Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Today: 1789 – George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. 1803 – The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, doubling the size of the country. 1900 – Hawaii was formally organized into a U.S. territory by an act […]
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Today: 1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orléans during the Hundred Years’ War. 1661 – Charles II of England is crowned king at Westminster Abbey. 1770 – James Cook arrives at Botany Bay, Australia. 1852 – The first edition of Peter Roget’s Thesaurus is published. 1862 – Union forces capture […]
Monday, April 28, 2025
Today: 1789 – The mutiny on the HMS Bounty occurred as Fletcher Christian led a rebellion against Captain William Bligh. 1789 – Maryland became the seventh U.S. state to ratify the Constitution. 1881 – Billy the Kid escaped from jail in Lincoln County, New Mexico. 1919 – The League of Nations held its first meeting […]
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Today: 1521 – Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is killed by natives in the Philippines during the Battle of Mactan. 1565 – Cebu is established as the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. 1805 – U.S. Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna during the First Barbary War, marking the first recorded land battle of […]
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Today: 1478 – The Pazzi family attacked Lorenzo de’ Medici and assassinated his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence. 1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fell from the skies over L’Aigle, France, helping to convince scientists that meteors originate in space. 1865 – Union […]
Friday, April 25, 2025
Today: 1507 – German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller published a world map that named “America” for the first time, honoring explorer Amerigo Vespucci. 1644 – The last Ming Dynasty emperor of China, Chongzhen, committed suicide by hanging himself during a peasant rebellion in Beijing. 1792 – Nicolas Pelletier became the first person executed by guillotine in […]
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Today: 1704 – The first regular newspaper in the United States, The Boston News-Letter, was published. 1800 – The U.S. Library of Congress was established when President John Adams signed a bill providing for a reference library for Congress. 1877 – Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire, starting the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). 1898 – […]
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Today: 1014 – King Brian Boru of Ireland was killed at the Battle of Clontarf, which ended Viking power in Ireland. 1348 – King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter, England’s highest order of chivalry. 1564 – William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England (and also died on the same date in 1616). […]
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Today: 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral officially discovered Brazil and claimed it for Portugal. 1864 – The U.S. Congress authorized the use of the phrase “In God We Trust” on U.S. coins. 1876 – The first game in National League history was played in Philadelphia; Boston defeated Philadelphia 6–5. 1889 – The Oklahoma […]
Monday, April 21, 2025
Today: 753 BC – According to legend, Romulus founded the city of Rome. 1509 – Henry VIII ascended the throne of England after the death of his father, Henry VII. 1782 – The city of Bangkok was officially founded as the capital of Thailand (then Siam). 1836 – The Battle of San Jacinto took place, […]