On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic Games officially opened in Athens, Greece.
This date:
In 1862, the Battle of Shiloh of the Civil War began in Tennessee, when Confederate troops launched a surprise attack on Union forces, which were repulsed the next day.
In 1864, Louisiana held a convention in New Orleans to draft a new state constitution that abolished slavery.
In 1909, American explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson and four Inuit became the first humans to reach the North Pole.
In 1917, the United States entered World War I when the House of Representatives joined the Senate in approving a declaration of war against Germany, which President Woodrow Wilson signed.
In 1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince was first published by Raynal & Hitchcock in New York.
In 1945, during World War II, the Japanese warship Yamato and nine other ships sailed on a kamikaze mission to attack the U.S. fleet off the coast of Okinawa. The next day the fleet was intercepted.
In 1954, Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (R-Wis.) responded to a broadside comment made by CBS reporter Edward R. In it, Murrow said he had been “involved” in the past. In propaganda for the communist cause. ”
In 1968, two consecutive natural gas explosions occurred at a sporting goods store in downtown Richmond, Indiana, killing 41 people.
In 1974, the Swedish pop group ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, England, with their performance of the song “Waterloo”.
In 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, speaking at a private fundraiser in San Francisco, spoke of voters in Pennsylvania's Rust Belt “clinging to guns and religion” out of bitterness over their economic fortunes. Ta. Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized the remarks as “elitist.”
In 2012, five black people were shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, three of them fatally. Jake England and Alvin Watts, who admitted targeting the victims because of their race, pleaded guilty to murder and were sentenced to life in prison without parole.
In 2014, legendary Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney passed away at the age of 93 in North Hollywood.
In 2017, comedian Don Rickles, known for his caustic insults, died at the age of 90 in Beverly Hills, California.
In 2020, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's symptoms worsened and he was transferred to the intensive care unit of a London hospital where he was being treated for the coronavirus.
In 2021, Major League Baseball announced that the All-Star Game will be held at Coors Field in Denver. The game was canceled from Atlanta due to opposition to Georgia's voting law changes.
In 2022, the mayor of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said more than 5,000 civilians had been killed in the Russian military invasion. In response, the United States and its Western allies moved to impose new sanctions against the Kremlin over what it deemed to be war crimes.
Birthdays today: Nobel Prize-winning scientist James D. Watson, 96 years old, actor Billy Dee Williams, 87 years old, actor Roy Thinnes, 86 years old, film director Barry Levinson, 82 years old, actor John Ratzenberger, 77 years old, actor Patrika Dalbo is 76 years old, Baseball Hall of Fame farmer Bert Blyleven is 73 years old, actor Marilu Henner is 72 years old, Olympic bronze medalist figure skater Janet Lin is 71 years old, actor Michael Rooker is 69 years old, and former U.S. Representative Michelle Bachmann (R-Minnesota) is 68 years old, and rock musician Warren Haynes is 64 years old. Rock singer and musician Black Francis (Pixies) is 59 years old. Actor Ali Meyers is 55 years old. Actor Paul Rudd is 55 years old. Actor and producer Jason Harvey is 52 years old. Actor Zach Braff is 49 years old. Actor Joel Garland is 49 years old. Actor Candace Cameron Bure (Burley') is in his 48th year. Actor Teddy Sears is in his 47th year. Jazz and R&B musician Robert Glasper is in his 46th year. Actor Eliza Coupe is 43 years old. Singer and guitarist Kenneth Pattengale (Milk Carton Kids) is in his 42nd year. Actor Brett Harrison is in his 42nd year. Charlie is an actor. McDermott is 34 years old.
