This week in history
Photo credit: history.com
By Abigail Major, Staff Writer
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April 9, 1963: Winston Churchill becomes an honorary U.S. citizen. Of the eight that have been awarded this distinction, Churchill and Mother Teresa are the only two who were given this title during their lifetime.
April 10, 1953: The House of Wax, which starred Vincent Price, premieres at New York’s paramount Theater. This was the first color 3-D movie which was produced by an American production company.
April 11, 1970: Apollo 13 launched. This was the third attempt to land on the Moon, but due to technical issues they were unable to land. Instead, Apollo 13 was able to circle the moon and ultimately the crew returned to Earth on April 17.
April 12, 1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt dies at 3:35 P.M.
April 13, 1997: Tiger Woods wins the Masters Tournament. At the age of 21, he became the youngest ever winner of the tournament.
April 15, 1775: First American abolition society founded in Philadelphia.
April 15, 1947: The Brooklyn Dodgers place Jackie Robinson on first base. With this action, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American player in Major League Baseball.
ABROAD:
April 9. 1413: The coronation of Henry V takes place at Westminster Abbey.
April 10, 1970: During a press day his debut solo album, McCartney, Paul McCartney is asked whether or not the break with the Beatles is temporary or permanent. Although McCartney does not give a definitive yes or no answer, the media twisted his words and announced that the Beatles had officially broken up.
April 11, 1814: In the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Napoleon Bonaparte is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba, which is located off the Tuscan coast.
April 12, 1606: England adopts the Union Jack as its flag.
April 13, 1742: George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is performed for the first time in Dublin. It would later be performed in London nearly a year after.
April 14, 1900: The World Exposition opens in Paris and ended in November.
April 15, 1912: The RMS Titanic sinks in the early morning. More than 1,500 perish at sea.
CONCERNING THE CIVIL WAR:
April 14, 1865: Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. While attending the play Our American Cousin, Lincoln is fatally shot at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. and passes away the next morning at the age of 56.
