This Day in History
06 Apr 1320
The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath
06 Apr 1327
Italian poet Petrarch 1st sets eyes on his beloved Laura
06 Apr 1362
Tard-Venus robber bands strike at Brignais France
06 Apr 1385
John Master of the Order of Aviz is made King John I of Portugal
More History
Mormon Church established
In Fayette Township New York Joseph Smith founder of the Mormon religion organizes the Church of Christ during a meeting with a small group of believers.Bor...
The United States officially enters World War I
Two days after the U.S. Senate voted 82 to 6 to declare war against Germany the U.S. House of Representatives endorses the declaration by a vote of 373 to 50 ...
First modern Olympic Games
On April 6 1896 the Olympic Games a long-lost tradition of ancient Greece are reborn in Athens 1500 years after being banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I....
U.S. forces respond to North Vietnamese offensive
Clear weather for the first time in three days allows U.S. planes and Navy warships to begin the sustained air strikes and naval bombardments ordered by Preside...
U.S. ground combat offensive authorized in South Vietnam
National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy drafts and signs National Security Action Memorandum 328 on behalf of President Lyndon B. Johnson. This document came o...
First modern Olympics is held
On April 6 1896 the first modern Olympic Games are held in Athens Greece with athletes from 14 countries participating.The International Olympic Committee m...
John Tyler is inaugurated as 10th president
On this day in 1841 John Tyler is sworn in as president. Tyler was elected as William Harrisons vice president earlier in 1841 and was suddenly thrust ...
Black Hawk War begins
Determined to resist the growing presence of Anglo settlers on traditional tribal lands the Sauk warrior Black Hawk is drawn into war with the United States.Ca...
Writer Oscar Wilde arrested in England
Writer Oscar Wilde is arrested after losing a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry.Wilde had been engaged in an affair with the marquesss son ...
The Eurovision song contest launches Swedish superstars, ABBA
In Brighton England on April 6 1974 the judges of the 19th Eurovision Song Contest crushed the hopes of tiny Luxembourg by denying that nation in its bid fo...
2001: A Space Odyssey released in movie theaters
On this day in 1968 Stanleys Kubricks science-fiction classic 2001 A Space Odyssey makes its debut in movie theaters.Kubrick had first gained ...
Train topples off bridge in Brazil, killing 110
A train drops off a bridge in Tangua Brazil killing 110 people on this day in 1950. Twenty-two cars made up the Leopoldina Railways train that departed Rio d...
Sam Sheppard, the inspiration for The Fugitive, dies
On this day in 1970 Sam Sheppard a doctor convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in a trial that caused a media frenzy in the 1950s dies of liver failure. ...
U.S. and Soviet leaders negotiate reunified Germany’s role in Europe
U.S. and Soviet diplomats meeting in Washington D.C. make significant progress in negotiations concerning the role to be played by the newly reunified Germany...
Battle of Shiloh begins
The Civil War explodes in the west as the armies of Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston collide at Shiloh near Pittsb...
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