Fun On this date in history...

If I may...

ON MARCH 23rd:

In 1775, during a speech to the Virginia Convention at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Founding Father Patrick Henry declared, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”.

In 1888, in England, The Football League, the world's oldest professional association football league, met for the first time.

In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt left New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. Reports that he met a young boy named Henry Jones, Jr. during the trip have been widely debated.

In 1910, filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan.

In 1912, aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun was born in Wirsitz, Posen Province, Prussia, Germany.

In 1914, the first installment of "The Perils of Pauline," the legendary silent film serial starring Pearl White, premiered in the greater New York City area.

In 1933, The Reichstag passed the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany.

In 1940, the radio program "Truth or Consequences," hosted by Ralph Edwards, was first broadcast over four CBS radio stations in New York and New England.

In 1942, the first Japanese-Americans interned by the U.S. Army during World War II arrived at the internment camp in Manzanar, CA.

In 1956, Pakistan became the first Islamic republic in the world. (The day is celebrated as Republic Day in Pakistan)

In 1961, pilot/cosmonaut Valentin Bondarenko died in Moscow at age 24. He was killed in a training accident involving a fire in a chamber pressurized with pure oxygen. It has been speculated that, had the Soviet Union allowed knowledge of the accident to be made public, the later fire-related deaths of Apollo 1 astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee might have been avoided.

In 1964, John Lennon's book of verse and rhyme 'In His Own Write' was published in the UK.

In 1965, the first manned flight of NASA’s Gemini program, Gemini 3, was launched. Command Pilot Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Pilot John W. Young made three Earth orbits aboard the spacecraft Molly Brown.

In 1966, Arthur Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Pope Paul VI met and exchanged greetings in Rome, the first official meeting between heads of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches in more than four hundred years.

In 1967, on the original series “Star Trek”, the episode “Errand of Mercy” was broadcast on NBC-TV. It featured the first appearance of the Klingons in the franchise.

In 1973, before sentencing a group of Watergate break-in defendants, Chief U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica read aloud a letter he'd received from James W. McCord Jr. which said there had been "political pressure" to "plead guilty and remain silent."

In 1977, the first installment of “The Nixon Interviews” was videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former U.S. President Richard Nixon. (12 installments would be recorded over a four-week period.)

In 1994, a USAF F-16 aircraft collided with a USAF C-130 at Pope AFB and then crashed, killing 24 U.S. Army soldiers on the ground. This later became known as the “Green Ramp Disaster”.

Also in 1994, a natural gas pipeline broke open and exploded near the Durham Woods apartment complex in Edison, NJ. The resulting fire destroyed or severely damaged 14 of the apartment buildings, over 1,500 apartment residents were evacuated, 100 residents were left homeless, and one death occurred from a heart attack. Your humble correspondent witnessed the literal pillar of fire following the explosion, and helped his brother Bri and announcer Ken Donnhauser report on the fire for WAWZ-FM, Zarephath, NJ.

In 1996, Taiwan held its first direct elections and chose Lee Teng-hui as President.

In 1997, the mystery series “Midsomer Murders” premiered on ITV. It starred John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby, and is set in the county with probably the highest annual murder rate on the face of the Earth.

In 2001, after funding for the project was discontinued, the Russian space station Mir was de-orbited and burned up in atmosphere.

In 2010, The Affordable Care Act became law in the U.S.

In 2011, Academy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor died in Los Angeles at age 79.

In 2019, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces declared military victory over the ISIS terrorist organization after four years of fighting.

In 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19.

In 2022, diplomat Madelieine Albright died in Washington, D.C. at age 84. She was the first female U.S. Secretary of State, serving during the second term of President Bill Clinton.

 

The Gemini 3 launch:

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 24th:

In 1765, Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers.

In 1820, composer/hymnwriter Fanny Crosby was born in Brewster, NY.

In 1832, a mob in Hiram, Ohio, attacked, tarred and feathered Mormon leaders Joseph Smith Jr. and Sidney Rigdon.

In 1874, magician/escape artist Harry Houdini was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary.

In 1887, actor/comedian/writer/director Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was born in Smith Center, KS. He’d later become a highly-successful silent movie star, and have his career seriously damaged by scandal.

In 1900, Mayor of New York City Robert Anderson Van Wyck broke ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.

In 1901, animator/cartoonist Ub Iwerks, one of the primary contributors to Walt Disney Productions from its earliest days, was born in Kansas City, KS.

In 1905, novelist/poet/playwright Jules Verne died in Amiens, France at age 77.

In 1911, producer/director/animator Joseph Barbera was born in New York City. Later, partnered with William Hanna, he’d provide a whole lot of the TV I watched as a kid.

In 1913, New York's Palace Theatre, the legendary home of vaudeville, opened on Broadway.

In 1930, actor Steve McQueen was born in Beech Grove, IN. Later, playing a “teenager”, he’d have a run in with the Blob.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill granting future independence to the Philippines.

Also in 1934, the children’s radio series “Let’s Pretend” premiered over CBS. Featuring adaptations of literary classics and fantasy stories, it would run until 1954.

