On This Day in History......

0295 8th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
0850 Guntherus becomes bishop of Cologne
1139 2nd Lateran Council (10th ecumenical council) opens in Rome
1505 Jews are expelled from Orange Burgundy by Philibert of Luxembourg
1551 John Dudley becomes English Earl Marshal
1650 VOC-management sets new guidelines
1653 Cromwell routes English parliament to house
1657 Battle in Santa Cruz Bay, Tenerife English fleet under Robert Blake sinks Spanish silver fleet
1702 Comet C/1702 H1 approaches within 0.0437 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1715 Nicholas Rowe's "Tragedy of Lady Jane Gray", premieres in London
1770 Captain Cook arrives in New South Wales
1775 British begin siege of Boston
1777 New York adopts new constitution as an independent state
1792 France declares war on Austria, Prussia & Sardinia
1799 Friedrich von Schiller's "Wallensteins Tod", premieres in Weimar
1799 Napoleon issues a decree calling for establishing Jerusalem for Jews
1809 Napoleon I defeats Austria at Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria
1836 Territory of Wisconsin created
1841 1st detective story (Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue") published
1853 Harriet Tubman starts Underground Railroad
1861 Battle of Norfolk VA
1861 Colonel Robert E Lee resigns from Union army
1865 Chicago's Crosby Opera House opens
1871 3rd Enforcement Act (President can suspend writ of habeas corpus)
1872 San Francisco Bar Association organized
1879 1st mobile home (horse drawn) used in a journey from London & Cyprus
1884 Pope Leo XIII encyclical "On Freemasonry"
1894 136,000 mine workers strike in Ohio for pay increase
1896 1st public film showing in US John Philip Sousa's "El Capitán", premieres in NYC
1898 US Assay Office in Deadwood SD opens
1902 Marie & Pierre Curie isolate radioactive element radium
1903 7th Boston Marathon won by John Lorden of Massachusetts in 2:41:29.8
1903 New York Highlanders play their 1st game, with Jack Chesbro losing 3-1 to Al Orth & Washington Nationals
1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition opens in St Louis
1904 George Bernard Shaw's "Candida", premieres in London
1908 12th Boston Marathon won by Tom Morrissey of New York in 2:25:43.2
1910 Cleveland Indians Addie Joss 2nd no-hitter, beats Chicago, 1-0
1910 Halley's Comet passes 29th recorded perihelion at 87.9 million km
1912 Fenway Park officially opens, Boston Red Sox beat New York Highlanders 7-6 in 11
1912 Tiger Stadium in Detroit opens, Tigers beat Cleveland Indians 6-5
1914 33 killed by soldiers during mine strike in Ludlow CO
1914 18th Boston Marathon won by James Duffy of Canada in 2:25:01.2
1916 German-British sea battle off Belgian coast
1916 1st National League game at Weeghman Park (Wrigley Field) in Chicago opens, Chicago Cubs beat Cincinnati Reds 7-6
1917 Pravda (Lenin names Russia "Free land of world")
1919 Polish Army captures Vilno, Lithuania from Soviet Army
1920 Tornadoes kill 219 in Alabama & Mississippi
1920 7th modern Olympic games open in Antwerp Belgium
1920 Balfour Declaration recognized, makes Palestine a British Mandate
1920 Big Show ends 2 year run on NBC radio
1920 Phillies manager Gravvy Cravath puts himself in as pinch hitter, his 3-run homer and beats New York Giants 3-0
1925 29th Boston Marathon won by Charles Mellor of Illinois in 2:33:00.6
1926 1st check sent by radio facsimile transmission across the Atlantic
1931 35th Boston Marathon won by Jim Henigan of Massachusetts in 2:46:45.8
1931 British House of Commons agrees for sports play on Sunday
1934 Heinrich Himmler becomes inspector Prussian secret state police
1935 "You're Hit Parade" begins broadcasting (becomes #1 quickly)
1936 40th Boston Marathon won by Ellison Brown of Rhode Island in 2:33:40.8
1936 Jews repel an Arab attack in Petach Tikvah Palestine
1939 New York World's Fair opens
1939 Ted Williams' 1st hit (off of Yankee Red Ruffing) a double
1940 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia PA
1941 100 German bombers attack Athens
