Martyrdom and Day of St. George, Patron of England and Portugal
Death of St. Adalbert of Prague
Death of Aethelred, "the Redeless," King of England
Nur-ad-Din seizes Damascus
Geoffrey Chaucer granted a pitcher of wine daily by King Edward III
Marriage of Henry VI, King of England, to Margaret of Anjou
Italian scholar Julius Caesar Scaliger born
Landing of Pedro Alvarez de Cabral in Brazil
This is the generally accepted birthdate of the English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare. He died on the same date 52 years later.
Boris Godunov, Tsar of Muscovy, dies and Fyodor II proclaimed Czar of Russia
The Spanish poet Cervantes died in Madrid.
William Shakespeare died in Stratford-on-Avon, England.
An English invasion of Cornwall is repulsed
British seize Basse-Terre and Guadeloupe in the Antilies from France.
"Courier De Boston" was first published in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first Roman Catholic magazine in the United States.
President-elect Washington and his wife moved into the first executive mansion, the Franklin House, in New York.
James Buchanan, 15th president of the United States born
Stephen Douglas, the "Little Giant", debated Lincoln born
Missolonghi falls to Egyptian forces.
Ruggiero Leoncavallo, the composer of "Pagliacci" born in Naples, Italy
Charlotte E. Ray became the first black woman lawyer in ceremonies held in Washington, D.C.
Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev born
The "Vitascope" system for projecting movies onto a screen was demonstrated at a music hall in New York City.
The U.S. government asked for 125,000 volunteers to fight against Spain in Cuba.
Services were held at the first movable church. Rev. Charles Preston preached from a horse drawn vehicle in Coanicut Island, Rhode Island.
Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg. born
The word, "hillbilly," was first used in print in an article in the New York Journal. It was spelled "Hill-Billie" and used in a story of a "free and untrampled white citizen of Alabama who lived in the hills."
Janacek's opera "The Excursions of Mister Broucek" was premiered. This opera is about a man traveling to the Moon and back in the 1400s.
Virgil I (Gus) Grissom, Mercury and Gemini astronaut born
Child actress-turned-diplomat Shirley Temple Black born
Actor Alan Oppenheimer born
Child actress Shirley Temple, then 3 -years-old, made her film debut with the release of "Stand Up and Cheer."
Designer Halston (Roy Frowick) born
About 200 people died in a dance hall fire in Natchez, Mississippi.
At an "America First" rally in New York City, aviator Charles Lindbergh said "it is obvious that England is losing the war." Lindbergh opposed U.S. entry into World War II.
Actress Sandra Dee (Alexandra Zuck) born
Actor Herve Villechaize born
Irish nationalist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey born
Johnny Longden became the first race jockey to ride 3,000 career winners as he set the mark at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, California.
Actress Joyce DeWitt born
Writer-director Paul Brickman born
Associated Press began use of a new service -- "teletypesetting." The AP provided a perforated, paper-tape message to a news bureau in Charlotte, North Carolina. The message was then fed into a monitor.
Musician Narada Michael Walden (Mahavishnu Orchestra) born
Singer-musician Captain Sensible (Ray Burns) (The Damned) born
Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first of his record 755 major-league home runs, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. (The Braves won, 7-to-5.)
Actor Craig Sheffer ("A River Runs Through It") born
Actress Valerie Bertinelli born
Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds got his first hit in the major leagues. It was a triple off the Pirates' Bob Friend. "Charlie Hustle" went on to break Ty Cobb's all-time hitting record 20 years later.
Rock musician Gen (Jesus Jones) born
US Olympic gold medal skier Donna Weinbrecht born
More than 200 U.S. planes struck North Vietnam in one of the heaviest raids of the Vietnam War.
Country musician Tim Womack (Sons of the Desert) born
The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.
Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for assassinating New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy. (The sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment.)
Actor Scott Bairstow ("Party of Five") born
President and Mrs. Reagan solemnly welcomed home the bodies of 16 of the Americans killed in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut during ceremonies at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
British authorities deported a Libyan student, less than a week after gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in London killed a policewoman and wounded a group of anti-Gadhafi demonstrators.
The former Sen. Sam Ervin died at age 88. The North Carolina Democrat directed the Senate Watergate investigation that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.
The Coca-Cola Company announced it was changing the secret flavor formula for Coke (negative public reaction forced the company to resume selling the original version).
Former Senator Sam Ervin died at age 88. The North Carolina Democrat directed the Senate Watergate investigation that led to President Nixon's resignation.
The flamboyant Liberace first appeared on the soap opera "Another World." Later in the day Liberace appeared as a guest video jockey on MTV.
The first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize in over a decade was "Sunday in the Park with George." Studs Terkel earned his first Pulitzer for "The Good War: An Oral History of World War II.""
President Reagan, addressing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the recent raid on Libya showed "no one can kill Americans and brag about it."
Death claimed composer Harold Arlen at age 81
Movie director Otto Preminger died at age 80.
Twenty-eight construction workers were killed when an apartment complex being built in Bridgeport, Connecticut, suddenly collapsed.
"Business Week" magazine announced its list of the nation's highest paid executives. Lee Iacocca of Chrysler Corporation topped the list, followed by Paul Fireman of Reebok International.
A federal ban on smoking during domestic airline flights of two hours or less went into effect.
Troy Aikman of UCLA became the first player chosen in the NFL draft in New York City when he was selected by the Dallas Cowboys.
Freed American hostage Robert Polhill, released in Lebanon the day before, enjoyed his first full day of freedom at the U.S. Air Force hospital in Wiesbaden, West Germany.