In 1939, the movie “The Hound of the Baskervilles” premiered in New York City. It was the first movie to feature Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.

In 1944, in occupied Rome, the Nazis executed more than 300 civilians in reprisal for an attack by Italian partisans the day before that had killed 32 German soldiers.

Also in 1944, in an event later dramatized in the movie “The Great Escape”, 76 Allied prisoners of war began breaking out of the German camp Salag Luft III.

In addition in 1944, actor R. Lee Ermey was born in Emporia, KS. He’d later become a drill instructor and use that experience many, many times in his later career.

In 1955, the Tennessee Williams play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theater.

In 1958, rock-and-roll singer Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1965, NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brought images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing.

In 1972, The United Kingdom imposed direct rule over Northern Ireland.

In 1975, Muhammad Ali defeated Chuck Wepner with a technical knockout in the 15th round of a fight in Richfield, Ohio. (Wepner, a journeyman boxer known as the "Bayonne Bleeder," reportedly inspired Sylvester Stallone to make his "Rocky" films.)

In 1976, the president of Argentina, Isabel Peron, was deposed by her country's military.

In 1980, one of El Salvador's most respected Roman Catholic Church leaders, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, was shot to death by a sniper as he celebrated Mass in San Salvador.

Also in 1980, the news program “Nightline”, hosted by Ted Koppel, premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound and began leaking an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.

In 1990, comedian Ray Goulding, of the team of Bob & Ray, died in Manhasset, NY at age 68.

In 1999, NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia, marking the first time in its 50-year existence that it had ever attacked a sovereign country.

In 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps in an apparent mass murder-suicide, killing all 150 people on board.

In 2016, actor/comedian/writer/producer Gary Shandling died in Los Angeles at age 66.

In 2023, a natural gas explosion occurred at a candy factory owned by R.W. Palmer Co. in West Reading, PA. Seven people died and ten were injured.

Also in 2023, a severe weather and tornado outbreak began across portions of the lower Mississippi River Valley, resulting in widespread heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms, and significant tornadoes over a four-day period. At least 23 people died and over 200 were injured in the event.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 25th:

In 1306, Robert the Bruce became King of Scots.

In 1634, Maryland was founded by English colonists sent by the second Lord Baltimore.

In 1807, Britain abolished its slave trade.

In 1908, filmmaker Sir David Lean, CBE was born in Croydon, Surrey, England.

In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. factory in New York City killed 146 workers, most of them young immigrant women.

In 1918, author/journalist/TV host Howard Cosell was born in Winston-Salem, NC. He’d later be the first and only host of the other “Saturday Night Live”.

In 1920, actor Patrick Troughton was born in Mill Hill, Middlesex, England. He’d receive his Doctorate sometime later.

In 1928, James A. Lovell, Jr. was born in Cleveland, OH. He’d later serve as Pilot for Gemini 7, Command Pilot for Gemini 12, Command Module Pilot for Apollo 8, and Spacecraft Commander for Apollo 13.

In 1939, scriptwriter/story editor D.C. Fontana, best-known for her work on the original series “Star Trek”, was born in Sussex, NJ.

In 1941, The Kingdom of Yugoslavia joined the Axis powers with the signing of the Tripartite Pact.

In 1947, a coal dust explosion in a mine in Centralia, IL killed 111 miners. Only 31 escaped the blast.

In 1949, the March deportation was conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to force collectivisation by way of terror. The Soviet authorities would deport more than 92,000 people from the Baltics to remote areas of the Soviet Union.

In 1956, the sci-fi movie “World Without End” was released in the U.S. It would later be the memorable subject for live riffing by Joel & the ‘bots, and your humble correspondent wishes he’d been there with his trusty camcorder.

Also in 1956, the sci-fi movie “The Indestructible Man”, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., was released in the U.S. It would also be riffed on by Joel & the ‘bots, though not live.

In 1957, The Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community.

In 1965, civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. successfully completed their four-day, fifty-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, AL.

In 1975, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot to death by a nephew with a history of mental illness.

In 1990, an arson fire killed 87 people trapped inside the Happy Land, an illegal nightclub in The Bronx.

In 1992, Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returned to Earth from the Mir space station after a 10-month stay, during which his native country, the Soviet Union, ceased to exist.

In 1995, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the episode featuring the movie “Samson and the Vampire Women” was broadcast on Comedy Central. It featured the last regular appearance by Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

In 1996, an 81-day-long standoff between the anti-government group Montana Freemen and law enforcement near Jordan, MT began.

In 2002, a powerful earthquake rocked Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan, killing as many as 1,000 people.

In 2006, Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged Belarusian presidential election of that year, clashed with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin was among several protesters arrested.

Also in 2006, a gunman killed six people before committing suicide at a party in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 26th:

In 1812, an earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing an estimated 26,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Also in 1812, a political cartoon in the “Boston Gazette” coined the term "gerrymander" to describe oddly shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelection.

In 1827, composer/pianist Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna.

In 1874, poet/author Robert Frost was born in San Francisco.

In 1892, poet/author Walt Whitman died in Camden, NJ.