1941 Dodgers start to wear liners in their caps
1942 German occupiers forbid Dutch access to their beach
1942 Heavy German assault on Malta
1943 Atlanta Braves manager Casey Stengel is struck by a taxi, fractures a leg
1944 NFL legalizes coaching from the bench
1944 Dutch Communist Party-resistance fighter John Postma sentence to death
1945 Soviet troops enter Berlin
1945 US 7th Army & allies forces capture Nuremberg & Stuttgart in Germany
1945 Cleveland Browns organization formed by Arthur "Mickey" McBride
1945 German occupiers flood Beemster & Fencer
1945 US forces conquer Motobu peninsula on Okinawa
1946 1st televised baseball broadcast in Chicago, St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs
1946 50th Boston Marathon won by Stylianos Kyriakides of Greece in 2:29:27
1947 Frederik IX becomes King of Denmark
1948 UAW president Walter P Reuther shot & wounded at his home in Detroit
1948 NYC hikes subway fare from 5¢ to 10¢
1949 Jockey Bill Shoemaker wins his 1st race, in Albany CA
1950 Baltimore's Memorial Stadium opens - Orioles of International League
1951 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak Atoll
1951 Velsen city council demands investigation of police collaborators
1953 57th Boston Marathon won by Keizo Yamada of Japan in 2:18:51
1954 "Golden Apple" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 125 performances
1955 "Saint of Bleecker St" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 92 performances
1957 Yankee Bill Skowron becomes 3rd player to hit a ball out of Fenway Park
1957 61st Boston Marathon won by John J Kelley of Connecticut in 2:20:05
1958 Buses replace Key System trains in San Francisco area at 3 AM
1958 Montréal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins 4 games to 2 for the Stanley Cup
1958 Louise Suggs wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open
1958 Morocco demands departure of Spanish troops
1959 63rd Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:22:42
1960 "From A to Z" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 21 performances
1961 American Harold Graham makes 1st rocket belt flight
1962 NASA civilian pilot Neil A Armstrong takes X-15 to an altitude of 63,250 meters
1962 New Orleans Citizens Company gives free 1-way ride to blacks to move North
1962 OAS-leader ex-General Salan arrested in Algiers
1963 "Sophie" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 8 performances
1963 All Africa Conferences of Churches opens in Kampala Uganda
1964 86% of black students boycott Cleveland schools
1964 68th Boston Marathon won by Aurele Vandendriessche of Belgium in 2:19:59
1965 People's Republic China offers North Vietnam military aid
1966 WDCA TV channel 20 in Washington DC (IND) begins broadcasting
1967 US planes bomb Haiphong for 1st time during the Vietnam War
1967 US Surveyor 3 lands on Moon
1967 French author Régis Debray caught in Bolivia
1967 New York Mets' Tom Seaver's 1st victory, beats Chicago Cubs, 6-1
1967 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1968 Pierre Elliott Trudeau sworn-in as Canada's PM
1968 South African Airways Boeing 707 crashes at Windhoek, 122 killed
1969 23rd Tony Awards Great White Hope & 1776 win
1969 Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Lady Carling Golf Open
1970 74th Boston Marathon won by Ron Hill of Great Britain in 2:10:30 (new US marathon record)
1970 Bruno Kreisky becomes 1st socialist chancellor of Austria
1971 Barbra Streisand records "We've Only Just Begun"
1971 US Supreme Court upholds use of busing to achieve racial desegregation
1972 Apollo 16's Young & Duke land on Moon with Boeing Lunar Rover #2
1972 Kallicharran scores his 2nd Test century in his 2nd Test Cricket
1973 Canadian ANIK A2 becomes 1st commercial satellite in orbit
1974 Paul McCartney releases "Band on the Run"
1975 Penguins 1-Islanders 3-Quarterfinals-Penguins hold 3-1 lead
1975 29th Tony Awards Equus & The Wiz win
1975 4th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Sandra Palmer
1976 George Harrison sings the lumberjack song with Monty Python
