11 History Lessons + 7 Births & 5 Deaths for April 11, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1689 – William III and Mary II are crowned as co-rulers of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
- 1814 – Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates as Emperor of the French and is exiled to Elba.
- 1868 – The Shogunate is abolished in Japan, ushering in the Meiji Restoration.
- 1909 – Construction of Tel Aviv begins as Jewish families settle on sand dunes near Jaffa.
- 1945 – U.S. troops liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany during WWII.
- 1951 – President Truman relieves General Douglas MacArthur of command during the Korean War.
- 1961 – Bob Dylan performs his first major gig in New York City, opening for John Lee Hooker.
- 1970 – Apollo 13 is launched from Kennedy Space Center on a mission that would experience a critical failure in space.
- 1976 – The Apple I computer is released by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.
- 1996 – The Treaty of Pelindaba is signed, declaring Africa a nuclear-weapons-free zone.
- 2002 – Over 200 people are killed in a coup attempt against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez; he is restored to power days later.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1928 – Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy and human rights advocate (97)
- 1953 – Andrew Wiles, British mathematician who proved Fermat’s Last Theorem (72)
- 1960 – Jeremy Clarkson, British broadcaster and automotive journalist (Top Gear) (65)
- 1966 – Lisa Stansfield, British singer known for “All Around the World” (59)
- 1973 – Jennifer Esposito, actress (Crash, Blue Bloods) (52)
- 1987 – Joss Stone, English soul singer and songwriter (38)
- 1993 – Dakota Blue Richards, British actress (The Golden Compass) (32)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1987 – Erskine Caldwell, American author (Tobacco Road, God’s Little Acre) (83)
- 2006 – June Pointer, singer and founding member of The Pointer Sisters (52)
- 2007 – Kurt Vonnegut, acclaimed American novelist (Slaughterhouse-Five) (84)
- 2013 – Jonathan Winters, legendary comedian and actor (87)
- 2017 – J. Geils, guitarist and founder of The J. Geils Band (71)
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