Battle of Megiddo
1457 BC Battle of Megiddo: Egyptian forces of Thutmose III defeat a large Canaanite coalition under King of Kadesh. First battle recorded with a reliable account.
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- 1178 BC A solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom after the Trojan War
- 73 Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the Jewish Revolt
- 556 Pelagius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1071 Bari falls to Robert Guiscard, ending Byzantine rule in Italy
- 1346 The Serbian Empire is proclaimed in Skopje at an Easter assembly and Stephen Uroš IV Dušan crowned Emperor over much of the Balkans
- 1395 Azzo X d'Este is defeated at the Battle of Portomaggiore by Venetian-Ferrarese troops.
- 1509 French army under Louis XII enters Alps
Event of Interest
1521 Martin Luther arrives at the Diet of Worms assembly
Martin Luther
Knighthood
1705 Queen Anne of England knights Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge
Isaac Newton
Queen Anne
- 1746 Jacobite Rising 1745: Battle of Culloden, the last battle on British soil: Royalist troops under the Duke of Cumberland defeat the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart
- 1780 The University of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany is founded
- 1787 1st American comedy, "The Contrast," made its debut in NYC
Event of Interest
1789 George Washington heads for 1st presidential inauguration
George Washington
- 1797 Spithead Mutiny begins: British Royal Navy sailors protest over living and working conditions and pay near Portsmouth
Battle of Interest
1799 Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor - Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.
Napoléon Bonaparte
Music Premiere
1854 Franz Liszt's symphonic poem "Mazeppa" premieres
Franz Liszt
Event of Interest
1861 US President Abraham Lincoln outlaws business with confederate states (US Civil War)
Abraham Lincoln
- 1862 Slavery abolished in District of Columbia
- 1862 American Confederate Congress approves conscription act for all white males (18-35 years)
- 1865 Battle of Columbus & West Point, GA (Ft Tyler)
- 1866 Nitroglycerine at Wells Fargo & Co office explodes
- 1868 Louisiana voters approve new constitution
- 1869 Ebenezer Bassett, 1st US Negro diplomat, begins service in Haiti
- 1870 Vaudeville Theatre Strand opens in London
- 1871 German Empire ends all anti-Jewish civil restrictions
- 1871 Reich Constitution is received in Germany
Event of Interest
1874 Dr David Livingstone's body arrives in Southampton
David Livingstone
- 1881 In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle
- 1883 Paul Kruger chosen as President of Transvaal
- 1888 Drentse & Friese peat cutters go on strike
- 1900 US Post Office issues 1st books of postage stamps
- 1900 4th Boston Marathon won by Canadian Jim Caffrey in race record 2:39:44.4
- 1906 10th Boston Marathon won by 18-year old Tim Ford in 2:45:45; youngest race winner
- 1908 Natural Bridges National Monument forms (Lake Powell, Utah)
- 1912 Harriet Quimby becomes 1st woman pilot to fly across English Channel
- 1912 Pirates turn a rare 5-3-7 doubleplay (left fielder covers 2nd base)
- 1913 The Bulgarians and the Turks agree to an armistice that will be accepted by the other nations involved
Event of Interest
1917 [OS Apr 3] Lenin arrives back from exile in Russia at Finland Station, Petrograd to join the Russian Revolution
Vladimir Lenin
- 1917 21st Boston Marathon won by Bill Kennedy in 2:28:37.2
- 1917 Vladimir Lenin issues his radical "April Theses" calling for Soviets to take power during the Russian Revolution [OS Apr 4]
- 1918 The British House of Commons passes a new Military Service Bill, taking men up to 55 years old and extending to Ireland
- 1921 Liberal Freedom League forms in The Hague
Event of Interest
1922 Annie Oakley sets women's record by breaking 100 clay targets in a row
Annie Oakley
Boston Marathon
1923 27th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar in 2:23:37.4 for second straight year; 3rd race victory
Clarence DeMar
- 1924 1st radio-transmission of wireless: Mattheus Passion
- 1924 Child labor laws strengthened in Holland
- 1925 During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded.