In 1904, author/mythologist Joseph Campbell was born in White Plains, NY. His writings would later influence a space fantasy film series that was somewhat successful.

In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first U.S. team to win the Stanley Cup as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens.

In 1923, actor/comedian Bob Elliot, of the comedy team Bob & Ray, was born in Boston, MA.

In 1925, actor/director/producer Barry Letts, best-known for his work on “Doctor Who” during the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker eras, was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

In 1931, actor/director/author Leonard Nimoy was born in Boston, MA.

In 1945, during World War II, the Battle of Iwo Jima ended as the island was officially secured by American forces.

In 1950, actor/comedian/writer/producer Martin Short was born in Hamilton, Ontario. His tenure at SCTV and SNL would come later.

In 1954, the “Romeo shot” of Operation Castle was detonated at Bikini Atoll. The yield of the nuclear bomb was 11 megatons.

In 1964, the musical play "Funny Girl," starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice, opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theater.

In 1969, the Western spoof “Support Your Local Sheriff!”, starring James Garner, was released in the U.S.

In 1970, the documentary film “Woodstock” was released in the U.S. It would later win an Oscar for Best Documentary, and be watched obsessively by Robert Neville in post-Apocalypse Los Angeles.

In 1976, a rare rainstorm delayed filming and damaged sets during the filming of “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope” in Tunisia.

In 1979, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C.

In 1982, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was held in Washington, D.C..

In 1985, actress Keira Knightley was born in Teddington, London. Years later, she’d appear in a prequel to some space fantasy movie, then start appearing in some pirate movies.

In 1989, the science fiction series “Quantum Leap”, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1994, on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, the episode “Journey’s End” was broadcast in syndication. It featured the last regular appearance of Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher.

Also in 1994, the original “Star Wars” trilogy was shown at Union County Arts Center in Rahway, NJ. It was the last time the original versions of the films would be shown in an authorized, public performance. And yours truly was there, wearing his “Star Wars” 10th Anniversary jacket.

In 1997, thirty-nine members of the Heaven’s Gate cult were found dead, having committed mass suicide.

In 1999, the "Melissa worm" infected Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world.

Also in 1999, a jury in Michigan found Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man.

In 2005, on “Doctor Who”, “Rose” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode of the revived series, and introduced Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose Tyler and Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith.

In 2014, The National Labor Relations Board ruled that college football players at Northwestern University could unionize.

In 2024, the main spans of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, across the Patapsco River in Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore, MD, collapsed after a fully-loaded container ship struck one of its support pillars. Two people were recovered from the river, while six members of a construction crew working on the bridge’s roadway were reported missing, presumed dead.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 27th:

In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted present-day Florida.

In 1794, the U.S. Government established a permanent navy and authorized the building of six frigates.

In 1866, President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866. His veto was overridden by Congress and the bill passed into law on April 9th.

In 1871, the first international rugby football match occurred, when Scotland defeated England in Edinburgh at Raeburn Place.

In 1884, the first telephone line between Boston and New York was inaugurated.

In 1886, Apache warrior Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.

In 1901, author/cartoonist Carl Barks, best-known for his stories about Donald Duck, his nephews and Scrooge McDuck, was born Merrill, OR.

In 1912, first lady Helen Herron Taft and the wife of Japan's ambassador to the United States, Viscountess Chinda, planted in Washington the first two of 3,000 cherry trees given as a gift by the mayor of Tokyo.

In 1917, The Seattle Metropolitans, of the Pacific Coast League of Canada, defeated the Montreal Canadiens and became the first U.S. hockey team to win the Stanley Cup.

In 1921, announcer Fred Foy, best-known for his opening for “The Lone Ranger”, was born in Detroit, MI.

In 1927, producer/writer/voice artist Sylvia Anderson, best-known for her work with then-husband Gerry Anderson on the various Supermarionation productions, was born in Camberwell, London, England.

In 1931, actor David Janssen was born in Naponee, NE. His pursuit of the one-armed man would come later.

In 1933, Japan officially withdrew from the League of Nations.

In 1935, actor Julian Glover was born in Hampstead, London. He’d later appear as a rare Imperial officer that Vader didn’t seem to hold in contempt.

In 1940, Alfred Hitchcock's first American movie, "Rebecca" starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1941, during World War II, Yugoslavian Air Force officers toppled the pro-Axis government in a bloodless coup.

In 1942, actor Michael York was born in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, England. Years later, one of his characters would discover, “There Is No Sanctuary.”

In 1945, during World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower told reporters in Paris that Germany's main defensive line on the Western Front had been broken.

In 1948, the John Ford western “Fort Apache”, starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda, premiered in Phoenix, AZ.

In 1952, the musical comedy movie “Singin’ in the Rain” premiered in New York City.

In 1958, Nikita Khrushchev became Soviet premier in addition to First Secretary of the Communist Party.

Also in 1958, CBS Records announced the invention of stereophonic records.

In 1962, author Kevin J. Anderson, who’s written for several franchises (including “Star Wars”, “Dune” and DC superheroes) was born in Racine, WI.

