Today’s highlight:
On April 1, 1945, American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World War II.
On this date:
In 1853, Cincinnati, Ohio, established a fire department made up of paid city employees.
In 1918, the Royal Air Force was established in Britain.
In 1933, Nazi Germany began persecuting Jews with a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses.
In 1939, the United States recognized the government of Gen. Francisco Franco in Spain, the same day Franco went on radio to declare victory in the Spanish Civil War.
In 1946, tsunami waves struck the Hawaiian islands, resulting in more than 170 deaths.
In 1960, the first true weather satellite, TIROS-1, was launched from Cape Canaveral. (TIROS stood for “Television Infrared Observation Satellite.”)
In 1961, the sedative thalidomide was made available by prescription in Canada. (The drug, which was taken by pregnant women to relieve morning sickness, was found to cause devastating birth defects.)
In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and television, to take effect after Jan. 1, 1971.
In 1984, recording star Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father, Marvin Gay Sr. in Los Angeles, the day before his 45th birthday. (The elder Gay pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, and received probation.)
In 1991, cable TV’s Comedy Central was created through a merger of HBO’s The Comedy Channel and Viacom’s Ha!
Associated Press
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