Today in History
Today is Monday, April 10, the 100th day of 2023. There are 265 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 10, 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
On this date:
In 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.
In 1932, German President Paul Von Hindenburg was reelected in a runoff, with Adolf Hitler coming in second.
In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals.
In 1963, the fast-attack nuclear submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) sank during deep-diving tests east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in a disaster that claimed 129 lives.
In 1971, a table tennis team from the United States arrived in China at the invitation of the communist government for a goodwill visit that came to be known as “ping-pong diplomacy.”
In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union joined some 70 nations in signing an agreement banning biological warfare.
In 1974, Golda Meir announced her resignation as prime minister of Israel.
In 1998, the Northern Ireland peace talks concluded as negotiators reached a landmark settlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks.
In 2005, Tiger Woods won his fourth Masters with a spectacular finish of birdies and bogeys.
In 2010, Polish President Lech Kaczynski (lehk kah-CHIN’-skee), 60, was killed in a plane crash in western Russia that also claimed the lives of his wife and top Polish political, military and church officials.
In 2017, Justice Neil Gorsuch took his place as the newest addition on the bench of the Supreme Court, restoring a narrow conservative majority.
In 2019, scientists released the first image ever made of a black hole, revealing a fiery, doughnut-shaped object in a galaxy 53 million light-years from earth.
Ten years ago: President Barack Obama proposed a $3.8 trillion budget that would raise taxes on smokers and wealthy Americans and trim Social Security benefits for millions. The financially beleaguered U.S. Postal Service backpedaled on its plan to end Saturday mail delivery. Robert Edwards, 87, a Nobel Prize winner from Britain whose pioneering in vitro fertilization research led to the first test tube baby, died near Cambridge, England.
Five years ago: During five hours of questioning from a U.S. Senate panel, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg batted away accusations that he had failed to protect the personal information of millions of Americans from Russians intent on upsetting the U.S. election, though he conceded that Facebook needed to work harder to make sure the tools it creates are used in “good and healthy” ways. The international chemical weapons watchdog said it was sending a fact-finding mission to a Syrian town where a suspected chemical gas attack had taken place over the weekend.
One year ago: Incumbent Emmanuel Macron and face far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen both advanced in the first round of voting in the country’s presidential election to set up a head-to-head clash of their sharply opposing visions for France. (Macron would win in a runoff two weeks later.) Pope Francis opened Holy Week on Palm Sunday with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to “make some sacrifices for the good of the people.” British author Jack Higgins, who wrote “The Eagle Has Landed” and other bestselling thrillers and espionage novels, died at age 92.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Steven Seagal is 71. Folk-pop singer Terre Roche (The Roches) is 70. Actor Peter MacNicol is 69. Actor Olivia Brown is 66. Singer-producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is 65. Rock singer-musician Brian Setzer is 64. Rock singer Katrina Leskanich (les-KAH’-nich) is 63. Olympic gold medal speedskater Cathy Turner is 61. Rock musician Tim “Herb” Alexander is 58. R&B singer Kenny Lattimore is 56. Actor-comedian Orlando Jones is 55. Rock musician Mike Mushok (Staind) is 54. Rapper Q-Tip (AKA Kamaal) is 53. Actor David Harbour is 48. Blues singer Shemekia Copeland is 44. Actor Laura Bell Bundy is 42. Actor Harry Hadden-Paton is 42. Actor Chyler Leigh is 41. Pop musician Andrew Dost (fun.) is 40. Actor Ryan Merriman is 40. Singer Mandy Moore is 39. Actor Barkhad Abdi (BAHRK’-hahd AHB’-dee) is 38. Actor Shay Mitchell is 36. Actor Haley Joel Osment is 35. Actor Molly Bernard (TV: “Younger”) is 35. Country singer Maren Morris is 33. Actor Alex Pettyfer is 33. Actor-singer AJ (AKA Amanda) Michalka (mish-AL’-kah) is 32. Actor Daisy Ridley is 31. Singer-actor Sofia Carson is 30. Actor Audrey Whitby is 27. Actor Ruby Jerins is 25.
