Arts Culture > Today In History
Today In History: April 10
Today is Good Friday
Today’s Highlight in History:On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage. The ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic on April 14 and sank in the early hours of April 15. Some 1,500 people died.
On this date:
•In 1790, President George Washington signed into law the first United States Patent Act. It stated that the inventor had “the sole and exclusive right and liberty of making, constructing, using and vending to others to be used, the said invention or discovery” for a period of 14 years.
•In 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.
•In 1925, the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was first published.
•In 1932, German president Paul Von Hindenburg was re-elected in a runoff, with Adolf Hitler coming in second.
•In 1957, Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to all shipping traffic. (The canal had been closed due to wreckage resulting from the Suez Crisis.)
•In 1959, the future emperor of Japan, Crown Prince Akihito, married a commoner, Michiko Shoda. She became the first commoner crown princess in history.
•In 1963, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher sank during deep-diving tests off Cape Cod, Mass., in a disaster that claimed 129 lives. The cause was likely a casting, piping or welding failure that led the engine room to be flooded with water.
•In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union joined some 70 nations in signing an agreement banning biological warfare.
•In 1978, Arkady Shevchenko, a high-ranking Soviet citizen employed by the United Nations, sought political asylum in the United States. In the early 1970s, he passed top secret Soviet information to the U.S. government.
•In 1998, the Northern Ireland peace talks concluded as negotiators reached a landmark settlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks. Called the Good Friday Agreement, it proposed plans for a Northern Ireland Assembly, new cross-border institutions and for a body to link devolved assemblies in the United Kingdom with Westminster and Dublin.
Ten years ago: Bad weather hampered NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, but the allies warned Slobodan Milosevic the lull wouldn’t last. The Pentagon, meanwhile, announced that 82 U.S. planes would join the force conducting airstrikes over Yugoslavia. The Miami Heat humiliated the Chicago Bulls, 82-49, holding the Bulls to the lowest point total since the introduction of the shot clock.
Five years ago: The White House declassified and released a document sent to President George W. Bush before the Sept. 11 attacks which cited recent intelligence of a possible al-Qaida plot to strike inside the United States.
One year ago: The U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially renamed Squaw Peak in Phoenix Piestewa Peak, in honor of Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, who was killed in Iraq in 2003.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Harry Morgan is 94. Sportscaster John Madden is 73. Sportscaster Don Meredith is 71. Actor Steven Seagal is 58. Rock singer-musician Brian Setzer is 50. Olympic gold medal speedskater Cathy Turner is 47. Rock musician Mike Mushok (Staind) is 40. Singer Mandy Moore is 25. Actor Haley Joel Osment is 21. Actress-singer AJ (AKA Amanda) Michalka is 18.
Thought for Today: “All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.” — Max Beerbohm, English critic and essayist (1872-1956).
Today’s Highlight in History:On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage. The ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic on April 14 and sank in the early hours of April 15. Some 1,500 people died.
On this date:
•In 1790, President George Washington signed into law the first United States Patent Act. It stated that the inventor had “the sole and exclusive right and liberty of making, constructing, using and vending to others to be used, the said invention or discovery” for a period of 14 years.
•In 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.
•In 1925, the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was first published.
•In 1932, German president Paul Von Hindenburg was re-elected in a runoff, with Adolf Hitler coming in second.
•In 1957, Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to all shipping traffic. (The canal had been closed due to wreckage resulting from the Suez Crisis.)
•In 1959, the future emperor of Japan, Crown Prince Akihito, married a commoner, Michiko Shoda. She became the first commoner crown princess in history.
•In 1963, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher sank during deep-diving tests off Cape Cod, Mass., in a disaster that claimed 129 lives. The cause was likely a casting, piping or welding failure that led the engine room to be flooded with water.
•In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union joined some 70 nations in signing an agreement banning biological warfare.
•In 1978, Arkady Shevchenko, a high-ranking Soviet citizen employed by the United Nations, sought political asylum in the United States. In the early 1970s, he passed top secret Soviet information to the U.S. government.
•In 1998, the Northern Ireland peace talks concluded as negotiators reached a landmark settlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks. Called the Good Friday Agreement, it proposed plans for a Northern Ireland Assembly, new cross-border institutions and for a body to link devolved assemblies in the United Kingdom with Westminster and Dublin.
Ten years ago: Bad weather hampered NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, but the allies warned Slobodan Milosevic the lull wouldn’t last. The Pentagon, meanwhile, announced that 82 U.S. planes would join the force conducting airstrikes over Yugoslavia. The Miami Heat humiliated the Chicago Bulls, 82-49, holding the Bulls to the lowest point total since the introduction of the shot clock.
Five years ago: The White House declassified and released a document sent to President George W. Bush before the Sept. 11 attacks which cited recent intelligence of a possible al-Qaida plot to strike inside the United States.
One year ago: The U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially renamed Squaw Peak in Phoenix Piestewa Peak, in honor of Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, who was killed in Iraq in 2003.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Harry Morgan is 94. Sportscaster John Madden is 73. Sportscaster Don Meredith is 71. Actor Steven Seagal is 58. Rock singer-musician Brian Setzer is 50. Olympic gold medal speedskater Cathy Turner is 47. Rock musician Mike Mushok (Staind) is 40. Singer Mandy Moore is 25. Actor Haley Joel Osment is 21. Actress-singer AJ (AKA Amanda) Michalka is 18.
Thought for Today: “All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.” — Max Beerbohm, English critic and essayist (1872-1956).
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