This Day in History
April 12

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: April 12?

On April 12 in ...

  • 352 - Saint Julius I dies, ending his reign as Catholic Pope (337-352).
  • 1065 - Pilgrims under bishop Günther of Bamberg reach Jerusalem.
  • 1204 - 4th Crusade occupies and plunders Constantinople.
  • 1229 - Queen Blanche of Castilië and earl Raymond VII van Toulouse sign peace.
  • 1385 - Willem van Oostervant weds Philip the Stout's daughter Margaretha (10).
  • 1500 - Birth of Joachim Camerarius in Bamberg, Germany; classical scholar, professor of classics at Tübingen, reorganized the University of Leipzig.
  • 1545 - French king François I orders protestants of Vaudois to be killed.
  • 1550 - Claude of Lorraine duke of Guise, dies at age 53.
  • 1555 - Johanna de Wanzinnige Queen of Castilie (1504-20), dies at age 75.
  • 1579 - Birth of François de Bassompierre marshal of France.
  • 1606 - England adopts the Union Jack as its flag.
  • 1622 - Birth of Johann Christian Baron von Boyneburg in Eisenach; diplomat of the Archbishop-elector of Mainz, Philipp von Schönborn, principal negotiator of the League of the Rhine (1658).
  • 1626 - Birth of Paul Hainlein composer.
  • 1648 - University of Harderwijk Netherlands solemn opens.
  • 1654 - England, Ireland and Scotland unite.
  • 1695 - Birth of Caspar Burman historian/mayor (Utrecht Netherlands).
  • 1704 - John Hudde 21x mayor of Amsterdam, dies at age 76.
  • 1709 - First edition of Tattler magazine in England.
  • 1713 - Dutch State-General signs peace with France Netherlands loses Orange Princedom.
  • 1724 - Birth of Lyman Hall US physician (signed Declaration of Independence).
  • 1748 - William Kent English sculptor/architect (Kensington Palace), dies.
  • 1764 - Birth of Dirk van den Boetzelaer regent of Holland.
  • 1770 - Townsend Acts repealed.
  • 1776 - Halifax resolution for independence adopted by North Carolina.
  • 1777 - Death of Claude-Prosper J de Crébillon at age 70; French writer (Le sopha).
  • 1782 - Battle at Les Saintes, West-Indies: British fleet beats French.
  • 1791 - Birth of Francis Preston Blair; newspaper editor (Washington Globe).
  • 1792 - Birth of John George Lambton in London, England; statesman (first Earl of Durham).
  • 1793 - Birth of Ferdinand I the Good Natured, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary.
  • 1794 - Birth of Germinal P Dandelin; Belgian mathematician (geometry).
  • 1802 - Birth of François MP Liberman; French religious leader (Congregation of Heart).
  • 1811 - First US colonists on Pacific coast arrive at Cape Disappointment, Washington.
  • 1817 - Charles Messier, "comet ferret" and cataloger of famous "M objects", dies.
  • 1823 - Birth of Aleksandr Ostrovsky; Russian playwright (Artists and Admirers).
  • 1828 - Jean Henri Appelius, Dutch lawyer/minister of Finance, dies at age 60.
  • 1831 - Birth of George Burgwyn Anderson; Brigadier General (Confederate Army).
  • 1831 - Birth of Grenville Mellen Dodge; US Major General (Union volunteers).
  • 1844 - Texas became a US territory.
  • 1856 - Birth of William M Conway; English historian/explorer (Spitzbergen).
  • 1858 - First US billiards championship is held in Detroit, Michigan (Michael J Phelan wins).
  • 1861 - Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on USA-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Bay, beginning the War Between the States (US Civil War, War of Southern Insurrection, War of Northern Aggression).
  • 1862 - US troops occupy Fort Pulaski, Georgia.
  • 1863 - Birth of Raul d'Avila Pompeia; Brazilian writer (Boarding School).
  • 1864 - Thomas Green, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 50.
  • 1864 - Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest captures Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
  • 1866 - US Congress passes the Contraction Act, calling for the retiring of greenback paper money.