In 1964, Alaska was hit by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake (the strongest on record in North America) and tsunamis that together claimed about 130 lives.

In 1968, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, pilot of Vostok 1 and the first man in space, was killed in a jet crash in Novosyolovo, Russia.

In 1975, construction began on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which was completed two years later.

In 1977, 583 people were killed when a KLM Boeing 747, attempting to take off, crashed into a Pan Am 747 on the Canary Island of Tenerife.

In 1980, 123 workers died when a North Sea floating oil field platform, the Alexander Kielland, capsized during a storm.

In 1987, the film “Withnail & I” premiered in New York. It starred Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann, both of whom would later play the Doctor (one non-canonical, one recognized).

In 2002, two mass killings occurred. A Palestinian suicide bomber killed 29 people at a Passover seder in Netanya, Israel; while in Nanterre, France, a gunman opened fire at the end of a town council meeting, resulting in the deaths of eight councilors, with 19 other people injured.

Also in 2002, actor/comedian Milton Berle died in Los Angeles at age 93, actor/comedian/musician/composer Dudley Moore died in Plainfield, NJ at age 66, and filmmaker Billy Wilder died in Los Angeles at age 95.

In 2004, stunt coordinator/arranger/performer Peter Diamond died in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. His credits included the original “Star Wars” trilogy, as well as “Doctor Who”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Highlander”.

In 2006, Elvis Presley's Graceland was declared a national historic landmark.

In 2016, a suicide blast in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Lahore claimed over 70 lives and left almost 300 others injured. The targets of the bombing were Christians celebrating Easter.

In 2020, North Macedonia became the 30th member of NATO.

In 2022, the 94th Academy Awards ceremonies were held in Los Angeles. However, the awards were overshadowed by an incident where comedian Chris Rock made a joke about actress Jada Pinkett Smth, and her husband, actor Will Smith, went on-stage, cursed him out and struck him in the face. (Later, Smith, accepting an Oscar for Best Actor, apologized to the audience for his actions.)

In 2023, a mass shooting occurred at a private Christian school in Nashville, TN. Three children and three staff members were killed. Following an exchange of gunfire with responding officers, the shooter was killed by police.

 

Forgot again...

ON MARCH 28th:

In 1834, the U.S. Senate voted to censure President Andrew Jackson for the removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States.

In 1854, during the Crimean War, Britain and France declared war on Russia.

In 1862, during the Civil War, Union forces stopped the Confederate invasion of New Mexico territory in the Battle of Glorieta Pass. The battle began on March 26th.

In 1898, the Supreme Court, in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, ruled that a child born in the United States to Chinese immigrants was a U.S. citizen.

In 1930, the names of the Turkish cities of Constantinople and Angora were changed to Istanbul and Ankara.

In 1935, the notorious Nazi propaganda film "Triumph des Willens" (Triumph of the Will), directed by Leni Riefenstahl, premiered in Berlin with Adolf Hitler present.

In 1942, during World War II, in occupied France, British naval forces successfully raided the German-occupied port of St. Nazaire.

In 1958, Eddie Cochran recorded "Summertime Blues" at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, CA.

In 1963, Sonny Werblin announced that the New York Titans of the American Football League was changing its name to the New York Jets.

Also in 1963, the Alfred Hitchcock suspense film “The Birds” premiered in New York City.

In 1965, an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck La Ligua, Chile, leaving about 400 people dead or missing, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In 1967, the TV movie “Ironside”, starring Raymond Burr, was broadcast on NBC-TV. It would serve as the pilot for the later series, which followed in September.

In 1969, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the U.S., died in Washington D.C. at age 78.

In 1972, Elvis Presley recorded “Burning Love” at RCA Studios in Hollywood, CA. It would be his last Top 10 hit.

In 1978, Paramount Pictures announced its upcoming production of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.

In 1979, America's worst commercial nuclear accident occurred with a partial meltdown inside the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania.

In 1980, the horror movie “The Changeling” was released in the U.S. and Canada. It starred George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere and Melvin Douglas.

In 1987, actor Patrick Troughton, the Second Doctor, died in Columbus, GA at age 67.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush presented a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Olympic legend Jesse Owens.

In 2003, in a friendly fire incident, two American A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft attacked British tanks participating in the invasion of Iraq, killing one soldier.

In 2005, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake hit northern Sumatra, causing massive damage and killing over 1,000 people, with more than 1,000 more injured.

In 2006, massive protests were mounted against France's First Employment Contract law, meant to reduce youth unemployment.

In 2023, Central and South American detainees at a migrant center in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, deliberately set fire to their mattresses, killing 38 people and injuring 28 others.

In 2025, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck close to Mandalay, Myanmar. It caused damage in Myanmar and neighboring Thailand, and resulted in over 1,600 deaths and nearly 3,500 injuries.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 29th:

In 1638, Swedish colonists settled in present-day Delaware.

In 1788, cleric/evangelist/hymnwriter Charles Wesley died in London at age 80.

In 1790, John Tyler, the 10th President of the U.S., was born in Charles City County, Virginia.