1977 Supreme Court rules "Live Free or Die" may be covered on New Hampshire licenses
1977 Woody Allen's film "Annie Hall" premieres
1980 Cubans begin to arrive in US from Mariel boatlift
1980 Donna White wins LPGA Florida "Lady Citrus" Golf Tournament
1981 Final performance of TV show "Soap" airs
1981 Rocker Papa John Phillips arrested for drug possession
1981 10th Boston Women's Marathon won by Allison Roe of New Zealand in 2:26:46
1981 85th Boston Marathon won by Toshihiko Seko of Japan in 2:09:26
1982 Atlanta Braves become 1st team to win 1st 12 games of the season
1983 Rangers 2-Islanders 7-Patrick Division Finals-Islanders hold 3-2 lead
1983 Soyuz T-8 launched; mission aborted when capsule fails to dock
1983 President Ronald Reagan signs a $165 billion bail-out for Social Security
1984 Russian offensive in Panshirvallei Afghánistán
1985 Karyn Marshall of New York NY lifted 303 lbs in a clean-and-jerk lift
1985 Carlos Lopes runs world record marathon (2:07:12)
1985 Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Mark Williams
1986 Michael Jrdan sets NBA playoff record with 63 points in a game
1986 Vladimir Horowitz performs in his Russian homeland
1986 "Jerry's Girls" closes at St James Theater NYC after 139 performances
1986 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1987 16th Boston Women's Marathon won by Rosa Mota of Portugal in 2:25:21
1987 91st Boston Marathon won by Toshihiko Seko of Japan in 2:11:50
1987 Sri Lanka Tamils shoot 122 Singalezen dead
1987 US deports Karl Linnas, charged with nazi war crimes, to USSR
1988 Baltimore Orioles set worst record to start a season 0-14 (will go 0-21)
1988 New Jersey Devils 1st playoff hat trick-Eric Broten
1988 New York Yankees homerun 9,999 (Dave Winfield) 10,000 (Claudell Washington) 10,001 (Jack Clark)
1988 US accuses Renamo of killing 100,000 Mozambiquians
1990 8 2/3 inning perfect game pitched by Brian Holman of the Oakland A's is spoiled by a home run hit by Ken Philips
1990 Pete Rose pleads guilty to hiding $300,000 in income
1991 Raghib "Rocket" Ismael signs with Toronto Argonauts for $26.2 million
1991 "Les Miserables", opens at Odense Teater, Odense
1991 1st non stop flight Schiphol-Flamingo airport Bonaire
1991 Mark Lenzi is 1st diver to score 100 points on a dive (101.85)
1992 100th episode of "Murphy Brown" airs
1992 Expo '92 opens in Seville Spain
1992 21st Boston Women's Marathon won by Olga Markova of Russia in 2:23:43
1992 96th Boston Marathon won by Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya in 2:08:14
1992 All star concert in memory of Freddie Mercury held at Wembley Stadium London
1992 Joan Lunden breaks her left shoulder after being thrown from a horse
1992 Madonna signs $60-million deal with Time Warner
1993 Uranus passes Neptune (this occurs once every 171 years)
1994 Danny Harold Rolling, sentenced to death in Florida, for killing 5
1994 Serbian army bombs hospital in Goradze Bosnia, 47 killed
1994 Sohail & Inzamam make world record ODI partnership of 263
1994 Space shuttle STS-59 (Endeavour 6), lands
1996 Chicago Bulls win record 72 games in a season
1997 1st baseball game in Hawaii, St Louis Cardinals beat San Diego Padres in doubleheader
1997 27th Easter Seal Telethon raises $47,392,682
1997 58th PGA Seniors Golf Championship Hale Irwin
1997 Chicago Cubs beat New York Mets ending National League worst opening, lost 14 straight games
1997 DL Coburn's "Gin Game", opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 144 performances
1997 Karrie Webb wins LPGA Susan G Komen International
1997 Mark McGwire, is 4th to homerun on Detroit Tiger left field roof (others are Frank Howard, Harmon Killibrew, & Cecil Fielder)
1997 Nick Price wins golf MCI Classic
1997 Noël Coward's "Present Laughter", closes at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
1997 PGA Seniors Championship; Hale Irwin wins
1999 Deadliest school shooting in US history at Columbine High School, Littleton CO, 13 killed, 23 wounded
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Missing In Action....

