Fun On this date in history...

If I may...

ON APRIL 3rd:

In 1860, the legendary Pony Express began carrying mail between St. Joseph, MO, and Sacramento, CA. (The delivery system lasted only 18 months before giving way to the transcontinental telegraph.)

In 1865, Union forces occupied the Confederate capital of Richmond, VA.

In 1882, outlaw Jesse James was shot to death in St. Joseph, MO by Robert Ford, a member of James' gang.

In 1888, the first of eleven unsolved brutal murders of women committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London occurred. Some or all of these murders would later be attributed to Jack the Ripper.

In 1926, astronaut/pilot Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, pilot of Liberty Bell 7, Command Pilot of Gemini 3 (the Molly Brown) and Command Pilot of Apollo 1, was born in Mitchell, IN.

In 1936, Bruno Hauptmann was electrocuted in Trenton, NJ, for the kidnap-murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr.

In 1942, Japanese forces began an assault on the U.S and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula.

In 1946, Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma, the Japanese commander held responsible for the Bataan Death March, was executed by firing squad outside Manila.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Marshall Plan, designed to help European allies rebuild after World War II and resist communism.

In 1953, “TV Guide” was first published. The cover featured photos of Lucille Ball and her newborn son, Desi Arnaz, Jr.

In 1956, Elvis Presley performed on "The Milton Berle Show." The show was broadcast live from the aircraft carrier USS Hancock. Elvis played the songs "Heartbreak Hotel," "Money, Honey," and "Blue Suede Shoes."

In 1960, Elvis Presley recorded the song "It's Now or Never" at RCA Studios in Nashville.

In 1961, actor/comedian/writer/producer Eddie Murphy was born in Brooklyn.

In 1968, the day before he was assassinated in Memphis, TN, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "mountaintop" speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers.

In 1974, deadly tornadoes began hitting wide parts of the South and Midwest before jumping across the border into Canada; more than 300 fatalities resulted from what became known as the Super Outbreak.

In 1985, the landmark Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant closed after 56 years in business.

In 1995, former United Way of America President William Aramony was convicted in Alexandria, VA, of 25 counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering for stealing nearly $600,000 from the charity. (Aramony ended up serving six years of a seven-year prison sentence.)

In 1996, an Air Force jetliner carrying Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and American business executives crashed in Croatia, killing all 35 people aboard.

In 2000, in the case United States v. Microsoft Corp., Microsoft was ruled to have violated U.S. antitrust law by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors.

In 2009, a gunman opened fire at the American Civic Association immigration center in Binghamton, NY, killing thirteen and wounding four before committing suicide.

In 2010, on “Doctor Who”, “The Eleventh Hour” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode to star Matt Smith as the Doctor, and featured the first appearances of Karen Gillian as Amy, and Arthur Darvill as Rory.

Also in 2010, Apple, Inc. released the first generation iPad Tablet computer.

In 2014, David Letterman announced during a taping of the "Late Show" on CBS that he was retiring as host in 2015 (Stephen Colbert was named as his replacement a week later).

In 2017, a bomb exploded in the St. Petersburg metro system, killing 14 and injuring several more people.

Oh, and one more thing:

In 1978, the MPAAS, during the 50th Academy Awards, awarded the Woody Allen comedy "Annie Hall" the Oscar for "Best Picture" that should've gone to "Star Wars".

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 4th:

In 1739, Handel’s oratorio “Israel in Egypt” received its first complete performance at the King’s Theatre, London.

In 1818, Congress decided the flag of the United States would consist of 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state of the Union.

In 1841, William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the U.S., succumbed to pneumonia one month after his inaugural, becoming the first U.S. chief executive to die in office. He was age 68.

In 1850, the city of Los Angeles was incorporated.

In 1859, "Dixie" was performed publicly for the first time by Bryant's Minstrels at Mechanics' Hall in New York.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by his son Tad, visited the vanquished Confederate capital of Richmond, VA, where he was greeted by a crowd that included former slaves.

In 1922, composer/conductor Elmer Bernstein was born in New York City.

In 1928, composer/producer Monty Norman, best-known as the composer of the James Bond theme, was born in London.

In 1932, actor Anthony Perkins was born in New York City. His commercial for the Norman Bates School of Motel Management would come later.

In 1933, the Navy airship USS Akron crashed in severe weather off the New Jersey coast with the loss of 73 lives.

In 1935, actor Kenneth Mars was born in Chicago. Years later, he’d play the author of the purported worst play in history.

In 1945, during World War II, U.S. forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp Ohrdruf in Germany.

Also in 1945, Hungary was liberated as Soviet forces cleared out remaining German troops.

In 1949, twelve nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO.

In 1958, Johnny Stompanato, an enforcer for crime boss Mickey Cohen and the boyfriend of actress Lana Turner, was stabbed to death by Turner's teenage daughter, Cheryl Crane, who said Stompanato had attacked her mother.

In 1960, Elvis Presley recorded the song "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" at RCA Studios in Nashville.

Also in 1960, "Ben Hur" won a record 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. (That record would be tied by “Titanic” in 1997 and “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” in 2003, but not yet surpassed.)

In 1965, actor Robert Downey Jr. was born. He was born in Manhattan, not IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!

In 1968, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed at age 39, while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.

In 1973, the World Trade Center in New York was officially dedicated.

In 1974, Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's major league baseball home-run record with 714.

In 1975, more than 130 people, most of them children, were killed when a U.S. Air Force transport plane evacuating Vietnamese orphans crash-landed shortly after takeoff from Saigon.

Also in 1975, Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In 1983, the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger made its maiden voyage into space.

