12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 5 Deaths for April 24, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1704 – The first regular newspaper in the U.S., The Boston News-Letter, is published.
- 1800 – The Library of Congress is established in Washington, D.C.
- 1877 – Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire, starting the Russo-Turkish War.
- 1898 – Spain declares war on the United States, beginning the Spanish-American War.
- 1915 – The Armenian Genocide begins as Ottoman authorities arrest Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople.
- 1916 – The Easter Rising begins in Dublin, Ireland, as Irish republicans rebel against British rule.
- 1953 – Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1967 – Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies when Soyuz 1 crashes upon re-entry.
- 1980 – The United States launches Operation Eagle Claw to rescue hostages in Iran; the mission fails.
- 1990 – The Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery.
- 2004 – The U.S. lifts economic sanctions on Libya after it agrees to dismantle its WMD program.
- 2013 – A building housing several garment factories collapses in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing more than 1,100 people.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1942 – Barbra Streisand, singer, actress, and director (Funny Girl, The Way We Were) (83)
- 1945 – Doug Clifford, drummer for Creedence Clearwater Revival (80)
- 1964 – Djimon Hounsou, actor (Blood Diamond, Gladiator) (61)
- 1967 – Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan MLB shortstop and 11-time Gold Glove winner (58)
- 1982 – Kelly Clarkson, pop singer and American Idol winner (Since U Been Gone) (43)
- 1987 – Varun Dhawan, Bollywood actor (Badlapur, October) (38)
- 1992 – Joe Keery, actor and musician (Stranger Things, Djo) (33)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1731 – Daniel Defoe, English author (Robinson Crusoe) (70)
- 1963 – Wally Hammond, English cricketer and captain (60)
- 1967 – Vladimir Komarov, Soviet cosmonaut and first human to die during a space mission (40)
- 1986 – Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, whose relationship led to King Edward VIII’s abdication (89)
- 2014 – Hans Hollein, Austrian architect and Pritzker Prize winner (80)
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