings, a celebrated anniversary in the International Peace Mission movement
- 1948 Actress Lana Turner marries 3rd husband Henry J. Topping, Jr
- 1986 Actor/body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger weds newscaster Maria Shriver
Famous Divorces
- 1994 Actor Patrick Dempsey (28) divorces manager Rocky Parker after nearly 7 years of marriage
- 2004 Model-actress Deborah Falconer (38) divorces actor Robert Downey Jr (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 12 years of marriage
John Wilkes Booth
Broderick Crawford
Lucille Ball
Ferdinand Magellan
Antonio Gramsci
Kwame NkrumahThis Month in History
Hitler's Diaries Fail Forensic Tests
German Magazine revealed the scoop of the century on this day but it's “Hitler’s Diaries” sensation failed a forensic test and was quickly proved a hoax.
April 25, 1983
Oscar Wilde Presses Self-Destruct Button
When Oscar Wilde sued the Marquess of Queensberry for libel over a sodomite slur, he opened the door to social and financial ruin that would lead to his death.
April 26, 1895
Record-Breaking Sheila, the High-Flying Aviator
The Sky's was the limit for Sheila Scott who made three solo flights around the world and was the first pilot, male or female, to fly over the North Pole.
April 27, 1922
Great Sacrifice of a Plague-Ridden Village
William Mompesson, a clergyman born on this day, created a legend when he persuaded the people in a plague-ridden village to sacrifice their lives to save others.
April 28, 1639
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