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Today in History April 4
Today in History April 4: What Happened on This Date?
On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.—39, was shot and killed while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis — Tennessee; his slaying was followed by a wave of rioting (Washington, D.C. Baltimore and Chicago were among cities particularly hard hit.)
1081
—Alexius I Comnenus occupies Byzantine throne
When did Alexius I Comnenus die?
Alexius I Comnenus, also spelled Alexios I Komnenos, (born 1057, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]—died August 15, 1118), Byzantine emperor (1081–1118) at the time of the First Crusade who founded the Comnenian dynasty and partially restored the strength of the empire after its defeats by.
Who was the Byzantine Emperor Alexander I?
http://www.friesian.com/romania.htm#comneni Alexios I Komnenos, or Comnenus (Greek: Αλέξιος Α’ Κομνηνός) (1048 – August 15, 1118), Byzantine emperor (1081–1118), was the son of John Comnenus and Anna Dalassena and the nephew of Isaac I Comnenus (emperor 1057–1059).
Who succeeded Alexius the Great?
Alexius’ father declined the throne on the abdication of Isaac, who was accordingly succeeded by four emperors of other families between 1059 and 1081. History: Under one of these emperors, Romanus IV Diogenes (1067–1071), he served with distinction against the Seljuk Turks.
What effect did Alexius have on the Byzantine Empire?
At home, Alexius’s policy of strengthening the central authority and building up professional military and naval forces resulted in increased Byzantine strength in western and southern Anatolia and eastern Mediterranean waters.
1460
—University of Basle in Swizerland forms
1541
—Ignatius of Loyola becomes 1st superior-general of Jesuits
1552
—Mauritius van Saksen begins alliance with Karel Anikita Stroganov
1558
—Tsar Ivan IV gives parts of North-Russia to fur traders
1588
—Christian IV succeeds Frederick II as king of Denmark
1655
—Battle at Postage Farina, Tunis: English fleet beats Barbary pirates
1655
—The miraculous statue entitled the Infant of Prague is solemnly crowned by command of Cardinal Harrach
1686
—English King James II publishes Declaration of Indulgence
1687
—King James II orders his declaration of indulgence read in English churches
1737
—Anthony van Heim installed as Dutch pension advisor
1818
—Congress decides on the US flag: 13 red & white stripes & 20 stars
1828
—Casparus van Wooden patents chocolate milk powder (Amsterdam)
1850
—City of Los Angeles incorporated
1859
—Opera “Dinorah” is produced in Paris
1859
—Bryant’s Minstrels debut “Dixie” in New York City in the finale of a blackface minstrel show
1862
—Siege of Yorktown, fought in York County and Newport News, Virginia begins (Yorktown campaign), inconclusive result (US Civil War)
1862
—Peninsular Campaign, launched in southeastern Virginia, aimed at capturing Richmond during US Civil War begins, Confederate victory (US Civil War)
1864
—Skirmish at Elkin’s Ford (Little Missouri River), Arkansas
1865
—General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army arrives at Amelia Courthouse, Amelia County, Virginia
1870
—Golden Gate Park forms by City Order #800
1887
—Susanna Madora Salter elected 1st US woman mayor in Argonia, Kansas
1896
—Announcement of gold discovery in Yukon
1899
—South Africa all out 35 vs England (Trott 4-19, Haigh 6-11)
1900
—British garrison of Reddersberg surrenders to Boer general De Wet
1905
—Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 20,000
1911
—Hugh Chalmers, automaker, suggests idea of baseball MVP
1912
—Army fires on striking mine workers at Lena-gold fields in Siberia
1912
—Chinese republic proclaimed in Tibet
1913
—Greek aviator Emmanuel Argyropoulos becomes the first pilot victim of the Hellenic Air Force when his plane crashes
1913
—75th Grand National: Percy Woodland wins aboard 100/9 chance Covertcoat; owner Sir Charles Assheton-Smith’s 2nd straight GN victory and 3rd overall
1914
—Film serial “Perils of Pauline” shown for the first time in Los Angeles
1915 Germany protests vigorously to the US, claiming it must insist that Britain lifts its blockade and assert American neutrality
1917
—US Senate agrees (82-6) to participate in WWI
1918
—Food riot in Amsterdam
1920
Arabs attack Jews in Jerusalem
1921
—Stanley Cup Final, Denman Arena, Vancouver, BC: Ottawa Senators (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 2-1 for a 3-2 series victory
1922
—WAAB (Baton Rouge La) becomes 1st US radio station with “W” calls
1926
Greek dictator Theodoros Pangalos elected president
1929
— “New Moon” musical opens in London
1929
—1st AAU Greco-Roman wrestling championships held
1930
—England cricket batsman Andy Sandham ends Day 2 of 4th Test against West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica unbeaten on 309; 1st triple century in Test history; out for 325
1930
—Les Ames makes the 1st Test Cricket century by a wicketkeeper (149)
1930
The Communist Party of Panama is founded
1932
— Vitamin C 1st isolated, CC King, Univ of Pittsburgh
1933
—US Dirigible Akron crashes off coast of NJ, 73 die
1938
—5th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Henry Picard wins his only Masters, 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Harry Cooper and Ralph Guldahl
1939
—Faisal II ascends to throne of Iraq
1941
—German troops conquer Benghazi, Libya
1944
—British troops capture Addis Ababa Ethiopia
1944
—De Gaulle forms new regime in exile, with communists
1944
—Allied Bucharest bombings targeting railroads kills 5,000
1945
—World War II: Soviet forces liberate Hungary from German occupation, establishing their own communist satellite state. This was celebrated as Liberation Day until 1989.