In 1988, filming for the “Doctor Who” serial “Remembrance of the Daleks” caused a brief panic when a large explosion set off on a London side street during filming of a Dalek battle scene was mistaken as a possible IRA bombing.

In 1998, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the episode featuring the superhero movie “The Pumaman” premiered on Comedy Central. And the movie was soon considered a contender for the title of “worst superhero movie ever made”.

In 2013, author/screenwriter/critic/journalist Roger Ebert died in Chicago at age 70.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 5th:

In 1614, Indian Chief Powhatan's daughter Pocahontas married Englishman John Rolfe in the Virginia Colony.

Also in 1614, England's King James I convened the second Parliament of his rule; the "Addled Parliament," as it came to be known, lasted only two months.

In 1764, Britain's Parliament passed The American Revenue Act of 1764, also known as The Sugar Act.

In 1792, U.S. President George Washington exercised his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power was used in the United States.

In 1887, in Tuscumbia, AL, teacher Anne Sullivan achieved a breakthrough as her 6-year-old deaf-blind pupil, Helen Keller, learned the meaning of the word "water" as spelled out in the Manual Alphabet.

Also in 1887, British historian Lord Acton wrote in a letter, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

In 1895, Oscar Wilde lost his criminal libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, who'd accused the writer of homosexual practices.

In 1900, actor Spencer Tracy was born in Milwaukee, WI.

In 1908, actress Bette Davis was born in Lowell, MA.

In 1909, producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, co-founder of Eon Productions, producers of most of the James Bond movies, was born in Queens, NY.

In 1915, Jess Willard knocked out Jack Johnson in the 26th round of their fight in Havana, Cuba, to claim boxing's world heavyweight title.

In 1916, actor Gregory Peck was born in San Diego, CA.

In 1917, author/screenwriter Robert Bloch, best-known for the novel Psycho, was born in Chicago.

In 1925, a tornado estimated at F-3 intensity struck northern Miami-Dade County, Florida, killing five people.

In 1926, actor/filmmaker Roger Corman was born in Detroit, MI. So far as is known, he didn’t use stock footage of his birth in six of his later movies.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Civilian Conservation Corps and an anti-hoarding order that effectively prohibited private ownership of gold.

Riddle me this, Batman. In 1933, actor/impressionist Frank Gorshin was born in Pittsburgh, PA.

In 1936, according to OTR historians, the “feud” between Jack Benny and Fred Allen began when Benny’s “Jell-O Program” spoofed Allen’s “Town Hall Tonight” program over NBC radio, which ran both programs. (However, some sources say Allen truly started it later in the year with remarks about Benny’s “prowess” on the violin.)

In 1942, during World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a carrier-based air attack on Colombo, Ceylon during the Indian Ocean raid. Port and civilian facilities were damaged and the Royal Navy cruisers HMC Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire were sunk southwest of the island.

In 1943, during World War II, American bomber aircraft accidentally caused more than 900 civilian deaths, including 209 children, and 1,300 wounded among the civilian population of the Belgian town of Mortsel. Their target was the Erla factory one kilometer from the residential area hit.

In 1950, author A.C. Crispin, well-known for her “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” novels, was born in Stamford, CT.

In 1951, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were sentenced to death for spying for the Soviet Union.

In 1955, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill resigned his office for health reasons.

Also in 1955, Democrat Richard J. Daley was first elected mayor of Chicago, defeating Republican Robert E. Merriam.

In 1961, Bob Dylan played his first paid gig in New York, at the Loeb Music Center.

In 1964, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur died in Washington, D.C. at age 84.

In 1975, nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek died in Taipei at age 87.

In 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers became the all-time NBA regular season scoring leader when he broke Wilt Chamberlain's record of 31,419 career points.

In 1986, two American servicemen and a Turkish woman were killed in the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque, an incident which prompted a U.S. air raid on Libya more than a week later.

In 1987, the FOX TV network began broadcasting, starting with episodes of “Married…with Children” and “The Tracey Ullman Show”.

In 1991, former Sen. John Tower, R-Texas, his daughter Marian and 21 other people were killed in a commuter plane crash near Brunswick, GA.

In 1994, filming was completed on “All Good Things…” the series finale of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.

Also in 1994, “Mystery Science Theater 3000” won the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in television broadcasting.

In 1994, Nirvana singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain fatally shot himself above his garage in Seattle at age 27.

In 2008, on “Doctor Who”, “Partners in Crime” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode of the revival’s fourth series, and re-introduced Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.

In 2010, twenty-nine coal miners were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.

 

If I my...

ON APRIL 6th:

In 1199, King Richard I of England died from an infection following the removal of an arrow from his shoulder.

In 1320, The Scots reaffirmed their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.

In 1712, The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 began near Broadway. Twenty-three enslaved Africans killed nine Caucasians and injured six more. (In response, seventy black people were arrested, with twenty-one tried, convicted and executed.)

In 1841, U.S. President John Tyler was sworn in, two days after having become President upon William Henry Harrison’s death.

In 1860, The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later renamed Community of Christ, was organized by Joseph Smith III and others at Amboy, IL.

In 1862, during the Civil War, The Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee, as forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant met Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.

In 1865, during the Civil War, at The Battle of Sailor’s Creek, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia fought and lost its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, VA during the Appomattox Campaign.

In 1866, The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, was founded. It would last until 1956. (And, no, Jango Fett had no involvement in its membership.)

In 1896, in Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games was celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games were banned by Roman emperor Theodosius I.

In 1909, explorers Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reached the South Pole.

In 1917, during World War I, the United States declared war on Germany.