In 1812, the first White House wedding took place as Lucy Payne Washington, the sister of first lady Dolley Madison, married Supreme Court Justice Thomas Todd.

In 1882, the Knights of Columbus was chartered in Connecticut.

In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brewed the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, GA.

In 1902, composer Sir William Walton was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.

In 1906, organist E. Power Biggs was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, England.

In 1912, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, his doomed expedition stranded in an Antarctic blizzard after failing to be the first to reach the South Pole, wrote the last words of his journal: "For Gods sake look after our people."

In 1936, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler claimed overwhelming victory in a plebiscite on his policies.

In 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese began.

Also in 1943, actor/comedian/singer/writer/director/Python/Rutle Eric Idle was born in South Shields, County Durham, England. Know what I mean? Nudge, nudge.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in New York of conspiracy to commit espionage. (They were executed in June 1953.)

Also in 1951, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I" opened on Broadway at the St. James Theater.

In 1955, actress Marina Sirtis was born in London. Her Star Fleet experiences would come later.

In 1957, actor/producer Christopher Lambert was born in Great Neck, NY. At last report, he has not lost his head.

In 1959, the comedy movie “Some Like It Hot”, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, was released in the U.S.

In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.

Also In 1961, the British-made kaiju movie “Gorgo” was released in the U.S.

In 1962, Jack Paar hosted NBC's "Tonight" show for the final time, although the network aired a repeat the following night. (Johnny Carson debuted as host the following October.)

In 1968, on the original series “Star Trek”, the episode “Assignment: Earth” was broadcast on NBC-TV. Guest-starring Robert Lansing as Gary Seven and Teri Garr as Roberta, it was intended as a “back-door pilot” for a proposed spin-off series that was not produced. (Not yet, anyway.) It was also the last episode of TOS’s second season.

In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre. (Calley ended up serving three years under house arrest.)

Also in 1971, a jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. (The sentences were later commuted.)

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

Also in 1973, Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show got their picture on the cover of “Rolling Stone” magazine after their hit, ”The Cover of Rolling Stone” reached No. 6 on the US singles chart. According to members of the group, they really did buy five copies for their mothers, just like the song said.

In 1974, eight Ohio National Guardsmen were indicted on federal charges stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University. (The charges were later dismissed.)

Also in 1974, NASA’s Mariner 10 became the first space probe to fly by Mercury.

In 1984, in a move that remains controversial, the Baltimore Colts loaded its possessions onto fifteen Mayflower moving trucks in the early morning hours and transferred its operations to Indianapolis.

In 1988, the supernatural comedy “Beetlejuice” premiered in New York City.

In 2004, the horror-comedy “Shaun of the Dead” its London premiere.

In 2010, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in twin attacks on Moscow subway stations jam-packed with rush-hour passengers, killing at least 40 people and wounding more than 100.

In 2014, the first same-sex marriages in England and Wales were performed.

In 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, formally beginning the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (popularly known as “Brexit”).

In 2021, New Zealand’s Ministry of Health reported its first death from COVID-19.

In 2022, The FDA and the CDC approved fourth doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people over the age of 50 years.

Also in 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Law into law, making lynching a federal crime.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 30th:

In 1135, the Jewish philosopher Maimonides was born in Cordoba in present-day Spain.

In 1842, Ether anesthesia was used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long.

In 1867, Alaska was purchased from Russia for $7.2 million, about 2¢/acre ($4.19/km²), by U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited denying citizens the right to vote and hold office on the basis of race, was declared in effect by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish.

In 1909, the Queensboro Bridge in New York City opened, linking Manhattan and Queens.

In 1913, singer/songwriter Frankie Laine was born in Chicago.

In 1923, the Cunard liner RMS Laconia became the first passenger ship to circle the globe as it arrived in New York.

In 1926, actor/singer/TV host Peter Marshall, best-known for hosting “The Hollywood Squares”, was born in Huntington, WV.

In 1930, actor John Astin was born in Baltimore, MD. But he’s feeling much better now.

In 1939, issue 27 of “Detective Comics” was published. It’s best-known today for featuring the first appearance of the Bat-Man, as he was known at the time.

In 1945, musician/singer/songwriter Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England.

In 1954, the Yonge Street subway line, the first subway in Canada, opened in Toronto.

In 1958, voice actor Maurice LaMarche, best-known for his roles on “Futurama” and as Brain on ‘Pinky and the Brain”, was born in Toronto.

In 1959, a narrowly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Bartkus v. Illinois, ruled that a conviction in state court following an acquittal in federal court for the same crime did not constitute double jeopardy.

In 1960, actor/writer/puppeteer Bill Corbett was born in Brooklyn, NY. Later, on a cow-town puppet show, he'd divide his time between the S.O.L. and Castle Forrester.

It premiered on NBC-TV in 1964, was originally hosted by Art Fleming, and originally announced by Don Pardo. What is “Jeopardy!”?

Also in 1964, actor Ian Ziering was born in Newark, NJ. He’s currently best-known for providing Rifftrax with a lot of material via the “Sharknado” series.

