1861 – Fort Sumter in South Carolina is attacked by the Confederacy, beginning the American Civil War.
1869 – North Carolina legislature passes anti-Ku Klux Klan Law.
1900 – The US Congress passes the Foraker Act, establishing Puerto Rico as an unincorporated territory (effective 1 May)
1932 – “Grand Hotel” directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Greta Gabo and John Barrymore premieres in New York, includes the line “I want to be alone” (Best Picture/Production 1932)
1938 – 1st US law requiring medical tests for marriage license (NY)
1945 – US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office and Vice President Harry Truman is sworn in as 33rd US President.
1953 – 17th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Hogan shatters the Masters scoring record by 5 strokes with a 274 (-14) to finish 5 strokes ahead of runner-up Ed Oliver; Hogan’s second Masters.
1954 – Bill Haley and the Comets record “Rock Around the Clock”
1954 – Joe Turner releases “Shake, Rattle & Roll”
1955 – Polio vaccine tested by Jonas Salk announced to be ‘safe and effective’ and is given full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.
1960 – Bill Veeck & Chicago Comiskey Park debuts “Exploding Scoreboard”
1961 – 3rd Grammy Awards: Theme From a Summer Place, Ray Charles wins 4.
1970 – Yankees dedicate plaques to Mickey Mantle & Joe DiMaggio.
1978 – 13th Academy of Country Music Awards: Kenny Rogers and Crystal Gayle win.
1987 – Texaco files for bankruptcy.
1990 – H.J. Heinz, Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee Seafood say they wouldn’t buy tuna caught in nets that trap dolphins.
1991 – US announces closing of 31 major US military bases.
1999 – US President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
2014 – The new drug, ABT-450, with a 90-95% success rate for treating Hepatitis C, is announced.
2020 – Pope Francis calls for the world to be united in the face of COVID-19 as he delivers his Easter message from an empty St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.
2020 – Huge storm system produces more than 40 tornadoes in the US from Texas to South Carolina killing 32 people across six states.
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