1945
—The Holocaust: US forces liberate the Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany, the first such camp to be liberated by the US Army
1945
—World War II: US Army occupies Bielefeld in north-eastern Germany
1947
—Convention on International Civil Aviation goes into effect
1947
—Largest group of sunspots on record
1947
—UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization forms
1949
—Israel & Jordan sign armistice agreement
1949
—North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty signed in Washington, D.C.
1949
—WKRC TV channel 12 in Cincinnati, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting
1950
—Dirk Stikker becomes chairman of OES
1953
—KFDA TV channel 10 in Amarillo, TX (CBS) begins broadcasting
1955
—British government signs military treaty with Iraq
1956
—Enid Bagnold’s “Chalk Garden” premieres in London
1957
—Heitor Villa-Lobos’ 10th Symphony premieres French Radio National Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in Paris
1958
—1st march against nuclear weapons (Aldermaston, England)
1958
—Eugene Ionesco’s “Tueur sans Gages” premieres in Darmstadt
1958
—The CND Peace Symbol displayed in public for the first time in London
1959
—Mali Federation founded, consisting of Senegal & French Sudan (dissolved 1960)
1959
—France beats Wales, 11-3 at Stade Colombes to win the Five Nations Rugby Championship outright for the first time
1960
—Oscar awarded to Netherlands director Bert Haanstra
1960
Project Ozma begins at Green Bank radio astronomy center
1960
—Senegal declares independence from France
1964
—”Anyone Can Whistle” opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 9 performances
1964
—Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” single goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
1965
—The first model of the new Saab Viggen fighter aircraft plane is unveiled.
1966
—Pirate Radio Scotland changes name to Radio Ireland
1966
—US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1967
—Amsterdam Marines chase “Nozems” or rebellious youth out of Central Station
1967
—Dutch De Young government forms
1968
—”Education of Hyman Kaplan” opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 28 performances
1968
—Apollo 6 launched atop Saturn V; unmanned
1969
—Haskell Karp receives the 1st temporary artificial heart, implanted by surgeon Denton Cooley at Texas Heart Institute in Houston
1970
— Firestone World Tournament of Champions won by Don Johnson
1970
—124th Grand National: 15/1 chance Gay Trip wins by 20 lengths, giving Irish jockey Pat Taaffe his second GN winner
1971
—Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 524 performances, then most expensive broadway musical
1971
—Marine clay under houses liquefies in St-Jean-Vianney, Quebec, 31 die
1972
—1st electric power plant fueled by garbage begins operating
1973
—World Trade Center, then the world’s tallest building, opens in New York (110 stories). Later destroyed in 9/11 terrorist attacks.
1975
—138 killed as a USAF plane evacuating Vietnamese orphans crashes on approach during an emergency landing at Tân Sơn Nhứt Air Base in South Vietnam
1975
—Steve Miller is arrested for burning his girlfriend’s clothes
1975
British sitcom “The Good Life” starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith debuts on BBC One
1976
—Seni Pramoj’s Democratic Party wins elections in Thailand
1979
—Ex-President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed.
1980
—USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1981
—Henry Cisneros becomes 1st Mexican-American mayor (San Antonio)
1981
—135th Grand National: Bob Champion aboard 10/1 hope Aldaniti wins by 4 lengths from 8/1 favourite Spartan Missile
1981
—26th Eurovision Song Contest: Bucks Fizz for United Kingdom wins singing “Making Your Mind Up” in Dublin
1983
—45th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Houston, 54-52; Wolfpack win with buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation 30 foot shot from Dereck Whittenburg
1983
—6th space shuttle mission, Challenger 1 launched
1984
—Michael Frayn’s “Benefactors” premieres in London
1984
—Winston Smith in Orwell’s novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” begins his secret diary in defiance of the totalitarian government of Oceania
1985
—Tulane University cancels its basketball season amidst scandal
1987
—Dow Jones up 69.89 points, ending at record 2,390.34 pts
1987
—141st Grand National: Jockey Steve Knight wins his second GN aboard 28/1 shot Maori Venture by 5 lengths from The Tsarevich
1988
—50th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Kansas beats Oklahoma, 83-79; Jayhawks power forward Danny Manning named tournament Most Outstanding Player
1988
—Eddie Hill becomes the world’s first driver to cover the quarter mile in under 5 seconds
1988
—Largest crowd (55,438) at a season game at Riverfront (Reds Vs Cards)
1988
—Last broadcast of “Crossroads” on British TV
1988
—Mets set Opening Day record with 6 HRs
1989
—NY Yankee Tommy John ties record of playing 26 seasons, his 287th win puts him 19th overall as Yanks beat Twins on opening day 4-2
1990
—”Marshall Chronicles” premieres on ABC-TV
1990
—Security law violator Ivan Boesky is released from federal custody
1991
—”Lucifer’s Child” opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 28 performances
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.
