In the Balkans, the distinguished soldier Septimius Seversus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
Constantine ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
In the Battle of Liegnitz, Mongol armies defeat Poles and Germans.
The city states of Venice, Milan and Florence sign a peace agreement at Lodi, Italy.
James Scott Duke of Monmouth born
French explorer Robert La Salle reached the Mississippi River.
Captain James Cook discovers Botany Bay on the Australian continent.
Peterborough, New Hampshire opened the first municipally supported public library.
Erich Ludendorff, German general during World War I born
The Civil War effectively came to an end today, as Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The generous terms of the surrender allowed Confederate officers to keep their sidearms and all troops who owned their horses were permitted to take them home for the spring planting.
S.R. Percy of New York City received a patent for dried milk.
W.C. Fields (Claude William Dukinfield), comedian and actor born
Paul Robeson, stage and screen actor best remembered for his role in Othello born
Actor Ward Bond (Wagon Train, Gone with the Wind, Drums Along the Mohawk, It's a Wonderful Life, The Maltese Falcon, Mister Roberts, Rio Bravo, Tall in the Saddle, The Time of Your Life) born
J. William Fulbright, U.S. senator from Arkansas who opposed the Vietnam War born
The first aerial ferry bridge went into operation in Duluth, Minnesota.
The Boston Red Sox defeated Harvard 2-0 on this, the day that Fenway Park was opened for the first time. The venerable ball park is still in use today and ranks as one of the most beautiful in the major leagues.
Jazz musician Julian Dash born
Hugh Hefner, founder and publisher of Playboy magazine born
Mae West made her glamorous debut on Broadway in the classic production of "Diamond Lil".
Singer Carl Perkins (Blue Suede Shoes, Your True Love, Honey Don't, Pink Pedal Pushers, Shine Shine, Cotton Top, Restless; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987) born
Naturalist Jim Fowler born
Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (Casino Royale, The Brain, Is Paris Burning, Swashbuckler, Le Magnifique, Love and the Frenchwoman) born
Comedian Avery Schreiber born
Singer Marian Anderson performed a concert at the Lincoln Memorial Washington DC after she was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Actress Michael Learned (The Waltons, All My Sons, Deadly Business, A Christmas Without Snow) born
Germany invaded Denmark and Norway.
American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces; the surrender was followed by the notorious "Bataan Death March" which claimed nearly ten-thousand lives.
Country singer Margo Smith born
Actor Brandon de Wilde (Shane, Hud, In Harm's Way, The Member of the Wedding, Goodbye My Lady, All Fall Down) born
A series of tornadoes Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas claimed 169 lives.
Bob Hope hosted a "Star-Spangled Review" this night on NBC-TV. Hope became the highest paid performer for a single show on TV to that time. The "Star-Spangled Review" was a musical special Hope's first television appearance.
Country singer Hal Ketchum born
Humorist Jimmy Tingle ("60 Minutes II") born
Golfer Severiano Ballesteros born
NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton.
British statesman Winston Churchill was made an honorary US citizen.
President Kennedy opened the baseball season by throwing out the first ball at Washington's new District of Columbia Stadium, now known as Robert F. Kennedy Stadium (RFK).
The newly built Houston Astrodome featured its first baseball game, an exhibition between the Astros and the New York Yankees. President Lyndon B. Johnson attended the opening of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The first indoor stadium was termed the "Eighth Wonder of the World". (The Astros won, 2-to-1.)
"TIME" magazine featured a cover with the entire "Peanuts" gang on this day. It was a good day for Charlie Brown.
Actress-model Paulina Porizkova born
Murdered civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., is buried.
Rock singer KevMart(Candlebox) born
Paul McCartney announces official split of the Beatles.
Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam born
Actor Ryan Northcott born
Actress Shirley MacLaine received her first Academy Award for the film, "Terms of Endearment", at the 56th annual Oscars presentation. MacLaine had been nominated five times over 26 years before winning the statuette.
Tom Seaver broke a major-league baseball record that had been held by Walter Johnson as he started his 15th opening-day game.
Dikye Baggett became the first person to undergo corrective surgery for Parkinson's disease. The procedure took place in Nashville, TN.
Hundreds of thousands of people marched Washington DC, demanding continued safe and legal abortion and urging the Supreme Court to uphold its 1973 "Roe versus Wade" decision.
Humorist John Henry Faulk, who'd challenged 1950's blacklisting in the entertainment industry, died in Austin, Texas, at age 76.
The baseball season opened a week late because of a labor dispute.
The 1991 Pulitzer Prize for fiction was awarded to John Updike for "Rabbit at Rest"; the drama prize went to Neil Simon for "Lost in Yonkers." In journalism, The Des Moines Register received the gold medal for public service for its series about rape victim Nancy Ziegenmeyer, who'd allowed her name and pictures to be used.
Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted Miami of eight drug and racketeering charges.
The Reverend BenjamChavis was chosen to head the NAACP, succeeding BenjamHooks.
Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali ordered UN troops to use "all available means" to roll back Serb military gains the Muslim enclave of Gorazde.
The space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on an eleven-day mission that included mapping the Earth's surface three dimensions.
Alberto Fujimori was re-elected president of Peru.
Two suicide bombings on buses in the Gaza Strip killed seven Israelis and an American college student.
Women's rights supporters rallied near the US Capitol to protest violence against women.
In a dramatic shift of purse-string power, President Clinton signed a line-item veto bill into law.
Dan Rostenkowski, the once-powerful House Ways and Means chairman, pleaded guilty to two mail fraud charges in a deal that brought with it a 17-month prison term.
More than 150 Muslims died a stampede which occurred on the last day of the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The National Prisoner of War Museum opened Andersonville, Georgia, the site of the infamous Civil War prison camp.
down by members of his own Presidential Guard.
A judge ordered the federal government to pay $909 million to Glendale Federal Bank in California for breach of contract (the ruling stemmed from a 1996 Supreme Court decision that said the government broke its contract with Glendale and two other thrifts when it changed the rules on how they must count their assets).
President Eduard Shevardnadze won a second term as leader of Georgia.
Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori fell just shy of the majority needed to avoid a runoff for an unprecedented third term.
Vijay Singh won the Masters, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Ernie Els.
Pope's Brazilian cousins lament his death
Angola: Marburg virus still spreading, 180 dead
Who's the richest entertainer in Australia? The Wiggles of course!
Mozilla Foundation prepares third Firefox security update
Future British monarch Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles
UN forced to cut food rations to a million Sudanese
MSN Encarta introduces wiki-like enhancements
Bush EPA nominee abandons insecticide-on-children study after Senate hearing
Drug-resistant infections on the rise in American hospitals
Toronto prepares for Monday transit strike
Time Warner/Comcast bid to snap up Adelphia cable service
U.S. Postal rate increase proposed
Gaza cease fire rocked by latest killing of youths
Chinese rioters storm Japanese embassy in Beijing
Hundreds arrested following pro-democratic rally in Nepal
British FBI-style agency launched
Tennessee hit with second wave of tornadoes; 12 dead
Former Colombian intelligence official claims Colombia had a plan to kill Chavez
Row ensues as CalMac starts Sunday ferry crossing service to Lewis and Harris
MLB: Twins turn the tables on White Sox
Cricket World Cup: New Zealand vs Ireland
MLB: Upcoming Tribe home games moved to Milwaukee
Iraqis demonstrate on fourth anniversary of Baghdad's fall
Football: Sunderland lead Championship after 2-1 win
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales to lead development of 'code of conduct' for bloggers
NHL: Teams ready for Stanley Cup Playoffs
Olympic torch faces protests in San Francisco
Apple's iTunes replaces Wal-Mart as No. 1 U.S. music seller
Death of 4000th U.S. soldier in Iraq shines spotlight on gays in the military
Sulfur Dioxide levels in Hawaii remain high
Flickr launches video-sharing service
France recalls Ãngrid Betancourt mission
UEFA Champions League: April 9, 2008
The Simpsons taken off Venezuelan TV after being called unsuitable
Survey: Big Ben is the most popular UK landmark
Judge in Gambian court warns media not to cover case
Norfolk youths banned from buying eggs and ketchup
Election in Moldova instigates rioting mob demanding recount
Fiji court rules interim regime unlawful
Indonesian court jails Garuda pilot over air disaster
Jews around the world recite special sun blessing
Missouri town re-elects deceased mayor
18-year US media ban on covering return of fallen soldiers lifted
Transgender woman hired as city manager for Lake Worth, Florida
US crew retakes ship hijacked by pirates; captain held hostage
Red Shirts cause state of emergency in Thai capital
Iran tests new centrifuges
Qatari diplomat detained on Las Vegas bound flight
German Physical Society demands nuclear disarmament
Obama, Medvedev sign treaty cutting nuclear stockpiles
British Airways and Iberia sign merger deal
White farmer who beat Mugabe in court over land seizures, dies
Bailout signals Lisbon's capitulation to financial markets
Seven dead after gunman opens fire in Netherlands shopping centre
Nitrite poisoned milk kills three babies, sickens 35 in China
Gbagbo forces reported to have gained ground in Ivorian city of Abidjan
US government shutdown averted in last-minute deal
France fears serial killer responsible for recent murders