Historical events on April 8
APRIL 8, 1959
A team of computer scientists and others met to discuss the creation of a common business-oriented programming language, which became COBOL.
Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines to applied disciplines.
APRIL 8, 1904
France and the United Kingdom signed the Entente Cordiale, agreeing to a peaceful coexistence after centuries of intermittent conflict.
The Entente Cordiale comprised a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic which
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APRIL 8, 1961
A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf killed 238 people.
MV Dara was a British passenger ship, built in 1948 by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland. She travelled mostly between
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APRIL 8, 1630
Kiliaen van Rensselaer purchased land near present-day Albany, New York, to establish Rensselaerswyck, which became the most successful patroonship under the Dutch West India Company.
Kiliaen van Rensselaer was a Dutch diamond and pearl merchant from Amsterdam who was one of the founders and directors of the
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APRIL 8, 1911
American cartoonist Winsor McCay released the silent short film Little Nemo (featured), one of the earliest animated films.
Zenas Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator. He is best known for the comic strip Little Nemo and the animated
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APRIL 8, 1820
The Venus de Milo, an ancient Greek statue of a woman with its arms missing, was discovered on the island of Milos.
The Venus de Milo or Aphrodite of Melos is an ancient Greek marble sculpture that was created during the Hellenistic period. Its
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APRIL 8, 1943
Otto and Elise Hampel were executed in Berlin for performing acts of resistance against Nazism.
Otto and Elise Hampel were a working class German couple who created a simple method of protest against Nazism in Berlin during
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APRIL 8, 1271
Crusades: The Knights Hospitaller surrendered the Krak des Chevaliers, a castle in present-day Syria, to the army of the Mamluk sultan Baybars.
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Christian Latin Church in the medieval period.
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APRIL 8, 1942
World War II: The United States Army Air Forces flew its first mission from India over the Hump (the eastern end of the Himalayas) to deliver materiel to China.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all
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APRIL 8, 876
Abbasid forces decisively defeated the Saffarid emir Ya'qub ibn Laith, forcing the latter to halt his advance into Iraq.
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty
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APRIL 8, 1917
World War I: German naval officer Wilhelm Werner murdered 19 captured crew members of the British cargo ship Torrington by submerging U-55 when they were on deck.
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the
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APRIL 8, 1933
The Australian state of Western Australia voted to secede from the federation, but efforts to implement the result proved to be unsuccessful.
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the
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APRIL 8, 217
Roman emperor Caracalla (pictured) was assassinated near Harran and succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect Macrinus.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, better known by his nickname Caracalla, was Roman emperor from 198 to 217 AD, first serving as nominal co-emperor
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APRIL 8, 1904
Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan was renamed Times Square after the New York Times building.
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district.
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APRIL 8, 1864
American Civil War: Late-arriving reinforcements helped Confederate forces rout the Union Army at the Battle of Mansfield.
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in
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