9th April 1767: John Hancock forcibly removes British customs officials from his ship
John Hancock, one of Boston’s wealthiest merchants and a leading figure in Boston politics, forcibly removed customs officials from his ship ...
9 Apr 0s
8th April 1820: Venus de Milo statue discovered on the Greek island of Milos in the Aegean Sea
The sculpture, believed to represent the goddess Aphrodite, was was uncovered by a farmer named Yorgos Kentrotas near the remains of an ancient theatre close to the village of ...
8 Apr 0s
7th April 1498: Savonarola takes part in a failed trial by fire that was intended to test his holiness
The belief was that God would intervene to protect Savonarola from the flames, but he and his opponents squabbled for so long that a rainstorm eventually led to the cancellation of the ...
7 Apr 0s
6th April 1896: The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens.
The 1896 Summer Olympics laid down many traditions including the first competitive marathon ...
6 Apr 0s
5th April 1958: Ripple Rock underwater mountain destroyed in one of the largest ever non-nuclear explosions
The blast, which was broadcast live on television, broke apart the submerged peaks of the Ripple Rock underwater mountain, sending 635,000 metric tons of rock and water 300 metres into the ...
5 Apr 0s
4th April 1968: Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 39
King was standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorrain Motel in Memphis when he was hit by a single bullet that shattered his jaw and several ...
4 Apr 0s
3rd April 1860: The first Pony Express service goes into operation
The first Pony Express service left the American city of St Joseph in Missouri destined for Sacramento in ...
3 Apr 0s
2nd April 1968: Science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey receives its world premiere in Washington, D.C.
The release of 2001: A Space Odyssey marked an important moment in the development of cinematic science fiction, combining large-scale visual effects with a narrative that addressed themes of human ev...
2 Apr 0s