In 1937, actor/artist/singer/writer Billy Dee Williams was born in New York City. His officer’s commission from the Alliance would be awarded later on.

Also in 1937, singer/songwriter Merle Haggard was born in Oildale, CA.

In 1938, actor Roy Thinnes, best-known for playing David Vincent in “The Invaders”, was born in Chicago, IL.

In 1945, during World War II, the Japanese warship Yamato and nine other vessels sailed on a suicide mission to attack the U.S. fleet off Okinawa; the fleet was intercepted the next day.

In 1947, actor John Ratzenberger was born in Bridgeport, CT. Years later, he’d end up in a Boston bar, the Alliance base on Hoth, and every Pixar movie to date.

Also in 1947, the first Tony Awards were presented for theatrical achievement.

In 1951, the science fiction/horror movie “The Thing from Another World” premiered in the U.S.

In 1954, a month after being criticized by newsman Edward R. Murrow on CBS' "See It Now," Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., given the chance to respond on the program, charged that Murrow had, in the past, "engaged in propaganda for Communist causes."

In 1956, Paramount Pictures signed Elvis Presley to a three-movie contract just a few days after his first screen test.

In 1959, actor Mark Strickson, best-known for playing Vislor Turlough on “Doctor Who”, was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

In 1965, Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit, was launched.

In 1966, at EMI Studios in London, the Beatles held their first recording sessions for their album “Revolver”.

In 1967, on the original series “Star Trek”, the episode “City on the Edge of Forever” was broadcast on NBC-TV. Harlan Ellison’s complaints about the episode had already gone on for some time, and continued for decades afterwards.

In 1968, the Beatles' Apple Corps Limited opened in London.

In 1973, U.S. President Nixon threw out the first pitch of the season at a California Angels game. It was the first time that a U.S. President had performed the ceremonial activity in a city other than Washington, DC.

In 1974, the Swedish pop band ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Waterloo”, launching their international career.

In 1994, The Rwandan Genocide began when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down.

Also in 1994, production on the TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” formally wrapped.

In 2009, the first public showing of J.J. Abrams’ movie “Star Trek” was held in Austin, TX.

In 2016, singer/songwriter Merle Haggard died in Palo Cedro, CA at age 79.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 7th:

In 1724, the premiere performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. John Passion” (BWV 245) was given at St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.

In 1788, American pioneers to the Northwest Territory established Marietta, OH as the first permanent American settlement in the territory.

In 1798, The Mississippi Territory was organized from disputed territory claimed by both the United States and Spain. (It was expanded in 1804 and again in 1812.)

In 1805, Composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.

In 1862, The Union Army under General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates near Shiloh, TN.

In 1915, jazz singer-songwriter Billie Holiday, also known as "Lady Day," was born in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1928, actor James Garner was born in Norman, OK

In 1930, actor Andrew Sachs was born in Berlin, Germany. He’s best-known for his role in “Fawlty Towers”, getting knocked around by Basil.

In 1933, Prohibition in the U.S. was repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the 21st Amendment.

In 1939, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola was born in Detroit, MI.

Also in 1939, comedian/journalist/TV host David Frost was born in Tenterden, Kent, England.

In 1940, Booker T. Washington became the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.

In 1943, during World War II, in Terebovlia, Ukraine, Germans ordered 1,100 Jews to undress to their underwear and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka where they were shot dead and buried in ditches.

In 1945, during World War II, the Japanese battleship Yamato, the largest battleship ever constructed, was sunk by American planes 200 miles north of Okinawa while en route to a suicide mission in Operation Ten-Go.

In 1946, Academy Award-winning special effects make-up creator Stan Winston was born in Arlington, VA.

In 1948, The World Health Organization was established by the United Nations.

In 1949, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "South Pacific" opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theater.

In 1953, the U.N. General Assembly ratified Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden as the new secretary-general, succeeding Trygve Lie of Norway.

In 1954, actor/director/producer/martial artist Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong.

In 1955, Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the UK amid indications of failing health.

In 1962, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met future Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones at the Ealing Jazz Club in Ealing, West London.

In 1963, at the age of 23, Jack Nicklaus became the youngest golfer to win the Green Jacket at the Masters Tournament.

In 1966, the U.S. Navy recovered a hydrogen bomb that the U.S. Air Force had lost in the Mediterranean Sea off Spain following a B-52 crash.

In 1974, the suspense film “The Conversation” premiered in Los Angeles. It starred Gene Hackman and was written & directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Also in 1974, the Hammer Horror movie “Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter” was released in the UK.

In 1978, development of the neutron bomb was canceled by U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

In 1983, during the STS-6 mission with the Shuttle Challenger, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson performed the first Space Shuttle spacewalk.

In 1985, British pop group Wham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley) performed at a packed Beijing stadium in Communist China's first big-name rock concert.

In 1990, former U.S. National Security Advisor John Poindexter was found guilty of five charges for his part in the Iran-Contra scandal. (The conviction was later reversed on appeal).

In 1995, during the First Chechen War, Russian paramilitary troops began a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.

In 2001, the unmanned Mars Odyssey probe was launched from Cape Canaveral.

In 2003, during the Iraq War, U.S. troops captured Baghdad; Sadam Hussein’s regime fell two days later.

In 2007, author/cartoonist Johnny Hart, creator of “B.C.” and “The Wizard of Id”, died in Nineveh, NY at age 76.

In 2009, former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces.

In 2015, humorist/satirist/actor/comedian Stan Freberg died in Santa Monica, CA at age 88.

Also in 2015, William Shakespeare’s The Phantom of Menace: Star Wars Part the First was published by Quirk Books.

