Historic Events That Took Place in The Past During April

April has borne witness to a number of historic events that have shaped the world and changed it. From important treaties to events that have been recorded in the pages of history, the month of April is colorful indeed. We take a look at some of the most important historic events that have been instrumental in shaping the world as we know it.

Historic Events that influenced the world

• April 1, 1865: At the peak of the Civil War in America, Confederate Troops under General George Pickett were defeated and cut off at Five Forks, Virginia. This event sealed the fate of Confederate General Robert Lee’s armies at Petersburg and was instrumental in ending the war.
• April 2nd, 1792: The American Congress established the first US Mint at Philadelphia.
• April 2nd, 1982: The beginning of the Falkland Island War begins with troops from Argentina invading and occupying the British Colony located near the tip of South America. The British retaliated and defeated the Argentinian troops on June 15th, 1982 after more than ten weeks of combat.
• April 3rd, 1944: The US Supreme Court rules African-Americans cannot be barred from voting in the Texas Democratic Primary.
• April 3rd, 1948: American President Harry S Truman signs the Marshall Plan with the intention of stopping the spread of Communism and restore European Economies devastated by World War II
• April 4th,1949: Twelve nations sign a treaty that leads to the establishment of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• April 4th, 1968: American Civil Rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and killed by a sniper in Memphis Tennessee.
• April 6th, 1896: After nearly 1500 years, the first Olympic Games of the Modern Era was held in Athens, Greece.
• April 6th, 1994: The beginning of genocide in Rwanda as a plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi was shot down. They were going to a meeting to discuss ways to end ethnic rivalry between the Hutu Tutsi tribes. After their deaths, Rwanda descended into chaos resulting in conflict between the two tribes which led to the death of more than 500,000 people.
• April 8th, 1990: Ryan White died at the age of 18 due to complications from AIDS. He was ostracized by his community at the age of 10 and his plight was reported in media across the world granting him a celebrity status. He used his platform to spread awareness and understanding about the disease.
• April 9th, 1866: Despite a veto by President Andrew Johnson, the Civil Rights Bill of 1866 was passed by Congress granting rights and privileges to blacks.
• April 10th, 1945: The Nazi Concentration Camp at Buchenwald was liberated by American troops. Located near Wiemar, Germany, the Camp was established in 1937 and was one of the first major concentration camps.
• April 12th, 1961: Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. He traveled aboard the Soviet spacecraft Vostok 1.
• April 14th, 1865: American President Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed at Ford’s Theater in Washington.
• April 15th, 1912: The luxury liner ‘Titanic’ sank at 2.27 am after striking an iceberg before midnight. More than 1500 people drowned in the tragedy.
• April 18th, 1982: Queen Elizabeth II of England signed the Canada Constitution Act of 1982 replacing the British North America Act of 1867 providing Canada with a new set of fundamental laws and civil rights.
• April 23rd: Established by Israel’s Knesset as Holocaust Day in memory of the estimated 6 million Jews killed by the Nazi regime.
• April 23rd, 1564: Renowned playwright William Shakespeare was born at Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
• April 26th, 1986: An explosion at the nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused a meltdown of nuclear fuel and spread a radioactive cloud in the atmosphere.
• April 28th, 1945: After 23 years of Fascist Regime in Italy, former dictator Benito Mussolini was shot by Italian partisans.
• April 30th, 1948: Palestinian Jews declared their independence from British rule and established the new state of Israel. The new nation soon became a destination for more than ten thousand holocaust survivors.

Historic Events that changed the world

A number of historic events mentioned above changed the world in a number of ways. From the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, the Chernobyl tragedy to the end of Fascist rule in Italy, April has witnessed a number of powerful historic events.