Today in History
Today is Thursday, April 1, the 91st day of 2021. There are 274 days left in the year. This is April Fool’s Day.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 1, 1954, the …
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Today in History
Today is Thursday, April 1, the 91st day of 2021. There are 274 days left in the year. This is April Fool’s Day.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 1, 1954, the United States Air Force Academy was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
On this date:
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 1933, Nazi Germany staged a daylong national boycott of Jewish-owned businesses.
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 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 Computer was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.
In 1977, the U.S. Senate followed the example of the House of Representatives by adopting, 86-9, a stringent code of ethics requiring full financial disclosure and limits on outside income.
In 1984, Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father, Marvin Gay (correct), Sr. in Los Angeles, the day before the recording star’s 45th birthday. (The elder Gay pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received probation.)
In 1987, in his first speech on the AIDS epidemic, President Ronald Reagan told doctors in Philadelphia, “We’ve declared AIDS public health enemy no. 1.”
In 1992, the National Hockey League Players’ Association went on its first-ever strike, which lasted 10 days.
In 2003, American troops entered a hospital in Nasiriyah (nah-sih-REE’-uh), Iraq, and rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed on March 23.
Ten years ago: Afghans angry over the burning of a Quran at a small Florida church stormed a U.N. compound in northern Afghanistan, killing seven foreigners, including four Nepalese guards.
Five years ago: World leaders ended a nuclear security summit in Washington by declaring progress in safeguarding nuclear materials sought by terrorists and wayward nations, even as President Barack Obama acknowledged the task was far from finished.
One year ago: President Donald Trump acknowledged that the federal stockpile of personal protective equipment used by doctors and nurses was nearly depleted, and he warned of some “horrific” days ahead for the country. Resisting calls to issue a national stay-at-home order, Trump said he wanted to give governors “flexibility” to respond to the coronavirus. Under growing pressure, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined his counterparts in more than 30 states in issuing a stay-at-home order. Navy officials struggling to quarantine crew members in the face of an outbreak on a U.S. aircraft carrier said nearly 3,000 sailors would be taken off of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam. Grand Canyon National Park joined some other national parks in shutting down indefinitely in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. England’s Wimbledon tennis tournament was canceled for the first time since World War II.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Jane Powell is 92. Actor Don Hastings is 87. Actor Ali MacGraw is 82. R&B singer Rudolph Isley is 82. Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff is 73. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is 71. Rock musician Billy Currie (Ultravox) is 71. Actor Annette O’Toole is 69. Movie director Barry Sonnenfeld is 68. Singer Susan Boyle is 60. Actor Jose Zuniga is 59. Country singer Woody Lee is 53. Actor Jessica Collins is 50. Rapper-actor Method Man is 50. Movie directors Albert and Allen Hughes are 49. Political commentator Rachel Maddow is 48. Former tennis player Magdalena Maleeva is 46. Actor David Oyelowo (oh-YEHLOH’-oh) is 45. Actor JJ Field is 43. Singer Bijou Phillips is 41. Actor Sam Huntington is 39. Comedian-actor Taran Killam is 39. Actor Matt Lanter is 38. Actor Josh Zuckerman is 36. Country singer Hillary Scott (Lady A) is 35. Rock drummer Arejay Hale (Halestorm) is 34. Actor Asa Butterfield is 24. Actor Tyler Wladis is 11.