1965 BUTLER PHILLIP N. TULSA OK 02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV
1965 SHEA JAMES PATRICK BURLINGAME CA CRASH TARGET AREA / NO PARA
1966 ABBOTT JOHN SAN DIEGO CA DRV RETURNED REMAINS 03/13/74
1968 CESTARE JOSEPH ANGELO NEW YORK NY
1968 WALKER WILLIAM J. RIVERSIDE CA
1968 ZUTTERMAN JOSEPH A. JR. MARYSVILLE KS
1970 MAHAN DOUGLAS F. COLUMBIA MO 07/05/72 REMAINS RECOVERED
1972 AMOS THOMAS H. REPUBLIC MO REMAINS ID'D 11/03/99
1972 BURNHAM MASON I. PORTLAND OR REMAINS ID'D 11/03/99
1972 ELIAS EDWARD K. 09/28/72 RELEASED HANOI

Births which occurred on April 20:

0121 Marcus Aurelius 16th Roman emperor (161-80), philosopher
1442 Edward IV King (England, 1461-83)
1494 John Agricola [Schneider] German theologist/prime minister
1592 John Eliot St Germans Cornwall, English MP/author
1594 Matthaus Apelles von Lowenstern composer
1705 Balthasar Schmid composer
1725 Johann Friedrich Kloffler composer
1726 Jozef de Ferraris French/Austrian earl/General/cartographer
1745 Philippe Pinel physician, founder of psychiatry
1748 Georg Michael Telemann composer
1748 Guillaume Albert Teniers composer
1761 Johann Gottlieb Karl Spazier composer
1808 Louis-Napoleon [Napoleon III] emperor of France (1852-71)
1809 John Smith Preston Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1881
1824 Alfred Holt Colquitt Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1894
1826 Dina M Craik writer
1827 John Gibbon Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1839 Carol I King of Romania (1881-1914)
1840 Odilon Redon French painter/author (La nuit, Rêves)
1850 Daniel Chester French/American sculptor (The Minute Man)
1857 Charles LP "Philip" Zilcken painter/author (HW Knife Day)
1857 Hermann Bang writer
1858 Auguste Chapuis composer
1860 Charles Gordon Curtis US attorney/inventor (Curtis Turbine)
1860 Pieter Jelles Troelstra Dutch MP (SDAP)
1865 Max HHR Nettlau Austrian historian (Le Première Internationale)
1866 Victor Hollaender composer
1870 Simeon Roncal composer
1871 William Henry Davies Wales, poet (Autobiography of a Super Tramp)
1876 Gerard J Arbous actor/publicist (Prince William of Orange)
1879 Robert Lynd Irish writer/critic (Pleasures of Ignorance)
1881 Nikolai Miaskovsky Novogeorievsk Poland, composer (Kirov is With Us)
1881 Sem Dresden composer/conductor
1889 Adolf Hitler Braunau Austria, dictator of Nazi Germany (1936-45)
1890 Adolf Schärf President of Austria (1957-65)
1893 Harold Lloyd Burchard NE, silent comic (Why Worry, Safety Last)
1893 Joan Miró Spain, painter/sculptor (Dog Barking at the Moon)
1893 Hermann Ungar writer
1894 Martinus Nijhoff poet/interpreter/linguistic (spelling)
1896 Senor Wences ventriloquist (Close the Door)
1897 Bernard Verhoeven poet/literature (About the Laugh)
1897 Gregory Ratoff Petrograd Russia, actor/director (Corsican Brothers)
1900 Fred Raymond composer
1900 Kees Verwey painter/water colors painter/cartoonist
1901 Michel Leiris French cultural anthropologist
1902 Donald Wolfit England, actor (Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, Accursed)
1902 Vesselin Stoyanov composer
1903 Dagmar Edqvist Swedish author (Kamrathustru-Wife & Comrade)
1904 Bruce Cabot Carlsbad NM, actor (Diamonds are Forever, King Kong)
1907 William Dollar St Louis, ballet dancer/choreographer
1907 Alan Reed actor/voice (Fred Allen Show, Fred Flintstone)
1907 Miran Bux cricketer (his one season of Test & 1st-class play 1954-55)
1908 Wilhelmus M Bekkers bishop of Hertogenbosch
1909 Guido Alberti literary patron/businessman
1909 Lionel Hampton orchestra leader/vibraphone improviser (Depths Below)
1909 Richard Stubbs publicity adviser
1911 Kukrit Pramoj politician
1912 David Townsend cricketer (3 Tests England vs West Indies 1935)
1912 Ed Jones (Representative-Democrat-TN, 1969- )
1912 Frederick Craig Riddle violist
1912 Soewarsil Djojopoespito Indonesia, writer (Toe the Line)
1913 Dick Wessel Wisconsin, actor (Dick Tracy vs Cueball, Beware of Blondie)
1920 John Paul Stevens Chicago IL, 103rd Supreme Court Justice (1975- )
1921 Donald Gunn MacRae sociologist
1923 Tito Puente Puerto Rico, bandleader (Dance Mania)
1924 Nina Foch Leiden Netherlands, actress (American in Paris)
1924 Gerhard Samuel composer
1924 Paul M Van Buren US theologist (Theological Explorations)
1925 Ernie Stautner NFL defensive tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers)/WLAF head coach (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1925 Richard Hoffmann composer