  • 1869 - North Carolina legislature passes anti-Klan Law.
  • 1871 - Birth of Ioannis Metaxas; Greek General/dictator (1936-41).
  • 1872 - Jesse James gang robs bank in Columbia, Kentucky (one dead, $1,500 taken).
  • 1877 - British annex Transvaal, in South Africa.
  • 1877 - Catcher's mask first used in a baseball game.
  • 1878 - William M "Boss" Tweed, New York politician, dies.
  • 1879 - Birth of Frederick G Melcher; US publisher/editor/founded children book week.
  • 1883 - Birth of Imogen Cunningham; photographer (1965 ASMP award).
  • 1883 - French troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Borgnis-Desbordes occupy Bamako, Senegal.
  • 1884 - Birth of Otto Meyerhof in Germany; psychologist/biochemist (Nobel Prize-1922).
  • 1889 - Birth of Pierre-Étienne Flandin; French premier (1934-35), Minister of Foreign affairs.
  • 1892 - George C Blickensderfer patents portable typewriter.
  • 1893 - Battle at Hoornkrans Southwest-Africa: German Schutztruppen chases away Hottentotten under Hendrik Witbooi.
  • 1894 - Birth of Francisco H Craveiro Lopes; Portuguese General/President (1951-58).
  • 1894 - British and Belgian secret accord on dividing Central-Africa.
  • 1898 - Birth of Grantley H Adams; President of Barbados.
  • 1902 - Birth of Louis J M Beel; premier of Netherlands (1946-48, 1958-59).
  • 1903 - Birth of Jan Tinbergen; Dutch economist/UN advisor (Nobel Prize 1969).
  • 1905 - French Dufaux brothers test helicopter.
  • 1905 - Hippodrome arena opens (New York City, New York).
  • 1907 - Belgium government of De Stain de Naeyer resigns.
  • 1908 - Birth of Carlos Lleras Restrepo; President of Colombia.
  • 1908 - Birth of Virginia Cherrill; actress (Lake Extra, Brat, City Lights, Delicious).
  • 1908 - Fire makes 17,000 homeless in Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA.
  • 1910 - Birth of Jürgen Rausch; German philosopher/author (End of the Playboys).
  • 1910 - William G Sumner, US sociologist/politicologist (Folkways), dies at age 69.
  • 1911 - First non-stop London-Paris flight (by Pierre Prier in 3 hours 56 minutes).
  • 1911 - Birth of Darrell A Amyx; US archaeologist (Greek Ceramics).
  • 1911 - Birth of Geoff Chubb; cricket player (South Africa pace bowler versus England 1951-52 aged 40).
  • 1912 - Birth of Eric Feldary in Budapest, Hungary; actor (16 Fathoms Deep).
  • 1912 - Birth of Georges Franju in France; director (Judex, L'homme sans visage).
  • 1912 - Birth of Herbert Mills; singer (Mills Brothers).
  • 1912 - Clara Barton, organized American Red Cross, dies at age 90.
  • 1915 - Birth of Emil [Theodore] Petaja; US sci-fi author (Star Mill, Tramontane).
  • 1917 - Birth of M Marie Widlow in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1957).
  • 1917 - Birth of Vinoo Mankad; cricket player (India's greatest all-rounder to his time).
  • 1918 - Birth of Edward John Stanley; 18th Earl of Derby, English landowner/multi-millionaire.
  • 1919 - Birth of Billy Vaughn in Glasgow, Kentucky, USA; singer/bandleader ("Melody of Love", "A Swingin' Safari", "Blue Hawaii", "Blue Velvet", "Chapel By The Sea", "Cimarron (Roll On)", "Hawaiian War Chant", "La Paloma", "Look For A Star", "Orange Blossom Special", "Sail Along Silvery Moon", "The Shifting Whispering Sands", "Wheels").
  • 1919 - Birth of Lady Ricketts; CEO (National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux).
  • 1919 - British Parliament passes a 48-hour work week with minimum wages.
  • 1920 - Birth of H R Hewitt; CEO (Johnson Matthey).
