1199 King Richard I of England died on April 6, 1199, eleven days after he was wounded in the left shoulder by a crossbow bolt launched from a tower by Bertrand de Gourdon while besieging the small castle of Chalus in France. His 77-year-old mother Eleanor of Aquitaine was at his side. As soon as Richard died, de Gourdon was flayed alive and then hanged.
1250 On April 6, 1250 Louis IX of France was taken prisoner after the crusader army was annihilated at the Battle of Fariskur. He obtained his own release and that of other prisoners after a month in captivity in return for a large ransom and the surrender of Damietta. After being released, Louis sailed onto Palestine where he visited the Holy Places and encouraged the Christians there.
1580 The biggest earthquake ever felt in Britain was on April 6, 1580. The Dover Straits earthquake damaged houses and churches and falling stones killed two children. It caused a tsunami and flooding in France, Flanders and England in which 120 people drowned. Shakespeare’s referred to the quake in Romeo and Juliet, which he wrote in 1591 when the Nurse says, “Tis since the earthquake now eleven years.”
1789 In the United States federal government, the Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, and is responsible for foreign policy. The position was created in April 6, 1789 and Thomas Jefferson was the first Secretary.
1830 On April 6, 1830, son of a Vermont farmer Joseph Smith founded the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Fayette, New York. Smith and his associates claimed that it was a restoration of the 1st-century Christian church, which had fallen from God's favor and authority. He hoped that with the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the original Christian faith would be revived.
1886 A community sprung up in West Canada named Gastown in the late 1860s on the west edge of the Hastings Mill logging sawmill's property. In 1870, Gastown was incorporated as the town of Granville. On April 6, 1886, Granville was incorporated as the City of Vancouver, with around 1000 residents. It was named after British naval captain George Vancouver who was the first European to visit the area in the 1790s.
1888 Four years after George Eastman invented roll film, the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company released on April 6, 1888 their first hand-held camera that uses roll film. Eastman called the camera the Kodak. Eastman began to mass produce his inventions, transforming photography from an expensive hobby of the few to a relatively inexpensive, popular pastime..
1893 The longest recorded gloved boxing match took place on April 6, 1893. Andy Bowen and Jack Burke fought for 7 hours and 19 minutes. In the 111th round, both fighters were so exhausted that they simply collapsed to the canvas and could not continue. The match was declared a draw and no winner was declared.
1896 On April 6, 1896, in the presence of a crowd of 50,000, the King of Greece declared the first of the modern series of Olympic Games open at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The Games consisted of 43 events. They brought together 14 nations and 241 athletes mostly from Greece, Germany and France. Winners received a silver medal and a crown of olive branches, with bronze for the runners-up.
1896 On April 6, 1896 an American college student named James Connolly won the triple jump, becoming the first Olympic champion in over 1,500 years. Connolly's victory was a significant achievement and he became an instant celebrity upon his return to the United States.
1909 American explorer Robert Peary claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole with his expedition on April 6, 1909. Peary's claim was widely credited for most of the 20th century. However it is now believed that Peary did not reach the pole, although he may have been as close as 60 miles (97 km).
1916 Charlie Chaplin became the highest-paid film star in the world when he signed a contract with Mutual Film Corporation for $675,000 a year on April 6, 1916. Long after becoming a millionaire, Charlie Chaplin continued to live in a shabby hotel room, and kept his studio checks in a trunk for months.
1926 Varney Air Lines began service on April 6, 1926 as an air-mail carrier. Formed by Walter Varney, the airline was based in Boise, Idaho, United States. The airline's first aircraft was a Swallow J-5 biplane. Varney Air Lines quickly expanded its route network and by 1928, it was operating flights to cities throughout the western United States. The airline is the root company of United Airlines.
1928 American molecular biologist, geneticist and zoologist James Watson was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 6, 1928. Educated at the University of Chicago and Indiana University, Watson met British scientist Francis Crick at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in England. In mid-March 1953, Watson and Crick deduced the double helix structure of DNA. Their discovery was formally announced the next month in Nature magazine.
1928 On April 6, 1928 the authorities in Rome banned handshaking on grounds of hygiene and suggested people instead use the ‘Roman Salute’ — a symbol of fascism. The United States and Brazil are the only major countries where firm handshakes are expected in business settings.
1971 Russian composer Igor Stravinsky died aged 88 in New York City on April 6, 1971. Ill health slowed Stravinsky in his final years, and when he died the cause on his death certificate was written as heart failure. As per his wishes, he was buried in Venice on the island of San Michele near the tomb of Sergei Diaghilev.
1973 The designated hitter rule was adopted by the American League on January 11, 1973. The rule allows teams to have one player, known as the designated hitter, to bat in place of the pitcher. Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, facing Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Luis Tiant in his first plate appearance on April 6, 1973. "Boomer" Blomberg was walked.