1926 Harriett Elizabeth Byrd politician (Wyoming House of Representatives)
1927 Karl Müller Switzerland, superconductivity physicist (Nobel 1987)
1929 Bob Braun Ludlow KY, singer (Dotty Mack Show)
1930 Alan Oakman cricketer (England batsman against Australia 1956)
1931 Lee H Hamilton Daytona Beach FL, (Representative-Democrat-IN, 1965- )
1934 Lindsay Oliver John Boynton furniture historian
1936 Pat Roberts (Representative-Republican-KS, 1981- )
1938 Bernard Malivoire France, cox pair (Olympics-gold-1952)
1938 Betty Cuthbert Australia 100 meter/200 meter/400 meter dash (Olympics-gold-1956, 64)
1938 Johnny Tillotson Jacksonville FL, singer (Gidget, Poetry in Motion)
1939 Gro Harlem Brundtland Norwegian premier (1981-82, 86-89, 90- )
1940 George Takei Los Angeles CA, actor (Sulu-Star Trek, Green Berets)
1940 James Gammon Newman IL, actor (Cool Hand Luke, Nick-Nash Bridges)
1940 Jan Cremer Dutch writer/sculptor (I, John Cremer)
1940 Pilar Miro director (Wether, Beltenebros)
1941 Joni Evans New York NY, publisher (Simon & Schuster, Random House)
1941 Ryan O'Neal Los Angeles CA, actor (Peyton Place, Paper Moon, Love Story)
1943 Michael Greer Galesburg IL, actor (Bobby Gentry Show)
1943 Edie Sedgwick Santa Barbara CA, actor (Ciao Manhattan)
1943 Ian Watson UK, sci-fi author (Book of Being, Whores of Babylon)
1945 Jimmy Winston London England, organist (Small Facres-Itchycoo Park)
1947 David Leland Cambridge England, actor/director (Nothing But Trouble)
1948 Craig Frost keyboardist (Grand Funk Railroad-Some Kind of Wonderful)
1949 Jessica Lange Cloquet MN, actress (King Kong, Tootsie)
1949 Michal Israel, rocker (Sky with Stars)
1950 Itumeleng J Mosala South Africa President (Azanian People's Organization)
1951 Luther Vandross Bronx NY, rock vocalist (Here and Now, Never Too Much)
1951 Geraint Wyn Davies Wales, actor (Bury Me in Niagara, High Hopes)
1952 Tamara Sergeyevna Zakharova Russian cosmonaut
1952 Toine van Benthem dentist/playwright/cabaret performer (Purper)
1954 Peter Toohey cricketer (New South Wales & Australian batsman 1977-80)
1955 Donald R Pettit Silverton OR, PhD/astronaut
1957 Graeme Fowler cricketer (England left-handed opener early 80s)
1957 Richenel [Hubertus R Baars] singer/performer (Dance Around The World)
1958 Viacheslav Fetisov Moscow, NHL defenseman (Team Russia, Detroit)
1959 Clint Howard Burbank CA, actor (Gentle Ben)
1960 Rodney Holman NFL tight end (Detroit Lions)
1961 Don "Hitman" Mattingly Evansville IN, New York Yankee 1st baseman (MVP 1985)
1961 Marci Bozarth Lampasas TX, LPGA golfer (1994 Lady Keystone Open-37th)
1963 Brett Edward Garsed Victoria Australia, heavy metal artist (Nelson)
1963 Kal Swan heavy metal rocker
1964 John Carney NFL kicker (San Diego Chargers)
1964 Paul Nobes cricketer (prolific opening batsman for Victoria & SA)
1965 Jim Terrell Cincinnati OH, sprint canoe (Olympics-96)
1967 J D Roth Beverly Hills CA, TV host (Fun House)
1967 Lara Jill Miller Allentown PA, actress (Samantha-Gimme a Break)
1967 Miroslav Stefanovic soccer player (FC Volendam)
1967 Townsend Saunders White Sands NM, freestyle wrestler (Olympics-silver-92, 96)
1968 LeShundra Nathan Birmingham AL, heptathlete
1969 John van Halst soccer player (FC Twente)
1969 Takayuki Kobori hockey defenseman (Team Japan 1998)
1970 Ben Weir Rock Island IL, Canadian Tour golfer (1993 Bogey Hills-2nd)
1970 Shemar Moore Oakland CA, actor (Malcolm-Young & Restless)
1971 Chris Penn NFL wide receiver (Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears)
1971 Grant Smith Australian field hockey forward (Olympics-96)
1971 John Senden Brisbane Queensland, Australasia golfer
1971 Terry Smith NFL wide receiver (Indianapolis Colts)
1971 Yonel Jourdain NFL running back/kick returner (Buffalo Bills)
1973 Itula Mili tight end (Seattle Seahawks)
1973 Lamond Murray NBA forward (Los Angeles Clippers)
1973 Todd Hollandsworth Dayton OH, outfielder (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1974 Ben[jamin] Lincoln Holbrook Hartland WI, rower (Olympics-1996)
1974 Kevin Sullivan Brantford Ontario Canada, 1.5k runner (Olympics-96)
1974 Paul Bradford cornerback (San Diego Chargers)
1975 Joey [Joseph Mignogna Jr] Lawrence Philadelphia PA, actor (Brotherly Love, Joey-Gimme a Break, Blossom)
1976 Lenka Nemeckova Brno Czechoslovakia, tennis star (1993 Futures-Maribor-SLO)
1977 Lisa Ervin figure skater (US Nationals-4th-1992)
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Deaths which occurred on April 20:

