Historical Events on 4 Apr

Historical Events on 4 Apr

1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I.
1655 - The miraculous statue entitled the Infant of Prague is solemnly crowned by command of Cardinal Harrach.
1660 - Declaration of Breda by King Charles II of England.
1721 - Sir Robert Walpole enters office as the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom under King George I.
1812 - U.S. President James Madison enacted a ninety-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom.
1814 - Napoleon abdicates for the first time.
1818 - The United States Congress adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20).
1841 - William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia becoming the first President of the United States to die in office and the one with the shortest term served.
1850 - The Great Fire of Cottenham, a large part of the Cambridgeshire village (England) is burnt to the ground under suspicious circumstances.
1850 - Los Angeles, California is incorporated as a city.
1859 - Bryant's Minstrels debut "Dixie" in New York City in the finale of a blackface minstrel show.
1865 - American Civil War: A day after Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visits the Confederate capital.
1866 - Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in the city of Kiev.
1887 - Argonia, Kansas elects Susanna M. Salter as the first female mayor in the United States.
1905 - In India, an earthquake near Kangra kills 20,000.
1913 - The Greek aviator Emmanuel Argyropoulos becomes the first pilot victim of the Hellenic Air Force when his plane crashes.
1918 - World War I: Second Battle of the Somme ends.
1930 - The Communist Party of Panama is founded.
1939 - Faisal II becomes King of Iraq.
1945 - World War II: American troops liberate Ohrdruf forced labor camp in Germany.
1945 - World War II: Soviet Army takes control of Hungary.
1949 - Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
1958 - The CND Peace Symbol displayed in public for the first time in London.
1960 - Senegal independence day.
1964 - The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
1965 - The first model of the new Saab Viggen fighter aircraft plane is unveiled.
1967 - Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" speech in New York City's Riverside Church.
1968 - AEK Athens BC becomes the first Greek team to win the European Basketball Cup.
1968 - Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 6.
1968 - Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
1969 - Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart.
1973 - The World Trade Center in New York is officially dedicated.
1975 - Microsoft is founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
1975 - Vietnam War: Operation Baby Lift - A United States Air Force C-5A Galaxy crashes near Saigon, South Vietnam shortly after takeoff, transporting orphans - 172 die.
1976 - Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.
1979 - President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed.
1983 - Space Shuttle Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space (STS-6).
1984 - President Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons.
1988 - Governor Evan Mecham of Arizona is convicted in his impeachment trial and removed from office.
1991 - Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collides with their plane over an elementary school in Merion, Pennsylvania.
1994 - Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Netscape Communications Corporation under the name "Mosaic Communications Corporation".
1996 - Comet Hyakutake was imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous.
2002 - The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.
2007 - 15 British Royal Navy personnel held in Iran are released by the Iranian President.
2008 - The raid on the FLDS owned ranch called the YFZ Ranch in Texas, 401 children were taken into custody. 133 woman were taken into state custody also, the total number of woman and children is 534.