In 2016, the first official teaser trailer for the “Star Wars” movie “Rogue One” was released on-line. (A very brief preview trailer had been shown at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim in 2015.)

In 2017, a terrorist attack occurred on Drottninggatan in central Stockholm, Sweden. A stolen truck slammed into people at high speed, killing at least four and injuring fifteen others.

In 2021, Joel Hodgson announced the start of a new Kickstarter campaign. It was intended to raise funds for a new, 13th season of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” episodes, as well as the establishment of the “Gizmoplex” virtual theater platform, with a goal of $2 million. In less than twelve hours, it had already raised over $1.5 million.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 8th:

In 1665, English colonial patents were granted for the establishment of the Monmouth Tract, for what would eventually become Monmouth County in northeastern New Jersey.

In 1730, Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, was dedicated.

In 1864, the United States Senate passed, 38-6, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in January 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted in December 1865.)

In 1904, Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan was renamed Times Square after “The New York Times”.

In 1913, The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, became law.

In 1935, The Works Progress Administration was formed when the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 became law.

In 1942, the Japanese took Bataan in the Philippines.

Also in 1942, director Douglas Trumbull, best-known for his work in movie VFX, was born in Los Angeles.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, froze wages and prices, prohibited workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and barred rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.

In 1945, after an air raid accidentally destroyed a train carrying about 4,000 Nazi concentration camp internees in Prussian Hanover, the survivors were massacred by Nazis.

In 1946, the League of Nations assembled in Geneva for its final session.

In 1949, director John Madden (no, not that John Madden) was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Among his other projects, he directed all three of the “Star Wars” radio adaptations.

In 1950, the science fiction anthology “Dimension X” premiered over NBC radio.

In 1952, U.S. President Harry Truman called for the seizure of all domestic steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike.

In 1970, the science fiction film “Colossus: The Forbin Project”, premiered in New York City.

In 1974, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run to surpass Babe Ruth's 39-year-old record.

In 1975, Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians became first black manager of a major league baseball team.

In 1981, General of the Army Omar N. Bradley died in New York City at age 88.

In 1990, Ryan White, the teenage AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance had gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18.

Also in 1990, the cult TV series "Twin Peaks" premiered on ABC.

In 1992, Retired tennis champion Arthur Ashe announced that he had contracted AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries.

In 2005, over four million people attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

In 2013, The Islamic State of Iraq entered the Syrian Civil War and began by declaring a merger with the Al-Nusra Front under the name Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham.

In 2018, the second official trailer for the “Star Wars” anthology movie “Solo” was released. There was some measure of interest.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 9th:

In 1585, the expedition organized by Sir Walter Raleigh departed England for Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina) to establish the Roanoke Colony.

In 1682, Robert Cavelier de La Salle discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River, claimed it for France and named it Louisiana.

In 1860, on his phonautograph machine, Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville made the oldest known recording of an audible human voice.

In 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia (numbering 26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, VA. (Contrary to popular belief, this did not end the Civil War. Confederate President Jefferson Davis wouldn’t declare an effective end to Confederate hostilities until May 9th, and the last Confederate forces wouldn’t surrender until June 23rd.)

In 1898, actor/singer/athlete/activist Paul Robeson was born in Princeton, NJ.

In 1912, the first exhibition baseball game was held at Fenway Park in Boston. The game was between Red Sox and Harvard.

In 1913, the first game was played at Ebbets Field, the newly built home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Dem Bums lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-0.

In 1928, singer/songwriter/musician/satirist/mathematician Tom Lehrer was born in New York City.

In 1932, singer/songwriter Carl Perkins was born in Tiptonville, TN.

In 1937, producer/writer/puppeteer Marty Krofft was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With his brother Sid, he’d produce a lot of kids’ programs that your humble correspondent would watch in his younger days.

In 1939, Marian Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial, after being denied the right to sing at the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Constitution Hall.

In 1942, United States forces surrendered on the Bataan Peninsula.

In 1945, German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, age 39, was executed by the Nazis at the Flossenburg concentration camp.

In 1959, at a press conference in Washington, D.C., NASA Administrator T. Keith Glennan announced the seven pilots had been selected for the Mercury program.

In 1965, the Rolling Stones made their first live TV appearance on “Ready Steady Go!”.

Also in 1965, the Houston Astrodome, then-called the Harris County Domed Stadium, opened. The Houston Astros played the New York Yankees in an exhibition game, the first professional baseball game ever played indoors.

In 1969, the first British-built Concorde 002 made its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.

In 1976, the suspense movie “Family Plot”, Alfred Hitchcock’s last film, was released in the U.S.

In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger ended its first mission with a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In 1984, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were posthumously awarded the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay for 1957's The Bridge on the River Kwai. Foreman and Wilson were blacklisted in the '50s, so the original screenplay award for the film went to the author of the original story, Pierre Boulle.

In 1986, it was announced that Patrick Duffy's character of Bobby Ewing on the TV show “Dallas” would be returning after being killed off in the previous season.

In 1989, in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, an anti-Soviet peaceful demonstration and hunger strike, demanding restoration of Georgian independence was dispersed by the Soviet Army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

In 1991, Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union.

In 1992, a U.S. Federal Court found former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega guilty of drug and racketeering charges. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

In 2000, CBS-TV broadcast a new adaptation of "Fail-Safe," co-produced by and starring George Clooney. It was the first live full-length show to be aired by CBS in 39 years.

In 2001, principal photography finished on “Endgame”, the last episode of “Star Trek: Voyager”.

In 2003, during the Second Gulf War, Baghdad fell to American forces. Iraqis turned on symbols of their former leader Saddam Hussein, pulling down a grand statue of him and tearing it to pieces.