1164 Victor IV [Ottaviano Montecello] Italian antipope (1159-64), dies
1314 Clement V [Bertrand Got] pope (1305-14) move papacy to Avignon, dies
1317 Agnes van Montepulciano Italian mystic/saint, dies
1534 Elizabeth Barton [Nun of Kent] British prophet, is executed
1632 Nicolas Antione converted to Judiasm, burned at the stake
1643 Christoph Demantius composer, dies at 75
1662 Gerard Terborch the elder, painter, dies
1695 Georg Caspar Weckler composer, dies at 63
1759 Georg Friedrich Händel buried in Westminster Abbey
1768 Giovanni AC Canaletto Italian painter/cartoonist (Rialto), dies at 70
1769 Pontiac Indian chief to Ottawa, murdered
1786 John Goodricke English deaf & dumb astronomer, dies at 21
1812 George Clinton 4th US Vice President, dies at 73 1st Vice President to die in office
1820 Arthur Young author (Annals of Agriculture), dies
1821 Franz K Achard German physicist/chemist, dies at 67
1836 Johan I Jozef monarch of Liechtenstein/fieldmarshal, dies at 75
1839 Giuseppe Rossini father of Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, dies
1869 Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe composer, dies at 72
1869 Piotr Studzinski composer, dies at 42
1872 Ljudwit Gaj Croatian writer/poet (Pjesma iz Zagorja), dies at 62
1899 Edouard Pailleron French attorney/comedian (voice où), dies at 64
1900 Mabel Mercer popular British singer, dies
1906 Australian wombat oldest known marsupial, dies in London Zoo at 26
1908 Henry Chadwick sports reporter (baseball), dies at 85
1912 Bram Stoker Irish theater manager/writer (Dracula), dies
1918 Reginald Harry Mybirgh Hands cricketer (1 Test for South Africa), dies
1932 Giuseppe Peano mathematician, dies
1935 Juliaan de Vriendt Flemish painter, dies at 92
1941 Barend ter Haar Dutch lawyer, dies in Buchenwald at 49
1947 Christian X King of Denmark (1912-47), dies at 76
1953 Erich Weinert writer, dies at 62
1956 Jaap Vranken organist/composer (Stabat mater), dies
1956 Lieven Duvosel Flemish music composer (Levensschets), dies at 78
1962 Jesse G Vincent engineer designed 1st V-12 engine, dies at 82
1962 Arthur Harmat composer, dies at 76
1965 Richard Wessell actor (Carney-Riverboat), dies of heart attack on 52nd birthday
1968 Marion Weeks singer/actress, dies of stroke at 81
1971 Cecil Parker actor (Court Jester, Operation Snafu), dies at 73
1973 Robert Armstrong actor (Fall Guy, Exposed), dies at 82
1974 Mohammed Ayub Khan premier/President (Pakistan), dies
1977 Bryan Foy director/writer, dies at 80
1977 Len Johnson cricketer (one Test for Australia, 3-66 & 3-8), dies
1979 Peter Donald host (Masquerade Party), dies at 60
1982 Andrew Sandham cricketer (325 England 1930, 879 runs in 14 Tests), dies
1982 Archibald MacLeish US, lawyer/writer (Conquistador), dies at 89
1982 Mimi Boesnach actress (Wedding of Kloris & Roses), dies at 82
1983 Jerzy Andrezjewski writer, dies
1984 Mabel Mercer English/US singer (Fly me to the moon), dies at 84
1990 Horst Sinderman RDA 1st minister (1973-76), dies
1991 Don[ald] Siegel US director (Coogan's Bluff/Dirty Harry), dies at 78
1991 Jumjaagiyn Tsedenbal Mongolian politician, dies
1991 Sean O'Faolain [J Whelan] Irish writer (Nest of Simple), dies at 91
1991 Steve Marriott English guitarist (Small Faces), dies in a fire at 44
1991 Yumzhagin Tsendenbal PM of Mongolia (1952-74), dies
1992 Benny [Alfred Hawthorn] Hill comedian (Benny Hill Show), dies of a heart attack at 67
1992 Johnny Shines Delta blues singer/guitarist, dies at 76
1993 Cantinflas [Mario Moreno] Mexican actor (Pepe), dies at 81
1994 Jean Carmet French actor (Merci la Vie, Le Sucre), dies at 72
1995 Milovan Djilas Yugoslavian politician (1945-54), dies
1995 R E S Wyatt cricketer (England captain 16 times), dies
1995 Sunil Jayasinghe Sri Lankan wicketkeeper (1979 World Cup), suicide
1995 Tessie O'Shea entertainer, dies at 81
1996 Cecilia Grace Hunt Reeves Gillie BBC Executive, dies at 88
1996 Christopher Robin Milne bookseller/son of writer A A Milne (Winnie the Pooh), dies at 75
1996 Tran Van Tra soldier, dies at 77