1973 The American space probe Pioneer 11 was launched on April 6, 1973. The primary mission of the Pioneer 11 probe was to study the planet Jupiter and its surrounding environment, including its atmosphere, magnetic field, and moons. The probe also became the first spacecraft to make a close approach to the planet Saturn when it passed the planet at a distance of 21,000 kilometers (13,000 mi).
1984 A status referendum was held in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands on April 6, 1984. All 261 registered voters participated in the vote, with 88% voting for integration with Australia. The referendum has been described as the "smallest act of self-determination ever conducted."
1992 When American writer Isaac Asimov had heart surgery in 1983, he received blood infected with HIV. He died nine years later in New York City on April 6, 1992 from heart and kidney failure due to complications from HIV. Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books during his lifetime, and has the honor of being the only person who has authored a book in each of the Dewey Decimal System classifications.
1996 Major League Soccer kicked off on April 6, 1996 when an overflow crowd of 31,683 packed Spartan Stadium to witness the historic Major League soccer match. San Jose Clash forward Eric Wynalda scored the league's first goal in a 1-0 victory over D. C. United.
2008 In the US in 2008, an annual April 6 Tartan Day was proclaimed by President George W Bush. Australia and some other countries celebrate Tartan Day on July 1, the anniversary of the repeal of the 1746 UK Act banning the wearing of tartan.
2011 At its peak in 2004, the Blockbuster video chain employed 84,300 people worldwide and had 9,094 stores in total, with more than 4,500 of these in the US. Blockbuster began to lose significant revenue in the late 2000s, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2010. On April 6, 2011, Blockbuster and its remaining 1,700 stores were bought by the satellite television company Dish Network. The stores remained open until Dish closed all company-owned locations in 2013.
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| Effigy of Richard I of England in the church of Fontevraud Abbey |
1250 On April 6, 1250 Louis IX of France was taken prisoner after the crusader army was annihilated at the Battle of Fariskur. He obtained his own release and that of other prisoners after a month in captivity in return for a large ransom and the surrender of Damietta. After being released, Louis sailed onto Palestine where he visited the Holy Places and encouraged the Christians there.
1580 The biggest earthquake ever felt in Britain was on April 6, 1580. The Dover Straits earthquake damaged houses and churches and falling stones killed two children. It caused a tsunami and flooding in France, Flanders and England in which 120 people drowned. Shakespeare’s referred to the quake in Romeo and Juliet, which he wrote in 1591 when the Nurse says, “Tis since the earthquake now eleven years.”
1652 The Dutch East India Company founded Cape Town in 1652 as a port of call on the way from the Netherlands to the East Indies. The first colonial administrator was Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck who arrived in Cape Town on April 6, 1652 and was Commander of the Cape until 1662. As there were very few native people living in the Cape, slaves were brought from Indonesia, Madagascar and India to work at the colony.
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| Charles Davidson Bell's painting of Jan van Riebeeck arriving in Table Bay |
1789 In the United States federal government, the Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, and is responsible for foreign policy. The position was created in April 6, 1789 and Thomas Jefferson was the first Secretary.
1830 On April 6, 1830, son of a Vermont farmer Joseph Smith founded the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Fayette, New York. Smith and his associates claimed that it was a restoration of the 1st-century Christian church, which had fallen from God's favor and authority. He hoped that with the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the original Christian faith would be revived.
1886 A community sprung up in West Canada named Gastown in the late 1860s on the west edge of the Hastings Mill logging sawmill's property. In 1870, Gastown was incorporated as the town of Granville. On April 6, 1886, Granville was incorporated as the City of Vancouver, with around 1000 residents. It was named after British naval captain George Vancouver who was the first European to visit the area in the 1790s.
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| View of Gastown from Carrall and Water Street in 1886. |
1888 Four years after George Eastman invented roll film, the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company released on April 6, 1888 their first hand-held camera that uses roll film. Eastman called the camera the Kodak. Eastman began to mass produce his inventions, transforming photography from an expensive hobby of the few to a relatively inexpensive, popular pastime..
1893 The longest recorded gloved boxing match took place on April 6, 1893. Andy Bowen and Jack Burke fought for 7 hours and 19 minutes. In the 111th round, both fighters were so exhausted that they simply collapsed to the canvas and could not continue. The match was declared a draw and no winner was declared.
1896 On April 6, 1896, in the presence of a crowd of 50,000, the King of Greece declared the first of the modern series of Olympic Games open at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The Games consisted of 43 events. They brought together 14 nations and 241 athletes mostly from Greece, Germany and France. Winners received a silver medal and a crown of olive branches, with bronze for the runners-up.