In 1967, the photo session for the cover of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” took place at Chelsea Manor studios in London with Michael Cooper.

In 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously wounded outside a Washington, D.C., hotel. White House Press Secretary James Brady was also shot and seriously wounded in the attack.

In 1984, the adventure movie “Romancing the Stone”, starring Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito, was released in the U.S.

In 2002, Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth died at Royal Lodge, Windsor, outside London at the age of 101.

In 2005, the BBC announced that Christopher Eccleston would leave the role of the Doctor at the end of the first series of the revival of “Doctor Who”.

In 2014, actress/writer Kate O’Mara, well-known to Whovians for her role as the Rani, died in Sussex, England at age 74.

In 2017, SpaceX conducted the world's first reflight of an orbital class rocket.

In 2023, former U.S. President Donald Trump was indicted by a New York City grand jury on 34 charges of falsifying business records to conceal alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. It was the first instance of a former U.S. President being indicted. (Trump was convicted on all counts on May 30th, and, following his victory in the 2024 Presidential election, was sentenced to an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025.)

 

Ye gods, how did I fall so far behind...

ON MARCH 31st:

In 1492, Queen Isabella of Castille issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

In 1774, The Kingdom of Great Britain ordered the port of Boston, MA closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act .

In 1814, Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.

In 1889, French engineer Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower, officially marking its completion.

In 1906, The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to set rules in amateur sports. The organization became the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910.

In 1918, a massacre was committed by allied armed groups of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims were killed.

Also in 1918, Daylight Savings Time went into effect in the United States for the first time.

In 1921, The Royal Australian Air Force was formed.

In 1927, actor William Daniels was born in Brooklyn, NY. And every year, on July 4th, I watch “1776”, where he played a certain obnoxious and disliked lawyer.

In 1930, the Motion Picture Production Code was instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.

Also in 1932, the original version of the gangster drama “Scarface”, starring Paul Muni, premiered in New Orleans.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act, which created the Civilian Conservation Corps.

In 1935, singer/songwriter/musician Herb Alpert was born in Los Angeles.

In 1943, "Oklahoma!," the first musical play by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, opened on Broadway at the St. James Theater.

In 1945, a defecting German pilot delivered a Messerschmitt Ms262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.

In 1949, Newfoundland (now called Newfoundland and Labrador) entered confederation as Canada's tenth province.

Also in 1949, RCA Victor introduced the 45rpm single record, which had been in development since 1940.

In 1957, the original version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," starring Julie Andrews, aired live in color on CBS-TV.

In 1958, the Chuck Berry single "Johnny B. Goode" was released by Chess Records.

In 1967, Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time when he was appearing at The Astoria in London, England.

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not seek re-election.

In 1971, actor Ewan McGregor was born in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. His officer’s commission in the Grand Army of the Republic would be issued later.

In 1973, on “Doctor Who”, part six of “Frontier in Space” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last appearance of Roger Delgado as the Master.

In 1975, the TV western series "Gunsmoke" closed out 20 seasons on CBS with its final first-run episode, "The Sharecroppers."

In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Karen Ann Quinlan, who was in a persistent vegetative state, could be disconnected from her respirator. (Quinlan, who remained unconscious, died in 1985.)

In 1980, The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operated its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.

Also in 1980, on “Blake’s 7”, the episode “Terminal” was broadcast over BBC1. It was the third season finale, and was intended as the series finale…but it didn’t take.

In 1983, MTV aired Michael Jackson's video for "Beat It." It was the first video MTV played by an African-American artist.

Also in 1983, the Monty Python movie “The Meaning of Life” released in the U.S. And, to this day, I can’t watch the Mr. Creosote sequence.

In 1986, 167 people died when a Mexicana Airlines Boeing 727 crashed in a remote mountainous region of Mexico.

In 1992, the USS Missouri, the last active U.S. Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, CA.

In 1993, actor Brandon Lee, age 28, was accidentally shot to death during the filming “The Crow” in Wilmington, NC, when he was hit by a bullet fragment that had been lodged inside a prop gun.

In 1995, Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, age 23, was shot to death in Corpus Christi, TX, by the founder of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In 2005, Terri Schiavo died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, FL at age 41, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute.

In 2007, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “Smith & Jones” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode of the third series, and introduced Freema Agyeman was Martha Jones.

In 2016, actor/comedian/writer Ronnie Corbett died in Croydon, England at age 85.

In 2023, a major tornado outbreak began throughout the Midwestern, Southern and Eastern U.S. Approximately 28 million people were placed under tornado watches in the affected area. (Over the next nearly 30 hours, 145 tornados were reported, resulting in heavy damage, at least 26 deaths, and approximately 200 injuries.)

In 2025, Ketchup Entertainment announced that it had acquired worldwide distribution rights for the Looney Tunes movie “Coyote vs. ACME” from Warner Bros. Pictures. (WB had announced in February, 2024 that it had shelved the film, along with several others, as part of a tax write-off.)

 

Well, at least I've reached the current month..

ON APRIL 1st:

In 1789, the U.S. House of Representatives held its first full meeting in New York; Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first House speaker.