1992
—Game 1 of Mayor Challenge – NY Yankees beat NY Mets 6-4 at Yank Stad
1992
—Sali Berisha becomes president and Alexander Meksi premier of Albania
1992
—146th Grand National: 14/1 shot Party Politics, ridden by Welsh jockey Carl Llewellyn wins by 2½ lengths from Romany King
1993
—12th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Texas Tech beats Ohio State, 84-82; future Hall of Fame forward Sheryl Swoopes MOP
1993
—The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Tom Shaw wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from Mike Hill
1994
—1st game played at Jacobs Field, Indians beat Mariners 4-3 in 11 inn
1994
—56th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Arkansas beats Duke, 76-72; Razorbacks’ first title in first title game
1994
—Cubs Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes, hit 3 HRs in 1993 hits 3 HRs on opening
1994
—KLM Saab 340B crashes at Schiphol, 3 killed
1994
—Largest Opening Day crowd at Yankee Stadium, 56,706
1994
—Netscape Communications founded as Mosaic Communications
1996
—”Inherit the Wind” opens at Royale Theater NYC for 45 performances
1996
—Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Austin TX on KJFK 98.9 FM
1997
—Anaheim Ducks clinch their 1st-ever playoff berth
1997
—Braves officially open Turner Field against Cubs
1997
—DMSP Titan 2 launched
1997
—STS 83 (Columbia 22), launches
1998
—NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season
1998
—151st Grand National: Carl Llewellyn wins aboard Earth Summit; first GN winner who was also successful in both Scottish and Welsh Grand Nationals
2002
—The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War
2005
—67th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Illinois, 75-70; Tar Heels’ 4th national championship
2006
—25th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Maryland beats Duke, 78-75 OT; Terrapins’ first national title; Laura Harper MOP
2007
—15 British Royal Navy personnel held in Iran are released by the Iranian President.
2008
—Raid on Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints owned YFZ Ranch in Texas; 401 children and 133 women taken into state custody
2009
—162nd Grand National: French-bred 100/1 outsider Mon Mome, ridden by Liam Treadwell, wins by 12 lengths from defending champion Comply or Die
2009
—Eminem Inducts Run-DMC Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
2010
—Kraft Nabisco Championship Women’s Golf, Mission Hills CC: Yani Tseng of Taiwan wins her 2nd major title by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Suzann Pettersen of Norway
2010
—Africa’s tallest monument, the African Renaissance Monument, dedicated outside Dakar, Senegal, designed by Pierre Goudiaby to commemorate Senegal’s 50th anniversary of independence
2011
—73rd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Butler, 53-41; Huskies’ point guard Kemba Walker scores 16 points
2012
—Somalia’s National Theater is struck by a suicide bomber killing ten people including the presidents of the Somali Olympic Committee and Football Federation
2012
—Boris Tadić, President of Serbia, resigns
2013
—74 people are killed after an illegally constructed building collapses in Thane, India
2013
—9 people have been killed on an axe-murdering rampage in Chhattisgarh state, India
2013
—Poecilotheria rajaei, a giant tarantula with a 20cm leg span, is discovered in Sri Lanka
2014
—President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, claims that climate change will lead to battles over water and food within the next five to ten years
2016
—78th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Villanova defeats North Carolina, 77-74; Wildcats guard Phil Booth, 20 points
2017
—Alibaba becomes the world’s largest retailer according to US Securities and Exchange Commission
2018
—21st Commonwealth Games open in the Gold Coast, Australia
2019
—Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel apologises for the kidnapping of thousands of mixed-race children during colonial period in Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda
2019
—US Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pledges to roll back anti-LGBT policies, including not baptizing children of gay parents
2019
—Kathie Lee Gifford leaves NBC’s “Today” show after 11 years
2020
—WrestleMania XXXVI, WWE Performance Center, Orlando FL, Part 1: The Undertaker defeats AJ Styles in a Boneyard match; Becky Lynch beats Shayna Baszler to retain Raw Women’s C’ship