  • 1920 - Birth of Robert Fizdale in Chicago, Illinois, USA; pianist (Misia).
  • 1923 - Birth of Ann Miller [Lucille Ann Collier] in Houston, Texas, USA; dancer/actress (On the Town).
  • 1923 - Birth of Maria Callas; opera singer (Carmen).
  • 1924 - Birth of Julius Moormann; student/resistance fighter (WWII).
  • 1925 - Birth of Johnny Jordan in England; cameraman (You Only Live Twice).
  • 1926 - Dutch Catholic Radio Broadcast (KRO) forms.
  • 1926 - Birth of Jane Withers; actress (Josephine the Plumber).
  • 1927 - Birth of Jane Withers in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; actress (All Together Now, Josephine the Plumber).
  • 1927 - General Chiang Kai-shek begins counter revolution in Shanghai.
  • 1928 - Assassination attempt on King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.
  • 1928 - Birth of stallion Brooklyn Supreme in Belgium; heaviest known horse (1450kg).
  • 1928 - Birth of Hardy Kruger in Berlin, Germany; actor (Barry Lyndon, Wrong is Right).
  • 1928 - Birth of Uwe Kitzinger; president (Templeton College-Oxford).
  • 1929 - Birth of Elspet Gray (Lady Rix); actress (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Solo, Tenko).
  • 1929 - US President Herbert Hoover signs a bill creating Arches National Monument.
  • 1930 - 4th Test Cricket: West Indies versus England ends in a draw after nine days.
  • 1930 - Birth of Betty Clooney in Maysville, Kentucky, USA; singer (Clooney Sisters, Robert Q. Lewis Show TV show, Jack Paar Show).
  • 1930 - Birth of Lou A de Graaf; Dutch Assistant Secretary of Social Affairs (VDA).
  • 1930 - Birth of Uwe Kitzinger; president (Templeton College, Oxford, England).
  • 1930 - Wilfred Rhodes ends Test Cricket career aged 52 years 165 days.
  • 1931 - Birth of Billy Vaughn in Glasgow, Kentucky, USA; singer ("Chapel by the Sea").
  • 1931 - Joe McCarthy debuts as New York Yankees' manager.
  • 1931 - Spanish voters reject the monarchy.
  • 1932 - Birth of Jack Gelber; American playwright (Connection, Apple).
  • 1932 - Birth of Tiny Tim [Herbert Butros Khaury] in New York City, New York, USA; singer ("Tip Toe Thru' the Tulips With Me").
  • 1933 - Birth of Montserrat Caballé in Barcelona, Spain; soprano (Mimi - La Boheme).
  • 1934 - Highest velocity wind ever recorded on Mount Washington, New Hampshire, 231 mph.
  • 1935 - Germany prohibits publishing "not-Arian" writers.
  • 1936 - Birth of Charles Napier; actor (Night Stalker, Rambo, War and Remembrance, The Critic).
  • 1936 - Birth of Kennedy A Simmonds; premier (Saint Kitts and Nevis, 1983-95).
  • 1937 - Birth of Igor Petrovich in Volk, Russia; cosmonaut (Soyuz T-12).
  • 1937 - Birth of Raymond Ceulemans; Belgian world champion billiards player.
  • 1938 - First US law requiring medical tests (syphilis test) for marriage licenses (New York).
  • 1938 - Feodor Chaliapine, Russian author (Man and Mark), dies at age 65.
  • 1938 - Serafín Alvarez Quintéro, Spanish playwright (Piropos), dies at age 67.
  • 1938 - NHL Stanley Cup: Chicago Blackhawks beat Toronto Maple Leafs, three games to one.
  • 1939 - Benito Mussolini declares Albania an Italian protectorate, with Victor Emmanuel III king of Albania.
  • 1940 - Birth of Herbie Hancock in Chicago, Illinois, USA; pianist ("I Thought it was You").
  • 1940 - Italy annexes Albania.
  • 1940 - NFL cuts clipping penalty from 25 yards to 15 yards.
  • 1941 - Birth of Julio B Euson; Aruban singer ("I Use the Soap").