1777 New York adopts state constitution

The first New York state constitution is formally adopted by the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York, meeting in the upstate town of Kingston, on this day in 1777.

The constitution began by declaring the possibility of reconciliation between Britain and its former American colonies “as remote and uncertain,” thereby making the creation of a new New York government necessary “for the preservation of internal peace, virtue, and good order.”

Three governmental branches were created by the new constitution: an executive branch, a judicial branch and a legislative branch. The constitution called for the election of a governor and 24 senators and identified eligible voters as men who “were possessed of freeholds of the value of one hundred pounds, over and above all debts charged thereon.” The constitution also called for the election of 70 assemblymen for 14 declared counties who were to be elected by “male inhabitant of full age, who shall have personally resided within one of the counties of this State for six months immediately preceding the day of election...” New York also guaranteed the right to trial by jury, which had been eroded under British rule.

Despite the New Yorkers’ stalwart efforts to erect a new government, they were an occupied people. The British had taken Brooklyn Heights on August 27, 1776; lower Manhattan fell soon after and was burned on September 21. The rest of New York City and Westchester County came under British control in October of that year.
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1861 Lee resigns from U.S. Army

Colonel Robert E. Lee resigns from the United States army two days after he was offered command of the Union army and three days after his native state, Virginia, seceded from the Union.

Lee opposed secession, but he was a loyal son of Virginia. His official resignation was only one sentence, but he wrote a longer explanation to his friend and mentor, General Winfield Scott, later that day. Lee had fought under Scott during the Mexican War, and he revealed to his former commander the depth of his struggle. Lee interviewed with Scott on April 18, and explained that he would have resigned then "but for the struggle it has cost me to separate myself from a service to which I have devoted the best years of my life and all the ability I possess." Lee expressed gratitude for the kindness shown him by all in the army during his 25-year service, but Lee was most grateful to Scott. "To no one, general, have I been as much indebted as to yourself for uniform kindness and consideration..." He concluded with this poignant sentiment: "Save in the defense of my native State, I never desire again to draw my sword."

But draw it he would. Two days later, Lee was appointed commander of Virginia's forces with the rank of major general. He spent the next few months raising troops in Virginia, and in July he was sent to western Virginia to advise Confederate commanders struggling to maintain control over the mountainous region. Lee did little to build his reputation there as the Confederates experienced a series of setbacks, and he returned to Richmond when the Union gained control of the area. The next year, Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia after General Joseph Johnston was wounded in battle. Lee quickly turned the tables on Union General George B. McClellan, as he would several other commanders of the Army of the Potomac. His brilliance as a battlefield tactician earned him a place among the great military leaders of all time.
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1917 Nivelle Offensive ends in failure

On this day in 1917, an ambitious Allied offensive against German troops near the Aisne River in central France, spearheaded by the French commander in chief, Robert Nivelle, ends in dismal failure.

Nivelle, who had replaced Joseph Joffre in December 1915 as head of all French forces, had tenaciously argued for a major spring offensive in spite of powerful opposition in the French government, at one point threatening to resign if the offensive did not go ahead. He was convinced that by implementing the tactics he had used to considerable success at Verdun during the French counter-attacks in the fall of 1916, on a greater scale, the Allies could achieve a breakthrough on the Western Front within 48 hours.

In preparation for the planned offensive at the Aisne River, the British army began its attacks on April 9 around the town of Arras, capital of the Artois region of France, with the limited objective of pulling German reserve troops away from the Aisne, where the French would launch the central thrust of the offensive. Of the nearly 1,000 heavy guns used in the attacks, 377 were aimed at a six-kilometer stretch of front facing Vimy Ridge, a high point overlooking the plains of Artois, France, to the east. The Canadian Corps was given the task of moving forward to capture the ridge itself, directed by photographic images taken by aerial reconnaissance crafts used to plan the attacks as well as to report progress during their execution. After overcoming 4,000 yards of German defenses, the Canadians captured Vimy Ridge on April 12—a national triumph for Canada and a successful outcome for the initial phase of the Nivelle Offensive, as the Germans were forced to double their strength in the Arras region and thus draw forces away from the area further south, where Nivelle was preparing to launch his attacks.

