This Week in History: April 3rd-10th, 2024

Apr. 3- 1882: Infamous outlaw and bank robber Jesse James is shot and killed by a member of his gang at his home in St. Joseph, MO. 1948: President Harry Truman signs the “Marshall Plan,” clearing the way for $5 billion in foreign aid to 16 European nations in the aftermath of World War II. 1953: The first issue of TV Guide debuts on newsstands and grocery store check-out lines, featuring a picture of Desi Arnaz, Jr., the younger of two children of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The digest-sized publication sold for 15¢! 1973: The first mobile phone call is made by Motorola employee Martin Cooper in New York City to Bell Labs HQ in New Jersey.

Apr. 4- 1949: The treaty establishing NATO is signed in Washington, DC. 1968: Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, TN. 1973: The World Trade Center, the world’s tallest buildings at the time (110 stories), opens in New York City. 1975: Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, NM.

Apr. 5- 1856: Educator and reformer Booker T. Washington is born in Franklin County, VA to an enslaved cook. 1923: Firestone begins production of inflatable tires. 1984: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becomes the NBA’s all-time scoring champion, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain by two points. 1993: Construction begins on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.

Apr. 6- 1896: The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece. 1917: The US declares war on Germany, entering World War I. 1974: Swedish singing group ABBA wins the Eurovision music competition, performing their soon-to-be hit song “Waterloo.” 1980: Post-It Notes are introduced nationwide by 3M, quickly becoming a staple in offices and on desks throughout the country.

Apr. 7- 1947: Automotive pioneer Henry Ford suffers a stroke and dies at his Fair Lane Estate in Dearborn, MI at the age of 83.

Ford assembly line workers, 1918. Photo credit: Library of Congress, public domain.

1948: The World Health Organization (WHO) is founded at the United Nations in New York City. 1954: President Dwight D. Eisenhower introduces the term “domino theory” regarding the expansion of communism in Asia during a news conference. 1990: Passenger ferry accidents in Myanmar and Norway, more than 5,000 miles apart, kill over 300 people.

Apr. 8- 1820: The ancient Greek statue, known as the Venus de Milo, was accidently discovered by a farmer digging for marble building blocks on the Aegean island of Milos. 1974: Hank Aaron hits his 715th major league home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s career total which had been the all-time record for nearly 40 years. 1986: Actor Clint Eastwood is elected mayor of Carmel, CA. Apparently, the voters made his day. 1994: Cigarette smoking is banned in the Pentagon and at all US military bases.

Apr. 9- 1865: General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, VA, ending the American Civil War. 1959: The Boston Celtics win the first of their eight consecutive NBA titles. 1967: The first Boeing 737 rolls off the assembly line in Seattle, WA. 2012: Facebook buys social media competitor Instagram for $1 billion (that’s BILLION, with a “B”)!