13th April 1919: British troops commit the Amritsar Massacre
Troops from the British Indian Army committed the Amritsar Massacre when they opened fire on nonviolent protesters and pilgrims at Jallianwala ...
13 Apr 0s
12th April 1945: Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd President of the United States when his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, dies while having his portrait painted
Truman faced an enormous challenge simply by being the person to follow Roosevelt as President, let alone the ongoing struggles of the Second World ...
12 Apr 0s
11th April 1979: The rule of Idi Amin in Uganda ends when opposing forces capture the capital city of Kampala
Idi Amin seized power in a coup while the president, Milton Obote, was attending a meeting abroad. He suspended parts of the constitution and established himself as head of state, relying heavily on m...
11 Apr 0s
10th April 1858: Big Ben, the bell inside the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster, was cast
The bell has chimed the hours almost non-stop since it first rang in July 1859, over a year after the bell itself was cast at the Whitechapel Bell ...
10 Apr 0s
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
