History Today

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 26th. Like the rest of Broadway, Studio 54 is temporarily closed for business, but it was a different scene entirely on this day in 1977, when the legendary nightclub originally opened its doors. Studio 54 quickly became the global epicenter of the disco craze and the raucous playground of the chic, beautiful and famous, where extraordinary events--like Bianca Jagger entering the club on a white horse --became the norm.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 25th. If you’ve ever had a penpal, you can imagine the excitement felt by Maine fifth-grader Samantha Smith on this day in 1983, when she received a letter from then-Soviet premier Yuri Andropov. It was in the thick of the Cold War, and several months earlier Smith had written him to ask if the Soviets were planning to start a nuclear war.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 24th. With many more people exercising at home while social distancing, we look back to this day in 1982 when the original home workout queen, Jane Fonda, released her first exercise video.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 23rd. Say happy birthday to William Shakespeare, who was born on this day in 1564. In his career, Shakesepeare wrote at least 154 sonnets and 37 plays, even though he died when he was just 52. Surprising fact? The names Olivia, Miranda and Jessica were all popularized in Shakespeare’s plays, in addition to the expressions “heart of gold,” “wild-goose chase” and “break the ice.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 22nd. While people around the world are noticing clearer skies and waters as an unintended side effect social distancing, we celebrate Earth Day today, 50 years after the very first celebration in 1970. Earth Day was the brainchild of a U.S. senator from Wisconsin named Gaylord Nelson, who hoped to inspire Americans to put environmentalism on the nation’s political agenda.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 21st. What was in Al Capone’s vault? If you answered “nothing,” you’re correct, but that didn’t stop 30 million viewers from watching Geraldo Rivera’s big reveal on this day in 1986. Viewers watched live as workers excavated the basement of Capone’s former hideout on Chicago’s South Side, expecting to find money, weapons or even some decayed corpses.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 20th. With the debate about how best to protect students in schools sure to be a key issue in the 2020 presidential campaign, we remember this day in 1999, when two teenage gunmen killed 13 people in a shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The tragedy was the worst school shooting in U.S. history until the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 19th. Today is the 245th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution, when the so-called “shots heard round the world,” were fired in Lexington, Massachusetts. Surprising fact? Massachusetts celebrates a state holiday--Patriots Day--to commemorate the battles of Lexington and Concord every year.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 18th. Nepal has cancelled this spring’s Everest climbing season due to COVID-19, while China will allow only Chinese climbers to attempt the hike. The combination of high altitude, treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather makes Mount Everest a particularly dangerous mountain to climb, and on this day in 2014, 16 Nepali mountaineering guides, most of them ethnic Sherpas, were killed by an avalanche on the peak.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on April 17th. It’s often referred to as America’s first pony car--the Ford Mustang made its debut on this day in 1964. It was unveiled at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, by Hank Ford on the same day it debuted in Ford showrooms. And it was love at first sight for American buyers, who snapped up some 22,000 Mustangs almost immediately. The starting price tag? About $2,300 each.