History Today

On this day in History: American Revolution began, first casualties in American Civil War, and the First Boston Marathon run.

On this day in History: Avalanche on Everest killed 16, Paul Revere warned the colonists, and Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier wed.

On this day in History: Ben Franklin died, Bay of Pigs began, and the Ford Mustang debuted.

Hello, and welcome to this day in history. Here’s what happened on April 16th. You may never have heard of Texas City, Texas, but on this day in 1947, the small port city made national news when it became the scene of the worst industrial accident in American history. A ship carrying 2,300 pounds of ammonium nitrate exploded, sending ship fragments thousands of feet in the air, flattening much of the city and killing more than 600 people.

Hello, and welcome to this day in history. Here’s what happened on Monday, April 15th. As if you could forget, today is Tax Day. April 15th has been the deadline for filing income tax returns in the US since 1955. The first federal income tax in the United States was collected as a way for the Union to pay for the costly Civil War. That original tax was repealed but eventually became the law of the land with the passage of the 16th amendment, which was ratified in 1913.

Hello, and welcome to this day in history. Here’s what happened on April 14th. Many continue to cite him as America’s best president--153 years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. Lincoln died the next day. He was the first American president to be assassinated. Surprising fact? The assassination was John Wilkes Booth’s last-ditch effort to save the Confederacy.

Hello, and welcome to this day in history. Here’s what happened on April 13th. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness-- they are some of the most famous lines in American history, and they were written by American founding father Thomas Jefferson, who was born on this day in 1743. Jefferson was an intellectual, architect, philosopher, musician and essayist who went on to become the nation’s third president.

Hello, and welcome to this day in history. Here’s what happened on April 12th. One hundred and fifty eight years ago today, the first shots were fired in what would become the bloodiest conflict in American history--the American Civil War. On this day in 1861, Confederate batteries opened fire on the Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Bay.

Hello, and welcome to this day in history. Here’s what happened on April 11th. It inspired a hit 1996 movie and was one of the most famous--and nerve-wracking--space flights in history--on this day in 1970, Apollo 13, set to become the third lunar landing mission, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying three astronauts. All plans to land on the moon were scrapped, however, after an oxygen tank exploded onboard.

Hello, and welcome to this day in history. Here’s what happened on April 10th. Remember when Forrest Gump was sent to play ping pong in China? The writers of the film were inspired by some real history that was made on this day in 1971, when the U.S. table tennis team visited the People’s Republic of China at the invitation of the Chinese government. The Chinese were hoping to develop stronger ties with the U.S.