  • 1941 - NHL Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins sweep Detroit Red Wings in four games.
  • 1941 - Vichy France's head of government Admiral Darlan consults with Adolf Hitler.
  • 1942 - 9th Golf Masters Championship: Byron Nelson wins, shooting a 280.
  • 1942 - Birth of Frank Bank in Hollywood, California, USA; actor (Lumpy - Leave it to Beaver).
  • 1942 - Japan kills about 400 Filipino officers in Bataan.
  • 1943 - Allies conquer Soussa, North Africa.
  • 1943 - Birth of Charles Ludlam in New York City, New York, USA; playwright/actor (Big Easy).
  • 1944 - Birth of John Kay [Joachim F Krauledat] in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany; rocker (Steppenwolf - "Hour of the World").
  • 1945 - Canadian troops liberate German concentration camp Westerbork, Netherlands.
  • 1945 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd US President (1933-1945, Democrat), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, USA, at age 63.
  • 1945 - Harry Truman sworn in as 33rd US President.
  • 1946 - August Borms, Flemish Nazi collaborator, is executed at age 67.
  • 1946 - Birth of Ed[ward] O'Neill in Youngstown, Ohio, USA; actor (Michael Mooney - Big Apple, Al Bundy - Married With Children, Modern Family).
  • 1946 - Birth of Peter L de Baan; Dutch actor/director/playwright (Leonce and Lena).
  • 1946 - Birth of René Krijnen; Dutch keyboardist (Les Baroques).
  • 1947 - Birth of Dan Lauria; actor (Jack Arnold - The Wonder Years, Ed, JAG).
  • 1947 - Birth of David Letterman in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; comedian (Late Night).
  • 1947 - Birth of Wayne Northrop in Sumner, Washington, USA; actor (Michael - Dynasty).
  • 1947 - Christian F L Leipoldt, South African writer (Die Moormansgat), dies.
  • 1948 - Birth of Raphick Jumadeen; cricket player (West Indies slow left-armer of the 1970s).
  • 1950 - Birth of David Cassidy in New York City, New York, USA; singer/actor (Keith - The Partridge Family).
  • 1950 - Birth of Tom Werner; owner (San Diego Padres), producer (Roseanne, Cosby Show).
  • 1951 - Birth of Jakson Spires; rock drummer/songwriter (Blackfoot).
  • 1951 - Israeli Knesset officially designates April 13 as Holocaust Day.
  • 1952 - Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Houston Weathervane Golf Tournament.
  • 1952 - Birth of Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua; featherweight boxer (1974 champion).
  • 1952 - Birth of Fred McCarren in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Free Country, Amanda's).
  • 1952 - Birth of J D Nicholas; English guitarist (Heatwave, Commodores).
  • 1952 - Salaheddine Baccouche forms Tunisian government.
  • 1953 - 17th Golf Masters Championship: Ben Hogan wins, shooting a 274.
  • 1953 - Keizo Yamada runs fastest marathon to date, at Boston, Massachusetts.
  • 1954 - 18th Golf Masters Championship: Sam Snead beats Ben Hogan to win his third Masters tournament, shooting a 289.
  • 1954 - 8th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat Syracuse Nationals, 4 games to 3.
  • 1954 - Belgian Van Houtte government resigns.
  • 1954 - Birth of Marvin Johnson; American middleweight boxer (Olympics-bronze-1972).
  • 1954 - Birth of Pat Travers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; rock guitarist ("Boom Boom, Out Go The Lights").
  • 1954 - Pim [Willem JH] Mulier, Dutch journalist/sports-organizer, dies at age 89.
  • 1955 - First Major League Baseball game in Kansas City; Kansas City Athletics beat Detroit Tigers, 6-2.
  • 1955 - Researchers announce results of year-long polio vaccine trials, that the vaccine is safe and effective.
  • 1956 - Bandaranaike government forms in Ceylon.
  • 1956 - Birth of Alexander Briley; vocalist (Village People - "YMCA").
