1977 - England The Clash
1977: The Clash an English punk rock band, and part of the original wave of British punk rock released their first album "The Clash ". The Clash had their first gig supporting the Sex Pistols in 1976 Find More What happened in 1977.
1990 - U.S.A. Twin Peaks
1990: Twin Peaks American Emmy Award-winning television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost premieres on ABC. The series was set in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington. and, in its short first season, was one of the network's highest rating television programs receiving immense critical acclaim.1904 - U.S.A. Times Square
1904: Long Acre Square in Manhattan, New York, was renamed Times Square.1935 - U.S.A. The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act
1935: As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act creates The WPA or Works Progress Administration for creating government jobs for some of the nation's many unemployed. The WPA employed more than 8.5 million persons on 1.4 million public projects before it was disbanded in 1943. More about the Works Progress Administration.1952 - U.S.A. Steel Plants Under federal Control
1952: With threatened steelworkers strike President Truman used his Presidential Power to place the steel plants under his control which led to a battle before the Supreme Court In June of that year when The Supreme Court ruled that the president had overstepped his authority.1953 - Kenya Jomo Kenyatta
1953: Jomo Kenyatta the leader of the Kenya African Union Movement is sentenced to seven years of hard labor for his part in the organization of the rebel Mau Mau movement. In 1963 Mr. Kenyatta took control as the first prime minister of a self-governing Kenya and denied he was ever a member of the Mau Mau, his trial is generally regarded to have been rigged by the British because he was an advocate of self-rule for Kenya and other African Nations.1966 - U.S.A. Viking Princess
1966: A raging fire on the cruise ship the Viking Princess caused passengers and crew to abandon ship with 3 reported deaths and many injuries, 3 merchant vessels went to their aid midway between Cuba and Haiti.1974 - France Pablo Picasso
1974 : Pablo Picasso dies in France.1974 - U.S.A. Hank Aaron
1974: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's legendary record of 714 homers.1986 - Germany Terrorist Bomb Attack
1986: A Terrorist Bomb Attack on American Servicemen in a Berlin Disco has left 2 dead and 100 injured. The attacks are believed to be from a Libyan Terrorist group and the army and Berlin Police are following up every lead.1986 - U.S.A. Mayor Clint Eastwood
1986: Residents of the Californian town of Carmel have overwhelmingly voted for actor Clint Eastwood as their mayor.1992 - England Punch Magazine Closes
1992: The satirical British magazine Punch publishes its final issue on This day after 150 years due to falling sales and subscriptions.1992 - U.S.A. Arthur Ashe
1992: Tennis player Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS.1994 - U.S.A. Kurt Cobain
1994: Rock musician Kurt Cobain commits suicide he was found with a single gunshot wound to the head. A gun and suicide note was found nearby.1997 - UK Martin Bell
1997: A BBC veteran war reporter Martin Bell is campaigning as an independent candidate on a platform of "an anti-corruption candidate" ( Because of the allegations surrounding the sitting MP Neil Hamilton ) in the general election for the constituency of Tatton. Mr. Hamilton has been accused of taking cash in return for asking parliamentary questions and denied taking bribes from Mohamed Al-Fayed, the owner of Harrods in the cash-for-questions scandal and failing to declare a luxury stay at the Paris Ritz, Mr. Hamilton claimed innocence of all charges and filed a libel suit which failed and in 2001 he was declared bankrupt. Mr. Bell went on to win the seat with a majority of over 11,000, overturning what had once been the third biggest Tory majority in the country.2005 - Vatican Pope John Paul II Funeral
2005: World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates during the Rite of Visitation which took place from 4 April to 7 April at St. Peter's Basilica. for the Funeral of Pope John Paul II.2006 - United States Immigration Bill Blocked in the Senate
2006: The Senate has not approved the compromise bill that was designed for millions of illegal immigrants to become citizens. The bill's supporters were only able to muster 38 of the 60 votes that were needed to protect it from amendments that its opponents had introduced. Both parties have blamed each other for the deal's collapse.2008 - US Homeland Security Chief Warns of Cyber-attacks
2008: Michael Chertoff, the Homeland Security chief, has asked Silicon Valley workers to help in the fight to secure the cyber- highway. He told San Francisco's R.S.A. Conference that threats to cyberspace are on "a par this country tragically experienced on 9/11". He elaborated by saying that such attacks could hit financial bodies and a government's powers. "We take threats to the cyber-world as seriously as we take threats to the material world." The government is shutting down thousands of points from which outsiders can access federal computer networks to about fifty. He compared this to a digital "Manhattan Project" in terms of impact and importance.2009 - Indian Ocean Maersk Alabama Hijacking
2009: Pirates in the Indian Ocean aboard the cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama with a crew of 23 240 nautical miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia. Pirates capture Captain Richard Phillips and several other crew members minutes after boarding but found that they could not control the ship.2010 - The Czech Republic Signs Nuclear Arms Treaty
2010: Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, have signed a nuclear arms treaty in Prague. The treaty will commit the former Cold War enemies to reduce their number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550. A reduction of 30%. The signing will be taking place in Prague Castle and will have to be ratified by lawmakers of both countries. The treaty will replace the now-expired Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (start) of 1991.2010 - Death Toll Continues To Rise Following Mudslides In Rio de Janeiro
2010: The death toll and flooding increase with more than 200 dead and tens of thousands of shanty homes in the favelas/slum Areas in the State of Rio de Janeiro, the worst affected in Morro do Bumba, The shanty towns are built on the hillsides above downtowns and as the rains have increased they have been worst effected because many are temporary structures which can not withstand the mudslides caused by excessive rain.2011 - China Construction Begins on Shanghai Disneyland
2011: Ground was broken by government officials and Walt Disney executives on the future site of the first Disneyland park to be built in China. The deal to build a Disneyland park in Shanghai had taken ten years of talks and was expected to cost nearly four billion dollars to build.2012 - United States Journalist Mike Wallace Dies
2012: Mike Wallace, famous for his interviews on the US news program 60 minutes, died at the age of ninety-three after suffering from poor health for several years. Wallace was one of the original hosts of the program when it started in 1968 and had worked there until he announced his retirement in 2006. Some of his most famous interviews include talking to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Yasser Arafat, and Jack Kevorkian.2013 - United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher Dies
2013: Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Baroness Margaret Thatcher died at the age of eighty-seven after suffering from a stroke. Thatcher had served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 1979 and 1990 as a leader of the Conservative party. She was the first female Prime Minister in the country.2014 - Hong Kong Chicken Cup Auctioned
2014: A rare Chinese Ming dynasty porcelain cup featuring images of chickens was sold at auction in Hong Kong for a record-breaking thirty-six million dollars. The cup was thought to be about five hundred years old and is just over three inches in diameter.Born This Day In History 8th April
Celebrating Birthdays TodayVivienne Westwood
Born: 8th April 1941 Tintwistle, Derbyshire, EnglandKnown For: Vivienne Westwood is the Grand Dame of Fashion who made the English Punk style popular after the Sex Pistols wore clothes from Westwood and McLaren's shop in the King's Road in London at their first gig. Punk clothes and style included bondage gear, safety pins, razor blades, bicycle or lavatory chains on clothing, spiked dog collars for jewelry, as well as outrageous make-up and hair. She has continued to outrage and outshine other Fashion Designers by not following the yearly trends and colors but always going her own way. She was and still is a political activist and outspoken in her views and clothing. From Webmaster (I never really got the punk music or the clothes or style but respect her for staying true to her individualism even at the age of 75).