In 2005, Charles, Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall.

In 2014, a student stabbed 20 people at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, PA.

In 2017, on Palm Sunday, twin suicide bombings occurred at St. George’s Church in the northern Egyptian city of Tanta on the Nile delta, and St. Mark’s Coptic Orthododox Cathedral, the principal church in Alexandria, seat of the Coptic papacy. At least 45 people were killed and more than 136 injured. The ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks in an online statement.

Also in 2017, backers of the Kickstarter campaign to fund a revival of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” were treated to a special on-line preview of the first episode, featuring the giant monster movie “Reptilicus”.

In 2021, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, died at Windsor Castle at the age of 99.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 10th:

In 832, Halley’s Comet made its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometers/3.2 million miles).

In 1606, The Virginia Company of London was established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.

In 1790, President George Washington signed the first United States Patent Act.

In 1865, a day after surrendering the Army of Northern Virginia to Union forces, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee addressed his troops for the last time.

In 1866, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.

In 1872, the first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska.

In 1912, RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England on her maiden and only voyage.

In 1916, The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) was created in New York City.

In 1919, Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata was ambushed and killed by government forces in Morelos.

In 1929, actor Max von Sydow was born in Lund, Sweden. He’d later be seen, briefly yet effectively, in “Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens”.

In 1932, German President Paul Von Hindenburg was re-elected in a runoff, with Adolf Hitler coming in second.

In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals.

In 1952, director Elia Kazan testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, admitting that he was a Communist. He also named eight other actors and directors.

In 1953, the horror movie “House of Wax”, starring Vincent Price and originally presented in 3-D, premiered in the U.S.

In 1957, the feature film version of the courtroom drama “12 Angry Men” premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1962, musician Stuart Sutcliffe, the original bass player for the Beatles, died in Hamburg, West Germany at age 21.

In 1963, one hundred twenty-nine American sailors died when the submarine USS Thresher sank at sea.

In 1967, the 13-day strike by the American Federation of Radio-TV Artists (AFTRA) came to an end less than two hours before the 39th Academy Awards presentation went on the air.

In 1966, the horror/western movie “Billy the Kid vs. Dracula” was released in the U.S. Star John Carradine would later call it the worst movie he’d ever appeared in, which is saying a lot.

In 1970, Paul McCartney announced that he was quitting the Beatles.

In 1981, “Star Wars” was re-released in theaters, now including the subtitle, “Episode IV: A New Hope”.

In 1992, actress Daisy Ridley was born in Westminster, London, England. Her scavenging on Jakku would come later.

In 1994, Charles Kuralt hosted his last episode of "Sunday Morning" on CBS-TV. Charles Osgood was his replacement.

In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement peace agreement was reached in Northern Ireland.

In 2001, Kevin Olmstead of Ann Arbor, Michigan, won $2,180,000 on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." It's the largest prize ever given out on a TV game show.

In 2016, an earthquake of 6.6 magnitude, 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, affected India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.

In 2017, following a highly-contentious confirmation process, Judge Neil Gorsuch was sworn in as an Associate Justice in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Also in 2017, at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino, CA, an elementary school teacher and an 8-year old student were shot and killed, and a 9-year old student was mortally wounded by the teacher’s estranged husband. The shooter killed himself afterwards.

In 2019, scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project released the first ever image of the event horizon of a black hole, located in the center of the M87 galaxy.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 11th:

In 1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain.

In 1727, Johann Sebastian Bach’s oratorio “St. Matthew Passion” premiered at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as Emperor of the French and was banished to the island of Elba. (Napoleon later escaped from Elba and returned to power in March 1815, until his downfall in the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.)

In 1865, following the surrender of Confederate Gen. Lee’s troops, President Abraham Lincoln spoke to a crowd outside the White House, saying, "We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart." (It was the last public address Lincoln would deliver.)

In 1876, The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was organized.

In 1899, the treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect.

In 1909, the city of Tel Aviv was founded.

In 1921, Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax, at 2¢ a package.

Also in 1921, the first live sports event on radio took place over station KDKA, Pittsburgh. The event was a boxing match between Johnny Ray and Johnny Dundee.

In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the notorious Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in major league baseball history. He played in an exhibition game for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In 1951, President Harry S. Truman relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur of overall command in the Far East.

In 1955, the movie version of the drama “Marty”, starring Ernest Borgnine, premiered in New York City.

In 1961, the trial of Adolf Eichmann began in Jerusalem.

In 1963, Pope John XXIII issued his Pacem in Terris encyclical regarding the establishment of universal peace.

In 1965, dozens of tornadoes raked six Midwestern states on Palm Sunday, killing 271 people.

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.

In 1970, Apollo 13, with astronauts James A. Lovell, Fred W. Haise and Jack Swigert, blasted off on its ill-fated mission to the Moon.

In 1979, Idi Amin was deposed as president of Uganda as rebels and exiles backed by Tanzanian forces seized control.

In 1999, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the episode featuring the movie “Soultaker” was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. It was the premiere episode of the tenth season, and featured return appearances by Joel Hodgson as Joel Robinson, and Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

In 2002, over 200,000 people marched in Caracas towards the Presidential Palace of Miraflores, to demand the resignation of president Hugo Chavez. 19 of the protesters were killed, and the Minister of Defense Gral. Lucas Rincon announced Chávez’ resignation on national TV.

In 2006, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully enriched uranium.

In 2012, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia, off northern Sumatra at a depth of 16.4 km. Later, a tsunami hit the island of Nias at Indonesia.