- 1926 Book of the Month Club sends out its 1st selections "Lolly Willowes" & "Loving Huntsman" by Sylvia Townsend Warner
- 1928 32nd Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar in 2:37:07.8; back-to-back wins for his 6th race title
- 1929 Cleveland Indian Earl Averill, becomes 1st AL to hit a HR on 1st at bat
- 1929 NY Yankees become 1st team to wear uniform numbers
Film Release
1932 Short film "The Music Box" released in the US, starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (1932 Academy Award Best Live Action Short Film)
Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
- 1938 Great Britain recognizes Italian annexation of Abyssinia
Agreement of Interest
1939 The Soviet Union proposes an alliance with Britain and France to counter Nazi Germany; the Soviets would later sign a secret agreement with the Nazis
Joseph Stalin
- 1939 Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Boston Bruins beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1 for a 4-1 series win; first best-of-7 SC Final series
- 1940 Cleveland Indian Bob Feller hurls an opening day no-hitter vs Chic, 1-0
- 1940 Heitor Villa-Lobos' opera "Izaht" premieres in Rio de Janeiro
- 1941 Little Theater at Adelphi Strand closes
- 1942 Japanese occupying army on Java installs film censorship
- 1943 40 NZ bombers attack Haarlem, Netherlands (85 killed)
- 1943 Swiss scientist Dr. Albert Hofmann discovers the psychedelic effects of LSD
- 1945 Battle of Okinawa: US Army invades and seizes the Ie Shima Airfield on Ie Shima island near Okinawa
- 1945 World War II: Dutch town of Arnhem, site of failed Operation Market Garden, is freed by British and Canadian forces
- 1945 German troops in Groningen surrender
Raising a Flag over the Reichstag
1945 Battle of Berlin: Red Army begins its attack on the capital of Nazi Germany
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- 1945 US troops enter Nuremberg, Germany
- 1945 US troops land on He Shima, Okinawa
- 1945 49th Boston Marathon won by John A Kelley in 2:30:40.2; his second event victory
- 1945 Colditz Castle, the high-security prisoner of war camp in Germany, is liberated by American troops
- 1946 1st US launch of captured V-2 rocket, White Sands, NM; 8 km alt
- 1946 NSB mayor of Rotterdam, Netherlands, FE Muller sentence to 100 years in jail
- 1947 -17] Explosions & fire on French ship Grandcamp
- 1947 Lens to provide zoom effects demonstrated (NYC)
- 1947 Massive explosion & fire kills 522 in Texas City, Tx
- 1948 Organization for European Economic Cooperation (EEC) forms in Paris
- 1949 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: 3-peat for Toronto Maple Leafs as they beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 for a 4 game series sweep
- 1951 British submarine Affray sank in English Channel, killing 75
- 1951 55th Boston Marathon won by Shigeki Tanaka of Japan in 2:27:45
- 1952 "4 Saints in 3 Acts" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 15 performances
Event of Interest
1953 British royal yacht Britannia launched by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II
- 1953 Phillie's Connie Ryan gets 6 hits in a game
- 1953 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 1-0 for a 4-1 series win
- 1953 WAND TV channel 17 in Decatur, IL (ABC) begins broadcasting
- 1954 KVAL TV channel 13 in Eugene, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting
- 1954 Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings beat Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 in OT for a 4-3 series victory
- 1956 1st solar powered radios go on sale
- 1956 60th Boston Marathon won by Antti Viskari of Finland in race record 2:14:14
- 1957 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Dickie Moore has a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 5-1 for a 4-1 series victory
- 1957 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
- 1958 French government of Gaillard falls due to Tunisia crisis
- 1958 5th National Film Awards (India): "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" wins the Golden Lotus
- 1959 "Party with Comden & Green" opens at John Golden NYC for 44 performances