In 1854, the first installment of the serialized version of Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times was published in his magazine “Household Words”.

In 1865, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan routed Confederate soldiers under the command of Maj. Gen. George Pickett in the Battle of Five Forks in Virginia.

In 1883, actor/director/screenwriter Lon Chaney was born in Colorado Springs, CO.

In 1917, producer/network executive Sydney Newman, co-creator of “The Avengers” and “Doctor Who”, was born in Toronto.

In 1918, The Royal Air Force was created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.

In 1919, the final game of the 1919 Stanley Cup was canceled due to the worldwide epidemic of influenza. No winner was declared in the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans.

In 1920, actor Toshiro Mifune was born in Qingdao, China.

In 1923, the “thrill comedy” “Safety Last”, starring Harold Lloyd, was released in the U.S.

In 1924, Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. (Hitler was released in Dec. 1924; during his time behind bars, he wrote his autobiographical screed, "Mein Kampf.")

Also in 1924, The Royal Canadian Air Force was formed.

In 1926, actor John Scott Martin, the longest-running Dalek operator in “Doctor Who” history, was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

In 1929, actor/screenwriter/producer Jonathan Haze, best-known for his work with Roger Corman, was born in Pittsburgh, PA.

In 1930, actress Grace Lee Whitney, best-known for playing Janice Rand on “Star Trek”, was born in Ann Arbor, MI.

In 1931, “The Living Shadow”, the first pulp magazine story featuring The Shadow, was published by Street and Smith.

In 1932, actress/singer/dancer Debbie Reynolds, Princess Leia’s real mother, was born in El Paso, TX.

In 1933, Nazi Germany staged a daylong national boycott of Jewish-owned businesses.

In 1937, The Royal New Zealand Air Force was formed as an independent service.

In 1939, Generalisimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announced the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrendered.

In 1945, American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World War II. (U.S. forces succeeded in capturing the Japanese island on June 22.)

In 1949, the 26 counties of the Irish Free State became Ireland.

In 1954, the United States Air Force Academy was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 1957, the BBC broadcasted the “spaghetti-tree hoax” on its current affairs program “Panorama”.

In 1963, the soap opera “General Hospital” premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and television, to take effect after Jan. 1, 1971.

In 1972, the first Major League Baseball players' strike began; it lasted 12 days.

In 1975, with Khmer Rouge guerrillas closing in, Cambodian President Lon Nol resigned and fled into exile, spending the rest of his life in the United States.

In 1976, Apple Inc. was formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.

In 1978, the last episode of “The Bob Newhart Show” was broadcast.

In 1979, the novel Han Solo at Stars’ End by Brian Daley was published. It was the first of Daley’s trilogy of Solo novels, and one of the earliest entries in what would later be called the “Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU)”.

Also in 1979, Iran became an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.

In 1984, recording star Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father, Marvin Gay, Sr. in Los Angeles, the day before his 45th birthday. (The elder Gay pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, and received probation.)

In 1992, the National Hockey League Players' Association went on its first-ever strike, which lasted 10 days.

In 1997, the anime series “Pokemon” premiered in Japan over TV Tokyo.

In 2003, Michael J. Nelson’s novel Mike Nelson’s “Death Rat” was published. And if you’ve read the book, you understand why the date is appropriate.

In 2004, Google launched Gmail, its e-mail service.

In 2011, a mob attacked a United Nations compound in Mazur-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of thirteen people, including eight foreign workers.

In 2014, an editorial in the “Star-Ledger” of Newark urged the U.S. government to discourage the consumption of red meat due to the environmental harm caused by cow-generated methane gas. At the time, those familiar with the paper weren’t sure if it was serious or not. Recent political events, though, seem to possibly indicate a seriousness in the piece.

In 2017, writer/producer Steven Bochco died in New York City at age 74.

In 2024, seven volunteers from the World Central Kitchen aid organization were killed in an Israeli airstrike south of Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip. (Israeli military authorities said the attack was unintentional.)

Also in 2024, actor/writer/comedian Joe Flaherty died in Toronto at age 82.

In 2025, U.S. Senator Cory Booker completed a marathon 25 hour, five minute speech on the Senate floor, protesting the actions of the second Trump Administration. It became the longest recorded speech in Senate history.

 

Still working on it...

ON APRIL 2nd:

In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon first sighted land in what is now Florida.

In 1792, The Coinage Act was passed establishing the United States Mint.

In 1865, during the Civil War, defeat at the Third Battle of Petersburg forced the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, VA.

Weeeeeel, doggie! In 1908, actor/dancer Buddy Ebsen was born in Belleville, IL.

In 1914, actor Sir Alec Guinness was born in Paddington, London.

In 1917, during World War I, United States President Woodrow Wilson asked the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

In 1920, actor/producer/director/screenwriter Jack Webb was born in Santa Monica, CA.

In 1926, screenwriter Robert Holmes, best-known for his work on “Doctor Who”, was born in Hertfordshire, England.

In 1930, after the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie was proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.

In 1932, aviator Charles A. Lindbergh and John F. Condon went to a cemetery in The Bronx, where Condon turned over $50,000 to a man in exchange for Lindbergh's kidnapped son. (The child, who was not returned, was found dead the following month.)

