1898 – Spanish-American War: The United States declares state of war on Spain effective from April 21st.
1901 – New York becomes first state requiring automobile license plates, charging a $1 fee.
1914 – President Woodrow Wilson is persuaded by Argentina, Brazil, and Chile to accept mediation in the conflict with Mexico.
1933 – New York Yankees pitcher Russ Van Atta shuts out the Washington Senators 16-0 in his Major League debut.
1945 – “Elbe Day” – US and Soviet forces meet at Torgau, Germany on the Elbe River during the invasion of Germany in World War II.
1950 – Chuck Cooper becomes the first African American to be drafted in the NBA when he is selected by the Boston Celtics.
1954 – Bell Labs announces the first solar battery made from silicon. It has about 6% efficiency.
1959 – St. Lawrence Seaway linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes opens to shipping.
1961 – Mercury/Atlas rocket lifted off with an electronic mannequin.
1964 – “New Phil Silvers Show” last airs on CBS-TV.
1967 – Abortion legalized in Colorado.
1971 – About 200,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters march on Washington, D.C.
1974 – National Football League moves goalposts to back of end zone and adopts sudden-death overtime for playoffs.
1978 – Supreme Court rules pension plans can’t require women to pay more.
1990 – Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by space shuttle Discovery.
1994 – 14 inches of snow falls in California.
2009 – NFL Draft: Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford is the first pick by Detroit Lions.
2011 – At least 300 people killed in the deadliest tornado outbreak in the southern United States since the 1974 Super Outbreak.
2019 – Microsoft becomes the third firm in the United States to be listed with a market value of $1 trillion, after Apple and Amazon.
2022 – Twitter announces a deal to sell itself to Elon Musk for $44 billion.
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