  • 1956 - Birth of Andy Garcia [Andrés Arturo García Menéndez] in Havana, Cuba; actor (Stand and Deliver, 8 Million Ways to Die, For Love or Country: Arturo Sandoval Story).
  • 1956 - Birth of Doris Baaten; Dutch actress (Sesame Street, Fien).
  • 1956 - José Moscardo Ituarte, Spanish General (Alcázar 1936), dies at age 77.
  • 1957 - Jim Spalding sets a 2088-pin nine-game bowling record.
  • 1957 - USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test.
  • 1957 - Birth of Suzzanne Douglass; actress (The Parent 'Hood).
  • 1958 - 12th NBA Championship: Saint Louis Hawks beat Boston Celtics, 4 games to 2.
  • 1958 - Birth of Tony James; rocker (Sigue Sigue Sputnik - "Love Missile F-111").
  • 1958 - Birth of Will Sergeant; rock guitarist (Echo and the Bunnymen - "Killing Moon", "Heaven Up Here").
  • 1959 - 13th Tony Awards: J B and Redhead win.
  • 1959 - Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open.
  • 1959 - Birth of Elissa Leeds in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Cissy - Dorothy).
  • 1959 - Birth of Pascal Barré in France; sprint relay team/twin brother of Patrick (Olympics-bronze-1980).
  • 1959 - Birth of Patrick Barré in France; sprint relay team/twin brother of Pascal (Olympics-bronze-1980).
  • 1959 - France Observator reports torture practice by French army in Algeria.
  • 1959 - Death of James Gleason at age 76 from asthma; actor (Playhouse 90, Leave It to Beaver).
  • 1960 - Bill Veeck and Chicago Comiskey Park debut the "Exploding Scoreboard".
  • 1961 - Birth of D D Verni; heavy metal rocker (Overkill - "Hello From the Gutter").
  • 1961 - Birth of Julius Kariuki in Kenya; 3000m steeplechaser (Olympics-gold-1988).
  • 1961 - In the Crystal Ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and in the main ballroom of the Hotel Astor at Times Squers in New York City, New York, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards. Some winners:
    • Record of the Year: Percy Faith for "The Theme From A Summer Place";
    • Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Female: Ella Fitzgerald for "Mack The Knife";
    • Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Male: Ray Charles for "Georgia On My Mind";
    • Best Country and Western Performance: Marty Robbins for "El Paso";
    • Best Performance by a Pop Single Artist: Ray Charles for "Georgia On My Mind".

  • 1961 - Douglas MacArthur declines offer to become baseball commissioner.
  • 1961 - USSR Vostok program launches Major Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin into Earth orbit, becoming first person to orbit Earth aboard Vostok 1.
  • 1962 - Birth of Art Alexakis; singer (Everclear).
  • 1963 - Birmingham, Alabama, police use dogs and cattle prods on peaceful demonstrators.
  • 1964 - 28th Golf Masters Championship: Arnold Palmer wins, shooting a 276.
  • 1964 - Birth of Mike Macfarlane in Stockton, California, USA; catcher (Kansas City Royals).
  • 1964 - Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Baton Rouge Ladies' Golf Open Invitational.
  • 1964 - CBS airs the 100th episode of the talking horse show Mr. Ed.
  • 1964 - Birth of Amy Ray; singer (Indigo Girls).
  • 1965 - First National League game at Houston's Astrodome (Philadelphia Phillies beat Houston Astros 2-0).
  • 1965 - Birth of Elaine Zayak in New Jersey, USA; figure skater (Olympics-6th-1984).
  • 1965 - Linda Darnell, US actress (Dakota Incident), dies at age 43.
  • 1966 - First B-52 bombing on North Vietnam.
  • 1966 - Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium opens; Pittsburgh Pirates beat Atlanta Braves 3-2.
  • 1966 - Birth of Jeffrey Hunter; WLAF defensive end (London Monarchs).
  • 1966 - Birth of Lorenzo White; NFL running back (Cleveland Browns).
  • 1966 - Birth of Theo Blanco; WLAF receiver (Amsterdam Admirals).
  • 1966 - Sumokil, President of Republic South Moluccas, executed.
