Today in History
Published 1:30 am Saturday, April 6, 2019
Today is Saturday, April 6, the 96th day of 2019. There are 269 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight: On April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York.
On this date:
In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee as Confederate forces launched a surprise attack against Union troops, who beat back the Confederates the next day.
In 1896, the first modern Olympic games formally opened in Athens, Greece.
In 1909, American explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson and four Inuits became the first men to reach the North Pole.
In 1917, the United States entered World War I as the House joined the Senate in approving a declaration of war against Germany that was then signed by President Woodrow Wilson.
In 1945, during World War II, the Japanese warship Yamato and nine other vessels sailed on a suicide mission to attack the U.S. fleet off Okinawa; the fleet was intercepted the next day.
In 1965, the United States launched Intelsat I, also known as the “Early Bird” communications satellite, into geosynchronous orbit.
Today’s Birthdays: Nobel Prize-winning scientist James D. Watson is 91. Actor Billy Dee Williams is 82. Actor Roy Thinnes is 81. Movie director Barry Levinson is 77. Actor John Ratzenberger is 72. Actress Patrika Darbo is 71. Baseball Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven is 68. Rock musician Warren Haynes is 59. Rock singer-musician Frank Black is 54. Actress Ari Meyers is 50. Actor Paul Rudd is 50.
Thought for Today: “History is the ship carrying living memories to the future.” — Sir Stephen Spender, British poet and critic (1909-1995).
—Associated Press