On April 16, Nivelle and the French began their assault along an 80-kilometer front stretching from Soissons to Reims along the Aisne River. Despite the evacuation of reserve troops to Arras, the German positions were deeply and strongly entrenched in the region, which they had occupied since September 1914. The Germans had ample warning of French intentions from their intelligence systems; this, combined with the depth of their positions, meant that the Allies were literally outgunned from the beginning of the battle. The overconfident Nivelle had ordered a rate of advance of up to two kilometers per hour, which proved exceedingly difficult with the steep grade of the land, horrible weather and the strength of enemy fire.

For this attack, known as the Second Battle of the Aisne, the French used tanks in great numbers for the first time; by the end of the first day, however, 57 of 132 tanks had been destroyed and 64 more had become bogged down in the mud. All in all, the French suffered 40,000 casualties on April 16 alone, a loss comparable to that suffered by the British on the first day of the Somme offensive of July 1, 1916. It was clear from the start that the attack had failed to achieve the decisive breakthrough Nivelle had planned: over the next three days, the French made only modest gains, advancing up to seven kilometers on the west of the front and taking 20,000 German prisoners. On the rest of the front, progress was significantly slower, and Nivelle was forced to call off the attacks on April 20.

The high casualty rate among French forces during the ill-fated Nivelle Offensive, combined with the continuing effects of exhausting battles at Verdun and the Somme, led to sharply increased discontent among the soldiers on the Western Front. Mutinies began in late April 1917, and by June had affected 68 divisions, or about 40,000 troops. The army’s response to this was quick: on April 25, Nivelle was dismissed as commander in chief. He was replaced by the more cautious Philippe Petain, the hero of the Verdun resistance, on May 8. Petain immediately responded to the soldiers’ complaints, knowing that mutinies must be quelled in order to have a hope of success on the battlefield. Where Nivelle had cut soldiers’ leave in March 1917, releasing only 5 percent of the army at a time, Petain increased it, establishing a standard of 13 percent, or ten days’ leave for each soldier every four months.
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1945 Operation Corncob is launched while Hitler celebrates his birthday

On this day in 1945, Allied bombers in Italy begin a three-day attack on the bridges over the rivers Adige and Brenta to cut off German lines of retreat on the peninsula. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler celebrates his 56th birthday as a Gestapo reign of terror results in the hanging of 20 Russian prisoners of war and 20 Jewish children: Of these, at least nine are under the age of 12. All of the victims had been taken from Auschwitz to Neuengamme, the place of execution, for the purpose of medical experimentation.
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1970 Nixon announces more troop withdrawals

In a televised speech, President Nixon pledges to withdraw 150,000 more U.S. troops over the next year "based entirely on the progress" of the Vietnamization program. His program, which had first been announced in June 1969, included three parts. First, the United States would step up its effort to improve the combat capability of the South Vietnamese armed forces so that they could assume responsibility for the war against the North Vietnamese. As the South Vietnamese became more capable, U.S. forces would be withdrawn from South Vietnam. At the same time, U.S. negotiators would continue to try to reach a negotiated settlement to the war with the communists at the Paris peace talks. Nixon's new strategy and the continuing U.S. troop withdrawals represented a significant change in the nature of the American commitment to the war, as the primary responsibility for the fighting was transferred to the South Vietnamese armed forces. The first U.S. soldiers were withdrawn in the fall of 1969 and the withdrawals continued periodically through 1972. The remaining U.S. troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam in March 1973 as part of the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords.
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1971 "Fragging" on the rise in U.S. units

The Pentagon releases figures confirming that fragging incidents are on the rise. In 1970, 209 such incidents caused the deaths of 34 men; in 1969, 96 such incidents cost 34 men their lives. Fragging was a slang term used to describe U.S. military personnel tossing of fragmentation hand grenades (hence the term "fragging") usually into sleeping areas to murder fellow soldiers. It was usually directed primarily against unit leaders, officers, and noncommissioned officers.

Fragging was rare in the early days of U.S. involvement in ground combat, but it became increasingly common as the rapid turnover caused by the one-year rotation policy weakened unit cohesion. With leadership and morale already declining in the face of repetitive Vietnam tours, the withdrawal of public support led to soldiers questioning their purpose on the battlefield. The situation worsened with the gradual U.S. troop withdrawal that began in 1969. As some troops were withdrawn, discipline and motivation declined as many remaining soldiers began to question why they had to continue fighting.

Fragging incidents in combat were usually attempts to remove leaders perceived to be incompetent and a threat to survival. Most fragging incidents, however, occurred in rear-echelon units and were committed by soldiers on drugs or because unit leaders were enforcing anti-drug policies. Unit leaders who were perceived to be too stringent in the enforcement of discipline or regulations sometimes received warnings via a fragmentation grenade, with the safety pin left on, but with their name painted on it left on their bunk, or a smoke grenade discharged under their bunk. Most understood the message, and intimidation through threat of fragging far exceeded actual incidents.