  • 1967 - Birth of Bobby Abrams; NFL outside linebacker (New England Patriots).
  • 1967 - Birth of Donna Andrews in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA; LPGA golfer (1994 Nabisco Dinah Shore).
  • 1967 - Birth of Kirk Everist in Houston, Texas, USA; water polo driver (Olympics-1996).
  • 1967 - Birth of Mellow Man Ace [Ulpiano Sergio Reyez] in Havana, Cuba; Spanish rapper/actor (Only the Strong).
  • 1968 - Birth of Adam Graves in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; NHL left wing (New York Rangers).
  • 1968 - Birth of Alicia Coppola; actress (Lorna Devon - Another World).
  • 1968 - Birth of Neal Fort; Canadian Football League tackle (Montreal Alouettes).
  • 1968 - In Schenectady, New York, USA a house is hit by a falling meteorite.
  • 1969 - Birth of Michael Jackson; NFL wide receiver (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens).
  • 1970 - Birth of Patrick Brugnoli; hockey forward (Team Italy 1998).
  • 1970 - New York Yankees dedicate plaques to Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.
  • 1970 - Birth of Nicholas Hexum; singer (311).
  • 1971 - Birth of Kent Manderville in Edmonton, Alberta, USA; NHL left wing (Edmonton Oilers).
  • 1971 - Birth of Shannen Doherty in Memphis, Tennessee, USA; actress (Little House on the Prairie, Beverly Hills 90210, Charmed, North Shore).
  • 1971 - Birth of Tyrone Chatman; Canadian Football League linebacker (British Columbia Lions).
  • 1971 - Birth of Nicholas Brendon; actor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
  • 1972 - The Players' Association and owners agree to terms ending the first players strike in baseball history.
  • 1972 - C W Ceram [Kurt Marek], German/US writer (first American), dies at age 57.
  • 1973 - Birth of Antonio Osuna in Sinaloa, México; pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers).
  • 1973 - Birth of Claudia Jordan; Miss Rhode Island-USA (1997, top 10).
  • 1973 - Birth of Pamela Polk in Berlin, Wisconsin, USA; Miss Wisconsin-America (1996).
  • 1973 - France recognizes North Vietnam.
  • 1973 - Sudan adopts constitution.
  • 1973 - Swaziland suspends constitution.
  • 1974 - Birth of Kabir Khan; cricket player (Pakistani slow left-armer 1994-).
  • 1974 - Birth of Roman Hamrlik in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia; NHL defenseman (Tampa Bay Lightning, Olympics-gold-1998).
  • 1975 - Birth of Marcie Alberts; WNBA guard (Cleveland Rockers).
  • 1975 - Birth of Sofie Rahman; Miss Hong Kong-Universe (1996).
  • 1975 - Joséphine Baker, US/French revue artist (Folies-Bergère), dies at age 68.
  • 1976 - India set 403 to win by West Indies; they get them, six wickets 7 overs spare.
  • 1976 - Death of Paul Ford at age 74; actor (Colonel Hall - The Phil Silvers Show).
  • 1977 - Philip K Wrigley, baseball owner (Chicago Cubs), dies at age 82.
  • 1978 - Birth of Eddie Robinson; actor (Neil Atwater - Swan's Crossing).
  • 1978 - Birth of Guy Berryman, Scottish musician (Coldplay).
  • 1979 - Birth of Claire Danes in New York City, New York; actress (Angela - My So Called Life, Romeo and Juliet).
  • 1979 - Birth of Jennifer Morrison, American actress (House MD).
  • 1979 - Soyuz 33 returns to Earth.
  • 1980 - Black Consciousness Movement of Azania forms.
  • 1980 - Milwaukee Brewers beats Boston Red Sox, 18-1 (Cooper and Money hit grand slams).
  • 1980 - Stanley De Silva, cricket player (motor bike Sri Lanka 1979 World Cup), dies.
  • 1980 - US Olympic Committee endorses a boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympic games.
  • 1980 - Samuel Kanyon Doe takes over Liberia in a coup d'etat, ending over 130 years of democratic presidential succession in that country. Liberian President William R Tolbert Junior and 27 others are killed.