Also in 2012, the Marvel comic book movie “The Avengers” premiered in Los Angeles.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 12th:

In 1606, England's King James I decreed the design of the original Union Flag, which combined the flags of England and Scotland.

In 1776, North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress authorized the colony's delegates to the Continental Congress to support independence from Britain.

In 1861, the American Civil War began as Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

In 1864, at the conclusion of The Battle of Fort Pillow, Confederate forces killed most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, TN.

In 1909, Irving A. Feinberg, property master for the original series “Star Trek”, was born in Los Angeles. He helped develop the look of many props on the series, and it’s unclear how many of them are still referred to as “feinbergers”.

In 1914, cinematographer Gilbert Taylor was born was born in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England. He was an Oscar-winner for “Star Wars” and worked on many other classic films, including “The Omen”, “Dr. Strangelove” and “A Hard Day’s Night”.

In 1932, musician Tiny Tim was born in Manhattan.

In 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the U.S., died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, at age 63. Later that day, Vice-President Harry S. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President of the U.S.

In 1947, writer/actor/comedian/TV host David Letterman was born in Indianapolis, IN.

Also in 1947, author Tom Clancy was born in Baltimore, MD.

In 1954, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded "Rock Around The Clock" at Pythian Temple Studios in New York City for Decca Records.

In 1955, the Salk vaccine against polio was declared safe and effective.

In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the earth once before making a safe landing.

In 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, charged with contempt of court and parading without a permit. (During his time behind bars, King wrote his "Letter from Birmingham Jail.")

In 1966, Jan Berry of the duo Jan and Dean crashed his Corvette into a parked truck in Los Angeles. He suffered extensive brain damage and paralysis and needed several years of rehabilitation.

Also in 1966, Emmett Ashford became the first African-American major league umpire, making his debut at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

In 1979, the post-apocalypse thriller “Mad Max”, starring Mel Gibson, was released in Australia, where it was made.

In 1980, the novelization of “Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back” was published by Del-Rey. Readers were, thus, not as surprised as others were about Vader when the movie itself was released the following month.

In 1981, the space shuttle Columbia, manned by Mission Commander John Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen, blasted off from Cape Canaveral on its first test flight.

Also in 1981, former world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis died in Las Vegas, NV, at age 66.

In 1985, Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah, became the first sitting member of Congress to fly in space as the shuttle Discovery lifted off.

In 1990, in its first meeting, East Germany's first democratically elected parliament acknowledged responsibility for the Nazi Holocaust, and asked the forgiveness of Jews and others who had suffered.

In 1992, The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland, later changed to Disneyland Paris.

In 1996, commercials for the “Doctor Who” TV-movie starring Paul McGann started airing on the FOX network.

In 1999, US President Bill Clinton was cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.

In 2008, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “The Fires of Pompeii” was broadcast on BBC 1. The supporting cast included Karen Gillian (later to play Companion Amy Pond) and Peter Capaldi (later to play the Eleventh Doctor). The in-universe reason for the latter was explained, to an extent; the explanation for the former is still being debated.

In 2014, a huge fire heavily damaged the Chilean city of Valparaiso, killing 16, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying over 2,000 homes.

In 2019, the title of “Star Wars: Episode IX”, “The Rise of Skywalker”, was announced, and the first trailer for the film was released. There was a fair amount of interest.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 13th:

In 1742, George Frideric Handel's oratorio “Messiah” had its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.

In 1743, Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, was born in Shadwell in the Virginia Colony.

In 1777, during the Revolutionary War, American forces were ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook in NJ.

In 1829, The Roman Catholic Relief Act gave Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.

In 1912, the Royal Flying Corps, a predecessor of Britain's Royal Air Force, was created.

In 1919, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred, when British troops gunned down at least 379 unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar, India; at least 1200 were wounded.

Would you believe in 1923, actor/director Don Adams was born in New York City? Would you believe Chicago? How about Frostbite Falls, Minnesota?

In 1942, composer/conductor Bill Conti was born in Providence, RI.

In 1943, The Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson's birth.

In 1945, actor/director/producer Tony Dow was born in Hollywood, CA. Best-known for playing Wally on “Leave it to Beaver”, he also supervised the VFX for the McGann movie.

In 1946, singer/songwriter/pastor Rev. Al Green was born in Forrest City, AR.

In 1948, in an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, were massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah.

In 1951, actor Peter Davison was born in Streatham, London, England. His Doctorates (both of them) would come along later.

In 1962, the Western “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” premiered in Los Angeles. Directed by John Ford, it starred James Stewart and John Wayne.

In 1963, The New York Mets played their first home game. The game was played at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan.

In 1964, at the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier became the first African-American man to receive a competitive Best Actor award for his work in the 1963 film “Lilies of the Field”.

In 1965, at the Grammy Awards, The Beatles captured the best new artist award and won the best group performance award for "A Hard Day's Night."

Also in 1965, The Beatles recorded the song 'Help!' during an evening recording session at Abbey Road in London.

In 1967, The Rolling Stones played their first concert behind the Iron Curtain, in Warsaw, Poland. Riot police had to step in to deal with 2,000 people who weren't able to get tickets.

Also in 1967, “Operation – Annihilate!”, the last episode of the first season of the original series “Star Trek” was broadcast on NBC-TV. It was the only episode of the series to feature members of the family of Capt. Kirk (William Shatner), including Kirk’s brother Sam (also played by William Shatner, if briefly).

In 1967, the James Bond spoof “Casino Royale” premiered in London.

In 1970, an oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module exploded, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the spacecraft while en route to the Moon.