- 1959 Datu Abdul Rozak inaugurated as premier of Malaysia federation
- 1959 NY Yankees unveil their 1st message scoreboard
- 1959 Phils' Dave Philley gets a major league record 9th straight pinch hit
- 1961 15th Tony Awards: Becket & Bye Bye Birdie win
- 1961 Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Chicago Blackhawks beat Detroit Red Wings, 4-1 for a 4-2 series victory
- 1962 Brazil nationalizes US businesses
Event of Interest
1962 Walter Cronkite begins anchoring CBS Evening News
Walter Cronkite
- 1962 66th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:48; second straight win and 3rd title overall
- 1964 9 men sentenced 25-30 years for Britain's 1963 "Great Train Robbery"
- 1965 Test flight of heavy Saturn S-1C-rocket
- 1966 Rhodesian PM Ian Smith breaks diplomatic relations with Britain
- 1967 "Walking Happy" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 161 performances
- 1967 Yankees beat Boston 7-6 in 18 innings
- 1970 70 die in a snow crush (France)
Event of Interest
1970 Protestant Unionist Ian Paisley wins seat formerly held by Terence O'Neill in the Stormont (North Ireland Parliament)
Ian Paisley
Terence O'Neill
- 1972 "That's Entertainment" closes at Edison Theater NYC after 4 performances
- 1972 Two giant pandas arrive in US from China
- 1972 Apollo 16 launched; 5th manned lunar landing (Decartes Highlands)
- 1972 Chicago Cub Burt Hooton no-hits Phillies, 1-0
- 1972 Two British soldiers are shot dead by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) in separate incidents in Derry
- 1973 77th Boston Marathon: American double; Jon Anderson men's champion in 2:16:03; Jacqueline Hansen wins women's title in 3:05:59
- 1974 "Words & Music" opens at John Golden Theater NYC for 127 performances
- 1974 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
- 1975 Cambodian Red Khmer occupy Phnom Penh
Event of Interest
1977 Alex Haley finds his Roots in Juffure, Gambia
Alex Haley
- 1978 "History of the American Film" closes at ANTA NYC after 21 performances
- 1978 St Louis Card Bob Forsch no-hits Phillies, 5-0
- 1978 NBC's premiere of miniseries "Holocaust"
- 1979 15th Mayor's Trophy Game, Yanks & Mets tie 1-1
- 1979 83rd Boston Marathon: American double; Bill Rodgers wins 2nd straight event and 3rd overall title in 2:09:27; Joan Benoit women's champion in 2:35:15
- 1979 Failed Palestinian attack on Zaventem Airport, Belgium
- 1979 Pulitzer prize awarded to Sam Shepard for "Buried child"
Event of Interest
1980 Arthur Ashe retires from professional tennis
Arthur Ashe
- 1980 Delhi beat Bombay by 240 runs to win Ranji Trophy final
- 1980 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1981 "Copperfield" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 13 performances
- 1982 Queen Elizabeth proclaims Canada's new constitution
- 1983 Steve Garvey sets NL record by playing in 1,118 consecutive games
- 1984 88th Boston Marathon: Englishman Geoff Smith wins men's event in 2:10:34; Lorraine Moller of New Zealand women's champion in 2:29:28
- 1984 Oakland A's Dave Kingman hits 3 HRs including a grand slam
- 1984 Pulitzer prize awarded to Mary Oliver for "American Primitive"
- 1985 "Grind" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 79 performances
TV Show Appearance
1986 To dispel rumors he's dead, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appears on TV
Muammar Gaddafi
NBA Record
1987 Michael Jordan becomes the second NBA player in history to score 3000 points in a season
Michael Jordan
Event of Interest
1989 1st The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Don Bies wins his lone career Champions Tour major title by 1 stroke from Gary Player
Gary Player
- 1989 Berendrechtsluis opens in Antwerp, biggest flood lock in world
- 1989 Costa Rica beats US 1-0, in 3rd round of 1990 world soccer cup
- 1989 Zeleka Metaferia wins 3rd World Cup marathon (2:10:28)
- 1990 "Piano Lesson" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC for 320 performances
- 1990 94th Boston Marathon: Gelindo Bordin is first Italian event winner in race record 2:08:19; Portugal's Rosa Mota wins her 3rd woman's title in 2:25:24