  • 1981 - 45th Golf Masters Championship: Tom Watson wins, shooting a 280.
  • 1981 - Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA American Defender/WRAL Golf Classic.
  • 1981 - Hendrik F Andriessen, Dutch organist/composer (Te Deum), dies at age 88.
  • 1981 - Joe Louis [Brown bomber], US heavyweight champion (1937-49), dies at age 66.
  • 1981 - Space Shuttle Columbia (John Young, Robert Crippen) launches on the maiden Space Transit System-1 mission.
  • 1982 - Three CBS-TV employees are shot to death in New York City parking lot.
  • 1982 - A 200-mile 'total exclusion zone' around the Falklands proclaimed by the United Kingdom comes into effect.
  • 1983 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1984 - Ruth Taylor, actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), dies at age 76.
  • 1984 - Palestinian gunmen take Israeli Bus Number 300 hostage. Israeli special forces storm the bus, freeing the hostages (1 hostage, 2 hijackers killed).
  • 1985 - 16th Shuttle Mission (51D)-Discovery 4 launched-with Senator Jake Garn.
  • 1986 - 20,000 mine workers protest closing of Hasselt Belgium mines.
  • 1986 - 16-year-old Steffi Graf wins her first professional tennis tournament. (Hilton Head).
  • 1987 - Birth of Brendon Urie; American musician (Panic At The Disco).
  • 1987 - 51st Golf Masters Championship: Larry Mize wins, shooting a 285.
  • 1987 - Ahmed Salah wins second World Cup marathon (2:10:55).
  • 1987 - Ayako Okamoto wins LPGA Kyocera Inamori Golf Classic.
  • 1987 - Ewan Calague, economist/statistician (Social Security) dies at age 90.
  • 1987 - Texaco files for bankruptcy.
  • 1987 - The first episode of TV show 21 Jump Street airs, starring Johnny Depp.
  • 1988 - Frank Robinson replaces Cal Ripkin as manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
  • 1988 - Harvard University patents genetically engineered mouse (first for animal life).
  • 1988 - New Jersey Devils 4-2 over New York Islanders-Devils lead 3-2 in first round.
  • 1988 - Former pop singer Sonny Bono is elected mayor of Palm Springs, California.
  • 1989 - Third Soul Train Music Awards: Anita Baker wins.
  • 1989 - Abbie Hoffman, yippie peace activist of the 1960s, dies at age 52.
  • 1989 - Sugar Ray Robinson [Walker Smith Junior], world welterweight champion (1946-51), five-time middleweight champion, dies of Alzheimers at age 67.
  • 1989 - In Canada, four people share a CDN$14.2 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot.
  • 1989 - Death of Herbert Mills at age 77 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; singer (Mills Brothers - "Tiger Rag" (1931), "Cab Driver" (1968), "My Shy Violet" (1968), "Paper Doll" (1943)).
  • 1990 - First meeting of East German democratically elected parliament, acknowledges responsibility for German holocaust and asks for forgiveness.
  • 1990 - Greyhound Bus hires new drivers to replace strikers.
  • 1990 - Lothar de Maziere becomes East German Prime Minister.
  • 1990 - The director of the Gewandhaus orchestra of Leipzig, Kurt Masur, becomes the first German music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
  • 1991 - 2,500th episode of Entertainment Tonight airs on US TV.
  • 1991 - James Schuyler, US poet (Pulitzer 1980), dies.
  • 1991 - Nepalese Congress party wins general elections.
  • 1991 - US announces closing of 31 major US military bases.
  • 1992 - Second lowest NBA scoring game - Detroit Pistons 72, New York Knicks 61.
  • 1992 - 53rd PGA Seniors Golf Championship: Lee Trevino wins.
  • 1992 - 56th Golf Masters Championship; Fred Couples wins, shooting a 275.
