James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin, was caught in London in 1968. The US Supreme Court ruled that refusing service based on race is a crime in 1953. The PHP programming language was introduced in 1995. Other events include the retirement of Mickey Mantle’s uniform, the death of the Prophet Mohammed, and the proposal of the first amendments to the US Constitution by James Madison.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin has been caught. (1968) James Earl Ray shot and killed Dr. King on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Ray was captured in London, England and extradited to the United States. He pleaded guilty, although he later recanted. and was sentenced to 99 years in prison, although he ultimately died of hepatitis C while serving his sentence.
Mickey Mantle’s uniform has been retired. (1969) Mantle’s jersey, number 7, was retired on Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium in New York. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. He still holds several World Series records, including most home runs at 18 and most runners batting at 40. Mantle is considered one of baseball’s greatest players of history.
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that it is a crime to refuse service based on race. (1953) In District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co., the court’s black customers sued a Washington DC restaurant for refusing to serve black customers. This decision came just a year before the historic Brown v. Board of Education, which deemed racial segregation unconstitutional.
PHP programming language is introduced. (1995) Canadian citizen Rasmus Lerdorf created the language and wrote its first two versions.
The Prophet Mohammed is dead. (632) Mohammed, an influential religious and political leader — and founder of Islam — died in Medina in the arms of his third wife. Islam is now the second largest religion in the world, after Christianity.
James Madison proposed the first amendments to the US Constitution. (1789) Madison proposed 12 different amendments; ten of them have been ratified and are known as the United States Bill of Rights.
US President Andrew Jackson has died. (1845) President Jackson was the seventh president of the United States, serving from March 7 to 1829 March 4. He died in Tennessee at the age of 1837.
Chief Cochise is dead. (1874) Cochise was a famous chief and leader of the Apache Indian tribe. He is perhaps best known for his resistance to encroaching American settlers. Cochise County in Arizona is named for him, and Cochise Fortress in the Dragoon Mountains still stands.
A list of American celebrities has been reported to the FBI as Communist Party members. (1949) The list included Helen Keller, Dorothy Parker and Danny Kaye
Charlton Heston was elected president of the National Rifle Association. (1998) He served as president until 2003. He was a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, to the point of controversy.
Barbara Bush is born. (1925) A former first lady and wife of President George HW Bush, 41st President of the United States, Barbara founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Her daughter-in-law, Laura Bush, would also continue to champion the cause of literacy during her tenure as First Lady.
American architect Frank Lloyd Wright is born. (1867) Wright was also an author, writing 20 books and many articles. He was honored by the American Institute of Architects as the greatest American architect of all time. Many of Wright’s homes and buildings are now tourist attractions. He died during surgery on April 9, 1959 in Phoenix, Arizona.
American cartoonist Scott Adams is born. (1957) Adams is best known for his creation of the Dilbert comic strip.
American comedian and actress Joan Rivers was born. (1933) Rivers was nominated for several entertainment awards and won a 1990 Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that year.
Tennessee seceded from the Union. (1861) Tennessee was the last state to join the Confederacy during the American Civil War and provided more soldiers than any other state for the Confederate Army. It was also the first state to rejoin the Union at the end of the war.
The last tornado that killed more than 100 people hit. (1953) Tornado touched down in Flint, Michigan, killing 115.
First tornado struck causing more than US$100 million in damage. (1966) Tornado touched down in Topeka, Kansas registering an F5 on the Fujita scale, the highest score on the scale. The tornado also killed 16 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Laki Volcano in Iceland has erupted. (1783) The eruption lasted eight months, killing more than 9,000 people and initiating a seven-year famine.
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