In 1971, The Rolling Stones released "Brown Sugar," the first record on their own label, Rolling Stone Records.

In 1976, the U.S. Treasury Dept. reintroduced the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday as part of the U.S. Bicentennial celebration.

In 1979, the spoof “Love at First Bite”, starring George Hamilton as Count Dracula, premiered in New York City.

In 1984, actor Richard Hurndall, who played the First Doctor in “The Five Doctors”, died in London at age 73.

In 1986, Pope John Paul II visited the Great Synagogue of Rome in the first recorded papal visit of its kind to a Jewish house of worship.

In 1997, Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.

In 2017, in an anti-terrorist action, the U.S. dropped a Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon, one of the largest ever nonnuclear bombs, on Nangarhar, Afghanistan. It was the first battlefield use of the device.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 14th:

In 1775, the first American society for the abolition of slavery was formed in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster's "American Dictionary of the English Language" was published.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington.

Also in 1865, Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family were attacked in his home by Lewis Powell, one of Booth’s co-conspirators.

In 1890, the First International Conference of American States, meeting in Washington D.C., agreed to form the International Union of American Republics, a forerunner of the Organization of American States.

In 1909, a massacre was organized by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian population of Cilicia.

In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. ship's time and began sinking. (The ship went under two hours and 40 minutes later with the loss of 1,514 lives.)

In 1929, producer/director/screenwriter Gerry Anderson was born in Bloomsbury, London, England. His days of pulling the strings (literally) would come later.

In 1935, the "Black Sunday" dust storm descended upon the central Plains, turning a sunny afternoon into total darkness.

In 1935, screenwriter/novelist/script editor Terrance Dicks, best-known for his work on the “Doctor Who” series and its connected novelizations, was born in East Ham, Essex, England.

In 1939, the John Steinbeck novel The Grapes of Wrath was first published by Viking Press.

In 1949, the "Wilhelmstrasse Trial" in Nuremberg ended with 19 former Nazi Foreign Office officials sentenced by an American tribunal to prison terms ranging from four to 25 years.

In 1956, Ampex Corp. demonstrated the first practical videotape recorder at the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters Convention in Chicago.

In 1958, actor/director/screenwriter Peter Capaldi was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His roles as an ill-tempered spin doctor, and an ill-tempered Gallifreyan doctor, would come later.

In 1965, the state of Kansas hanged Richard Hickock and Perry Smith for the 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, his wife, Bonnie, and two of their children, Nancy and Kenyon. (The crime would later be recounted in Truman Capote’s book In Cold Blood.)

Also in 1965, the suspense movie “The Satan Bug” had its U.S. premiere in New York City.

In 1968, at the Academy Awards, there was a tie for the Best Actress award between Katherine Hepburn (for “The Lion in Winter”) and Barbra Streisand (for “Funny Girl”).

In 1981, the first test flight of America's first operational space shuttle, the Columbia, ended successfully with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In 1986, in retaliation for the April 5th bombing in a West Berlin discotheque in which three people were killed and 230 injured, U.S. President Ronald Reagan ordered major bombing raids against Libya, killing 60 people.

In 1988, in a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signed an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

In 2003, U.S. troops in Bagdad captured Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian terrorist group that killed American passenger Leon Klinghoffer on the hijacked cruise liner the MS Achille Lauro in 1985.

In 2005, The Oregon Supreme Court nullified marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.

In 2008, animator Ollie Johnston, the last of the “Nine Old Men” at Walt Disney Productions, died in Sequim, WA at age 95.

Also in 2008, the Marvel superhero movie “Iron Man”, starring Robert Downey, Jr., premiered in Sydney, Australia. It was not shown IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!

In 2014, two hundred seventy-six schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok, Northeastern Nigeria, sparking global outrage.

In 2016, at least nine people were killed and 761 injured by a magnitude-6.5 earthquake in the Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan.

In 2017, the teaser trailer and poster art for “Star Wars: Episode VIII- The Last Jedi” were released on-line and at the Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, FL.

Also in 2017, the 11th season (dubbed “The Relaunch”) of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” was released on Netflix.

In 2019, Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA. It was his first major golf win in eleven years and his first win at the Masters since 2005.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 15th:

In 1715, the Yamasee War began as members of the Yamasee tribe attacked English settlers in colonial South Carolina.

In 1783, preliminary articles of peace ending the American Revolution (or the American War of Independence) were ratified.

In 1817, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf, the first American school for deaf students, in Hartford, CT.

In 1850, the city of San Francisco was incorporated.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln died nine hours after being shot the night before by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington; Andrew Johnson became the 17th President of the U.S.

In 1889, Belgian missionary Fr. Joseph Damien, who ministered to lepers on Molokai, Hawaii, died there of leprosy at age 49.

In 1892, author Corrie ten Boom was born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She’s best-known for The Hiding Place, about her experiences, along with other family members, aiding Jews escaping the Holocaust.

In 1894, Nikita Khrushchev, who’d later lead the Soviet Union from the late 1950s to early 1960s, was born in Kalinovka, Kursk Governorate, Russian Empire.

In 1912, the British luxury liner RMS Titanic foundered in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland more than 2 1/2 hours after hitting an iceberg; 1,514 people died, while less than half as many survived.

In 1917, actor Hans Conreid was born in Baltimore, MD. Among his many roles, he’s well-known for doing the voice of Snideley Whiplash on “Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties”.

In 1933, singer/musician Roy Clark was born in Meherrin, GA.

Also in 1933, actress Elizabeth Montgomery was born in Los Angeles. Feel free to twitch your nose in her honor.

In 1934, Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre, the oldest still-operating drive-in in the U.S., opened in Orefield, PA. Nice place, by the way.