- 1990 Maximum NY State unemployment benefits raised to $260 per week
- 1990 Supreme Court rejects appeal from retarded man, Dalton Prejean, condemned to death for murdering a Louisiana state trooper in 1977
- 1991 M Leander & E Seago's musical "Matador" premieres in London
- 1991 St Louis Blues becomes 8th NHL team in Play-off to come back from a 3-1 deficit as they beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in game 7
- 1992 "Metro" opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 13 performances
- 1992 1st concrete is poured at new ballpark at Gateway (Jacobs Field)
- 1992 Afghan president Najibullah resigns
- 1992 NY Rangers win team record 50th game
- 1992 The Katina P runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique. 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
Event of Interest
1993 Jury reaches guilty verdict in Federal case against police officer who beat Rodney King, but the verdict is not read until April 17th
Rodney King
- 1994 Circus performers Marissa Young (24) & Matt Richardson (21) wed
- 1997 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Minneapolis/St Paul on WRQC 100.3 FM
- 2001 105th Boston Marathon: Lee Bong-Ju of South Korea men's winner in 2:09:43; Catherine Ndereba of Kenya wins back-to-back women's titles in 2:23:53
- 2003 Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting 10 new member states to the European Union
- 2004 The super liner Queen Mary 2 embarks on her first Transatlantic crossing, linking the golden age of ocean travel to the modern age of ocean travel.
- 2007 Virginia Tech massacre: The deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, kills 32 people and injures 23 others before committing suicide.
Music Awards
2007 41st CMT Music Awards: Carrie Underwood & Kenny Chesney wins
Carrie Underwood
Event of Interest
2008 Start of Papal Journey of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States
Benedict XVI
- 2012 At least 55 people are killed in the Syrian uprising despite UN presence to oversee ceasefire
- 2012 For the first time since 1977 no Pulitzer Prize is awarded for fiction
- 2012 116th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Wesley Korir wins men's section in 2:12:40; Sharon Cherop first woman in 2:31:50
- 2013 37 people are killed by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Khash country, Iran
- 2013 16 people are killed after a gold mine collapses in Kyekyewere, Ghana
- 2014 Real Madrid defeat Barcelona to win its 19th Copa del Rey trophy
- 2014 South Korean ferry MV Sewol sinks on route Incheon to Jeju, 304 drown, mostly students. National controversy erupts over rescue efforts and actions of crew and owner.
Event of Interest
2015 Elizabeth Holmes, American entrepreneur, inventor, and founder and CEO of Theranos, is named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People" of 2015
Elizabeth Holmes
World Record
2017 World record for gathering of Charlie Chaplin lookalikes - 662 at Manoir de Ban, Chaplin museum in Vevey, Switzerland
Charlie Chaplin
Event of Interest
2018 Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album "Damn"
Kendrick Lamar
- 2019 Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson becomes the highest-paid player in NFL history with a 4-year $140m extension including record $65m signing bonus
April in History
Iceberg Sinks 'Unsinkable' Titanic
The Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank on this day in history. She took with her to the bottom of the sea some of the world’s richest people.
April 15, 1912Madame Tussaud's Bloody Background
Madame Tussaud, famous for her waxworks, perfected her art in the grimmest of 'schools' – the French Revolution - where she made models of guillotined heads.
April 16, 1850Boxing Match That Went for 42 Rounds
The first "world championship" boxing match was a brutal affair, lasting nearly two and a half hours and stretching over 42 rounds.
April 17, 1860Wicked or Sinless? The Life of Lucrezia Borgia
Hardly a week went by when Lucrezia Borgia, born on this day, was not accused of some foul deed. But was she just a pawn in the hands of her evil family?
April 18, 1480