1896 On April 6, 1896 an American college student named James Connolly won the triple jump, becoming the first Olympic champion in over 1,500 years. Connolly's victory was a significant achievement and he became an instant celebrity upon his return to the United States.
1909 American explorer Robert Peary claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole with his expedition on April 6, 1909. Peary's claim was widely credited for most of the 20th century. However it is now believed that Peary did not reach the pole, although he may have been as close as 60 miles (97 km).
1916 Charlie Chaplin became the highest-paid film star in the world when he signed a contract with Mutual Film Corporation for $675,000 a year on April 6, 1916. Long after becoming a millionaire, Charlie Chaplin continued to live in a shabby hotel room, and kept his studio checks in a trunk for months.
1925 On April 6, 1925, an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris screened the Hollywood film The Lost World from a projector, making it the first feature-length in-flight movie. Passengers on the flight were able to enjoy this historic moment in cinema while traveling from London to Paris.
1926 Varney Air Lines began service on April 6, 1926 as an air-mail carrier. Formed by Walter Varney, the airline was based in Boise, Idaho, United States. The airline's first aircraft was a Swallow J-5 biplane. Varney Air Lines quickly expanded its route network and by 1928, it was operating flights to cities throughout the western United States. The airline is the root company of United Airlines.
1928 American molecular biologist, geneticist and zoologist James Watson was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 6, 1928. Educated at the University of Chicago and Indiana University, Watson met British scientist Francis Crick at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in England. In mid-March 1953, Watson and Crick deduced the double helix structure of DNA. Their discovery was formally announced the next month in Nature magazine.
1928 On April 6, 1928 the authorities in Rome banned handshaking on grounds of hygiene and suggested people instead use the ‘Roman Salute’ — a symbol of fascism. The United States and Brazil are the only major countries where firm handshakes are expected in business settings.
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| Benito Mussolini and Hitler, Mussolini giving the Roman salute |
1973 The designated hitter rule was adopted by the American League on January 11, 1973. The rule allows teams to have one player, known as the designated hitter, to bat in place of the pitcher. Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, facing Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Luis Tiant in his first plate appearance on April 6, 1973. "Boomer" Blomberg was walked.
1973 The American space probe Pioneer 11 was launched on April 6, 1973. The primary mission of the Pioneer 11 probe was to study the planet Jupiter and its surrounding environment, including its atmosphere, magnetic field, and moons. The probe also became the first spacecraft to make a close approach to the planet Saturn when it passed the planet at a distance of 21,000 kilometers (13,000 mi).
1973 N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, was founded as Fort-Lamy by French commander Émile Gentil in 1900. Chad President François Tombalbaye changed Fort-Lamy's name to N’Djamena on April 6, 1973. Its name was taken from the Arabic name of a nearby village, Niǧāmīnā, meaning "place of rest."
1974 ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest singing "Waterloo" on April 6, 1974, launching their international career. Their first attempt to sing for Sweden had ended in failure the previous year. The act that did represent the country in 1973, Nova and The Dolls, came fifth.
1974 ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest singing "Waterloo" on April 6, 1974, launching their international career. Their first attempt to sing for Sweden had ended in failure the previous year. The act that did represent the country in 1973, Nova and The Dolls, came fifth.
1984 A status referendum was held in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands on April 6, 1984. All 261 registered voters participated in the vote, with 88% voting for integration with Australia. The referendum has been described as the "smallest act of self-determination ever conducted."
1992 When American writer Isaac Asimov had heart surgery in 1983, he received blood infected with HIV. He died nine years later in New York City on April 6, 1992 from heart and kidney failure due to complications from HIV. Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books during his lifetime, and has the honor of being the only person who has authored a book in each of the Dewey Decimal System classifications.
1996 Major League Soccer kicked off on April 6, 1996 when an overflow crowd of 31,683 packed Spartan Stadium to witness the historic Major League soccer match. San Jose Clash forward Eric Wynalda scored the league's first goal in a 1-0 victory over D. C. United.
2008 In the US in 2008, an annual April 6 Tartan Day was proclaimed by President George W Bush. Australia and some other countries celebrate Tartan Day on July 1, the anniversary of the repeal of the 1746 UK Act banning the wearing of tartan.
2011 At its peak in 2004, the Blockbuster video chain employed 84,300 people worldwide and had 9,094 stores in total, with more than 4,500 of these in the US. Blockbuster began to lose significant revenue in the late 2000s, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2010. On April 6, 2011, Blockbuster and its remaining 1,700 stores were bought by the satellite television company Dish Network. The stores remained open until Dish closed all company-owned locations in 2013.
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| A Blockbuster store in Durham, North Carolina By Ildar Sagdejev |
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