  • 1992 - The Euro Disney Resort, featuring the Euro Disneyland park, opens in Marne-la-Vallée, France, east of Paris. The US$4 billion complex has six hotels with 5200 rooms, and is staffed by 14,000 "cast members". Euro Disneyland park has 29 attractions in five themed lands: Adventureland, Discoveryland, Fantasyland, Festival Disney, Frontierland, and Main Street. 500,000 visitors were expected, but only 50,000 are admitted on opening day.
  • 1992 - Lynn Gunther of California threatens to blow herself up in front of United Nations.
  • 1992 - Matt Young no-hits Cleveland Indians, but loses 2-1.
  • 1992 - New York Mets lose first three home games for first time since 1962.
  • 1992 - Trump Shuttle becomes US Air Shuttle.
  • 1993 - Isaac Rojas, Vice President of Argentina (1955-58), dies.
  • 1994 - The ABC TV network airs the last episode of the Disney TV series The Good Life.
  • 1994 - Harry la Fontaine, Danish/US resistance fighter/producer, dies at age 81.
  • 1995 - The CBS TV network airs the last episode of Disney's The George Wendt Show.
  • 1996 - Jessica Dubroff, aged 7, is killed in a crash near Cheyenne, Wyoming, while attempting to set a record as the youngest person to pilot an airplane across the United States.
  • 1997 - Death of George Wald, American scientist (recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine), at age 90 (born 1903).
  • 1998 - The Learning Channel airs the pilot episode of Junkyard Wars, a US version of a UK show called Scrapheap Challenge.
  • 1998 - 62nd Golf Masters Championship: Mark O'Meara wins.
  • 1998 - In Slovenia, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs. Felt strongly throughout Slovenia, northeastern Italy, throughout Austria, and in parts of Croatia, Germany, and Hungary.
  • 1999 - Death of Boxcar Willie AKA Lecil Martin at age 67 of leukemia at his home in Branson, Missouri, USA; country singer ("Bad News" (1982)).
  • 2004 - Barry Bonds hit his 660th career homerun, tying his godfather, Willie Mays for third on the all-time homerun list. The 72-year old Mays greets Bonds at home plate with an $18,000 torch studded with diamonds forming the numbers 660, 25 (Barry's number), and 1, the number to needed move ahead.
  • 2004 - Death of Norman Campbell of a stroke at age 80; TV producer/director (CBC TV, All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, One Day at a Time).
  • 2007 - In the USA, Don Imus is fired by CBS for making controversial comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
  • 2008 - Death of Patrick Hillery, 6th President of Ireland (born 1923).
  • 2009 - In Losail, Qatar, round 1 of the FIM MotoGP Championship is won by Casey Stoner.
  • 2009 - Women's world hockey championships in Hameenlinna, Finland won by United States defeating Canada 4-1.
  • 2009 - Angel Cabrera becomes the first Argentine to win the Augusta National Masters golf tournament.
  • 2011 - Japan raises the nuclear damage level of the Fukushima reactor to INES Level 7, same category as Chernobyl in the Ukraine.
  • 2012 - Mutinous soldiers in Guinea-Bissau stage a coup d'état and take control of the capital city, Bissau. They arrest interim President Raimundo Pereira and leading presidential candidate Carlos Gomes Júnior in the midst of a presidential election campaign.
  • 2020 - OPEC and allies strike a deal to cut oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day, the largest such cut agreed upon, starting May 1.
  • 2020 - U.S. president Donald Trump announces that the U.S. will suspend funding towards the World Health Organization pending an investigation of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship with the People's Republic of China.
  • 2020 - Death of Stirling Moss, English F1 driver (born 1929).
  • 2020 - Death of Chung Won-shik, 21st Prime Minister of South Korea (born 1928).
  • 2022 - The finance minister of Sri Lanka announces the country will suspend interest payments on US$35 billion in foreign debt.
  • 2022 - In New York City, USA, a man on a train pulling into a Brooklyn subway station sets off a smoke canister and shoots ten people.
  • 2022 - Death of Gilbert Gottfried at age 67 from a heart condition; actor (Beverley Hills Cop II movie, Problem Child movie), comedian (Hollywood Squares TV show), voice actor (Iago - Aladdin movie (1992), Aflac commercials).

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