Today in History
Historical Events
Oil rig Deepwater Horizon is declared sealed after a 5-month long spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thought to be one of the biggest accidents in the oil and gas industry, the Deepwater Horizon spill or the BP oil spill began on April 20, 2010, when an explosion destroyed the rig and killed 11 people.
A Military coup overthrows the elected government in Thailand. Forces loyal to General Sonthi Boonyaratglin overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and dissolved the parliament and the constitution.
Saint Kitts and Nevis gain their Independence from the British Crown. The first Europeans set foot on the Island country in the West Indies in the late 15th century during an expedition led by Columbus. In 1713, the control over the islands was passed from the French to the British.
Carl XVI Gustaf succeeds his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf as the King of Sweden. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch is the ceremonial head of state. In 1980, Swedish law was changed to allow the firstborn of a monarch to become the crown's heir apparent, irrespective of their gender.
The Moscow Armistice ends the Continuation War. The peace treaty was signed between the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and Finland. It put an end to the conflict between the USSR and Finland between 1941 and 1944.
Famous Births
Born on this day

Ashot Nadanian
1972
Armenian chess player, coach

Trisha Yearwood
1964
American singer-songwriter, actress

Brian Epstein
1934
English talent manager

William Golding
1911
English author, poet, playwright, Nobel Prize laureate

Lajos Kossuth
1802
Hungarian journalist, lawyer, politician
Famous Deaths
Died on this day

Orville Redenbacher
1995
American farmer, businessman

Italo Calvino
1985
Italian journalist, author

Chester Carlson
1968
American physicist, invented Xerography

Guy Gibson
1944
English aviator, Victoria Cross recipient

James A. Garfield
1881
American politician, 20th President of the United States