In 1938, the Disney cartoon “Donald’s Nephews” was released. It featured the first screen appearance of Huey, Dewey and Louie.

In 1941, in the Belfast Blitz, two-hundred bombers of the German Luftwaffe attacked Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom killing one thousand people.

In 1945, during World War II, British and Canadian troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.

In 1947, at Ebbets Field, Jackie Robinson played his first major league baseball game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Previously he had only appeared in exhibition games.

In 1955, Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, IL.

In 1960, a three-day conference to form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) began at Shaw University in Raleigh, NC. (The group's first chairman was Marion Barry.)

Hikeeba! In 1966, the misleadingly-titled sci-fi movie “Women of the Prehistoric Planet” was released in the U.S. It’d later be memorably MSTed.

In 1974, members of the Symbionese Liberation Army held up a branch of the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco; a member of the group was SLA kidnap victim Patricia Hearst, who by this time was going by the name "Tania" (Hearst later said she'd been forced to participate).

In 1983, author Corrie ten Boom died in Placentia, CA on her 91st birthday.

In 1985, South Africa said it would repeal laws prohibiting sex and marriage between whites and non-whites.

In 1989, 96 people died in a crush of soccer fans at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England.

Also in 1989, Students in Beijing launched a series of pro-democracy protests; the demonstrations culminated in a government crackdown at Tiananmen Square.

In 2013, two bombs packed with nails and other metal shards exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line, killing two women and an 8-year-old boy and injuring more than 260. (Convicted bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death; his brother and alleged accomplice, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died in a shootout with police.)

Also in 2013, actor/screenwriter Richard LeParmentier, known to “Star Wars” fans for playing Adm. Motti in “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope”, died in Austin, TX at age 66.

In 2017, actor/voice artist/soldier R. Lee Ermey died at age 74.

In 2019, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France was seriously damaged by a large fire. The cathedral's wood-and-lead spire and roof collapsed, and considerable damage was caused to the interior, upper walls, and windows, as well as to numerous works of art.

 

If I may...

ON APRIL 16th:

In 73 A.D., Masada, a Jewish fortress, fell to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the Great Jewish Revolt.

In 1521, Martin Luther made his first appearance before the Diet of Worms to be examined by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the other estates of the empire.

In 1746, the Battle of Culloden was fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland. After the battle many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants. (There are conflicting reports regarding the disappearance of one James Robert MacCrimmon following the battle.)

In 1789, President-elect George Washington left Mount Vernon, Virginia, for his inauguration in New York.

In 1889, comedian/filmmaker Charlie Chaplin was born in London.

In 1917, actor Barry Nelson, the first actor to play James Bond on-screen, was born in San Francisco.

In 1918, highly-influential comedian Spike Milligan was born in Ahmednagar, British India.

In 1924, composer/conductor/arranger Henry Mancini was born in Cleveland, OH.

In 1935, the radio comedy program "Fibber McGee and Molly" premiered on NBC's Blue Network.

In 1940, Major League Baseball's first (and, to date, only) opening day no-hitter took place as Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians pitched a no-no against the Chicago White Sox, 1-0, at Comiskey Park.

In 1945, during World War II, several events occurred: a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea torpedoed and sank the MV Goya, which Germany was using to transport civilian refugees and wounded soldiers; it's estimated that up to 7,000 people died. The Red Army began the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights. U.S. troops reached Nuremberg, while U.S. forces also invaded the Japanese island of Ie Shima. And the U.S. Army liberated Nazi Sonderlager (high security) P.O.W. camp Oflag IV-C, better known as Colditz.

Also in 1945, in his first speech to Congress, President Harry S. Truman pledged to carry out the war and peace policies of his late predecessor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1947, the French ship Grandcamp blew up at the harbor in Texas City, TX; another ship, the High Flyer, exploded the following day. (The blasts and fires killed nearly 600 people.)

Also in 1947, financier Bernard M. Baruch said in a speech at the South Carolina statehouse, "Let us not be deceived — we are today in the midst of a cold war."

In 1952, voice actor Billy West was born in Detroit, MI. Space limitations prevent a full listing of his characters.

In 1960, the horror movie “Ein Toter hing im Netz” (better-known as “Horrors of Spider Island”) was released in West Germany. It would later be one of the last movies featured during the original run of “Mystery Science Theater 3000”.

In 1962, Walter Cronkite made his debut as anchorman of "The CBS Evening News."

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in which he said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the Moon with Mission Commander John W. Young, LM Pilot Charles M. Duke Jr. and CM Pilot Ken Mattingly on board.

In 1979, the Western “Heaven’s Gate” started filming in Glacier National Park in Montana. Filming would be completed nearly a year later.

In 1986, dispelling rumors he was dead, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appeared on television to condemn the U.S. raid on his country and to say that Libyans were "ready to die" defending their nation.

In 1991, principal photography began on “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”.

In 2005, the BBC announced that David Tennant would succeed Christopher Eccleston in the role of the Doctor on “Doctor Who”.

In 2007, a mentally disturbed student killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech before taking his own life.

In 2014, more than 300 people, mostly students, died when a South Korean ferry, the Sewol, sank while en route from Incheon to the resort island of Jeju; 172 people survived.

In 2015, the second trailer for "Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens" was released, following its premiere at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, CA. The fan reaction was somewhat emotional.

In 2016, Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu, Japan suffered a second earthquake in two days. The second had a magnitude of 7.0. Both events resulted in an initial combined death toll of 42, with approximately 3,000 injured.

In 2018, actor/comedian/magician Harry Anderson died in Asheville, NC at age 65.