President Bush welcomed General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the just-returned Gulf War commander, at the White House.
NASA scrubbed the launch of the space shuttle Discovery after a sensor on one of the main engines failed during fueling.
Fighting erupted in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo just hours after the warring parties signed a truce amid sniper fire.
McDonald's opened its first fast-food restaurant in the Chinese capital of Beijing.
President Clinton said he was giving "serious consideration" to limited US air strikes against Bosnian Serb positions.
Krystian Zimerman gave a piano recital at Carnegie Hall and most of the program was Debussy. He played the whole first book of Etudes. The program's finale, though was Schubert's late sonata in B-flat Major.
Labor leader Cesar Chavez died in San Luis, Arizona, at age 66.
Mourners from around the world left red roses, burning candles and cards at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda, California, in memory of the 37th president of the United States, who had died the day before at age 81.
Physicists at the Department of Energy's Fermin National Accelerator Laboratory discovered the subatomic particle called the top quark.
Lawyer turned sportscaster Howard Cosell died in New York at age 77.
The nation observed a national day of mourning for the victims of the Oklahoma City blast.
Former Sen. John C. Stennis died in Jackson, Mississippi, at age 93.
A three-night auction of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' possessions began at Sotheby's in New York with a bidding frenzy.
A Bronx civil-court jury ordered Bernhard Goetz to pay $43 million to paralyzed Darrell Cabey, one of four young men he shot on a subway car in 1984.
Doctors at University of Southern California announced that a child was born in late 1996 to a 63-year-old woman on hormone therapy.
Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, again apologizing for racial comments about Masters winner Tiger Woods, withdrew from the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic.
The military confirmed that two pieces of wreckage found on a snowy Rocky Mountain peak were from the Air Force warplane that vanished on a training mission over Arizona.
James Earl Ray, the ex-convict who confessed to assassinating the Reverend Martin Luther King Junior in 1968 and then insisted he was framed, died at a Nashville hospital at age 70.
On the first day of a 50th anniversary NATO summit in Washington, Western leaders pledged to intensify military strikes against Yugoslavia and vowed "no compromise" on demands that Slobodan Milosevic withdraw his troops from Kosovo.
A group of 21 tourists and workers were kidnapped from a Malaysian diving resort by Abu Sayyaf rebels.
Elian Gonzalez spent a secluded Easter with his father at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, a day after the six-year-old boy was removed from his Miami relatives' home in a pre-dawn raid by immigration agents.
Boston Cyberarts Festival opens with Hotel@MIT gala
Woman arrested in Wendy's chili finger case and larcenous mobile home sale
Elite Boston Marathon runner Emily Levan discusses life and running
Female sponge contraceptive re-approved for US market
Texas Same-Sex Couples could be prohibited from fostering children
Estonia to sign border treaty with Russia in a few weeks
Romania will do everything possible to spare journalists kidnapped in Iraq
Controversial Queensland Premier of 19 years dies at 94
Moussaoui Pleads Guilty to 9/11 Attacks
New rodent discovery leads to new mammal family
American who owns BenedictXVI.com wants "one of those hats"
VoIP penetrates emergency calling infrastructure
Dermot Mannion becomes new Aer Lingus CEO
Sir John Mills dies at 97
Widespread insurgencies in Iraq
Judges rule patrons may sue nude bars for lap-dance overcharges
Immigration and asylum turn voters off UK Tories
Google translates Gmail to 12 languages, asks for volunteers to target 144 more
Nagin, Landrieu advance to runoff in New Orleans mayoral election
South Thailand election reruns hit by violence
Michael Schumacher breaks Formula One record for most poles
Swazi King says political parties are no longer banned
US Congress drafting bill that may affect Internet freedoms
Aljazeera airs new audiotape by Osama bin Laden
Australians and News Zealanders increasingly support shared currency
Iran: no sign of former FBI agent
Boris Yeltsin, former president of Russia, dies at 76
Earthquake in Chile triggers landslide
Archbishop says abortion and euthanasia are 'terrorism with a human face'
New kids' drink sparkles up debate
India's first commercial satellite launch
Snowy Mountains Hydro could be closed as drought tightens on Australia
Postal worker saves baby's life
Stanley Cup playoffs enter second round
McCain launches tour of US states
Some results released in recount of Zimbabwe election results
Skype launches "Unlimited" monthly service to change communication style
Skeletons found under home in Hertfordshire
Semi truck crashes into viaduct in Buffalo, New York
Hillary Clinton wins Pennsylvania, cuts Obama's lead
Darling announces UK budget for 2009
US interrogation techniques received early approval, report suggests
Oil rig in Gulf of Mexico sinks after explosion; eleven missing
US vice president Biden says Iran sanctions likely by early May
Ben Shephard announces departure from GMTV
Brazil's Minas state stops sales of Toyota Corolla
Chilean actor Oscar Garcés accused of sexual abuse
Bombings in Iraq kill dozens
6.2 magnitude aftershock provokes panic in southern Chile
Greece formally asks for EU-IMF loans
British poet Peter Porter dies at age 81
U.S. drones enter Libya conflict
Apple collecting location data from iPhone, iPad
Murderer of road accident victim sentenced to death
Prince Harry of Wales to be awarded for humanitarian work
Netherlands train crash kills one, injures at least 117
Doctor diagnoses Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's infertility
Wolverhampton Wanderers relegated from English Premier League
Texas 'roadeo' lets school bus drivers show their mettle
Six dead after shooting spree in Belgorod