In 1939, singer/songwriter/musician Marvin Gaye was born in Washington, D.C.

In 1941, disc jockey/music historian Dr. Demento was born in Minneapolis, MN.

In 1942, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "American Patrol" at the RCA Victor studios in Hollywood.

In 1956, the soap operas “As the World Turns” and “The Edge of Night” premiered on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.

In 1959, the Original Seven astronauts were selected by NASA for the U.S. Space Program, starting with Project Mercury.

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” premiered in Washington, D.C.

In 1970, the Beatles finished their last recording session for their last album, “Let it Be”.

In 1971, Ringo Starr's first solo single, "It Don't Come Easy," was released. It became a Top Five hit.

In 1974, during the 46th Annual Academy Awards, streaker Robert Opel interrupted David Niven at the podium. Niven quipped, “The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings."

In 1977, on “Doctor Who”, part six of “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the last episode produced by Phillip Hinchcliffe, who was forced off the program following complaints about on-screen violence.

In 1978, the prime-time soap opera “Dallas” premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.

In 1982, the fantasy/adventure movie “Conan the Barbarian”, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was released in the UK. It would reach the U.S. the following month.

In 1984, John Thompson became the first African-American coach to lead his team (Georgetown) to the NCAA college basketball championship.

In 1986, four American passengers were killed when a bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens, Greece.

In 1992, in New York, Mafia boss John Gotti was convicted of murder and racketeering. (He was later sentenced to life in prison.)

In 1995, the costliest strike in professional sports history ended when baseball owners agreed to let players play without a contract.

In 2005, Pope John Paul II died in the Vatican at age 84.

In 2014, a spree shooting occurred at the Fort Hood Army Base near the town of Killeen, TX, with four people dead, including the gunman, and 16 others sustaining injuries.

In 2015, gunmen attacked Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 148 people and wounding 79 others.

Also in 2015, in one of the largest burglaries in English history, four men stole items worth up to £200 million from an underground safe deposit facility in London's Hatton Garden area.

In 2018, just over two years after being retired from service, the Chinese space station Tiangong-1 re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and crashed into the South Pacific Ocean near Tahiti.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of confirmed deaths worldwide reached one million.

In 2021, at least 49 people were killed in a train derailment in Taiwan after a truck accidentally rolled onto the track.

Also in 2021, a Capitol Police officer was killed and another injured when an attacker rammed his car into a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol building. (The driver was shot and mortally wounded by police after exiting the vehicle and attacking officers.)

In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of civilians were found dead on the streets in Bucha after the city was recaptured by Ukrainian forces. Journalists and Ukrainian forces cited this as evidence of war crimes by the Russian military.

In 2025, in a speech declaring “Liberation Day”, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a universal 10% tariff on nearly all foreign goods imported into the U.S., in addition to other tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico the previous February. The tariffs were announced to take effect on April 5th.

Also in 2025, the Trump Administration was criticized and ridiculed for imposing import tariffs on the Australian territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands near Antarctica, despite the fact that it has no human inhabitants, imports or exports.

 

Still working on it...

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.

In 2025, a 25% tariff on all automotive imports to the United States went into effect.

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".

 

Getting there...

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.

Also in 1968, NASA launched Apollo 6, the second unmanned test flight of the Saturn V rocket. In spite of several malfunctions, the booster was deemed ready for manned flights.

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 the Sci-Fi Channel. 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.

In 2023, at a Manhattan court, former U.S. President Donald Trump was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to felony charges of falsifying business records and making a "hush money" payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. (Trump would be convicted of the charges in May, 2024, and sentenced with an unconditional discharge in January, 2025.)

Also in 2023, Finland became a member of NATO after Turkey accepted its membership request.

In 2025, the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in response to his declaration of martial law, was unanimously upheld by the country's Constitutional Court, ending his presidency.

 

Nearly there...

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.

In 2023, four children were killed and four others are injured in a hatchet attack at a kindergarten in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. (The suspect surrendered to police after the attack.)

In 2025, “Hands Off” protests against the second Trump Administration were held in over 1,400 locations across the U.S., reportedly involving millions of participants.

 

If I may...

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 1936, “The Planet of Peril”, the opening chapter of the original Flash Gordon movie serial, was released in the U.S.

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.

In 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the first African-American woman to achieve the position.

 

One of Stan's funny commercials:

 

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.

In 2024, a total solar eclipse occurred, with a band of visibility ranging from Canada to Mexico, and covering the lower 48 United States.

 

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 introduced the seven pilots that 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.

In 2025, the second round of import tariffs, imposed by the United States, on foreign goods went into effect, including 104% tariff on goods from China.

Also in 2025, in response to recent U.S. tariffs on imported Chinese goods, China announced tariffs on all goods imported from the U.S. to a rate of 84%. Also, the European Union announced tariffs on goods imported from the U.S. at a rate of 10-25%.

 

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.

In 2025, a Bell 206 sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River off Lower Manhattan, killing all six people on board.