Important Events From This day in History April 12th

 

1954 USA "Rock Around the Clock"

1954: Bill Haley and the Comets, record "Rock Around the Clock" the song is released in May but is not a major chart hit, but in July 1955, after the song is used as the theme song for the movie Blackboard Jungle it goes to number 1 on the pop charts. Find More From What happened in 1954

1961 Soviet Union Yuri Gagarin First Man in Space

1961: The Soviet Union successfully launched the first man into space today taking the prize for "The First Man In Space". Yuri Gagarin , a 27-year-old air force major. He orbited the Earth in 1 hr 40 minutes. The next target is to put a man on the moon which the US achieves before the end of the decade.

1981 USA First Space Shuttle Columbia Launched

1981: The First of the US Space Shuttles Columbia was launched making way for mans continuing exploration of space.

1861 USA Attack on Fort Sumter

1861: The Confederate States attack Fort Sumter on This Day, 1861 which starts the Civil War.

1921 UK Coal Miners

1921: Coal Miners refuse to consider British Prime Ministers wage program , Miners are part of the Transport and General Workers and Railwayman's Union, and many are predicting bloodshed if the talks fail completely.

1934 USA Tax Returns

1934: Senate votes to make all income tax returns subject to public inspection in the hope of stopping Tax Dodging.

1939 USA Woody Herman

1939: Popular bandleader Woody Herman records the big band favorite "Woodchopper's Ball" with his orchestra.

1942 World War II

1942: Americans attack 4 Japanese invasion bases in retaliation for bombing of Pearl Harbor and British bombers distribute death and destruction on Rhineland in Germany.

1945 USA Franklin D. Roosevelt Dies

1945: After serving as U.S. president for 12 years, Franklin D. Roosevelt the 32nd president of the United States died from a massive cerebral hemorrhage at his retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia. Vice President Harry S. Truman became the President of the United States.

1955 USA Salk Vaccine Against Polio

1955: The Salk vaccine against Poliomyelitis commonly known as (Polio or Infantile Paralysis) was declared safe and effective. The vaccine works by inducing immunity by developing protective antibodies to polio.

1957 Egypt Suez Canal

1957: Following the opening up of the Suez Canal to international traffic President Nasser of Egypt has warned that any Israel ship entering the Canal will be sunk , and if any further attempt was made to break the oil embargo to Israel an embargo would be placed on oil to the west.

1966 North Atlantic Michelangelo

1966: Major Storm at sea takes 8 lives when the cruise ship Michelangelo was battered by 45 ft waves during a severe north Atlantic storm.

2006 Great Britain Terrorism Act 2006

2006: New laws have been made in Britain that will make it illegal to glorify terrorism and distribute terrorist publications. The Terrorism Act 2006 will ban groups or organizations that take part in these offences, and covers anyone who gives or receives training on them. Trespassing onto certain governmental sites will also be a terrorist offence. Human rights campaigners argue the law is drawn far too widely, and it is facing stiff opposition in the House of Lords.

2007 Kremlin Vetoes Inquiry into Gagarin’s Death

2007: The Kremlin has vetoed the launch of a fresh investigation into the death of Yuri Gagarin, in which aviation specialists have said that they've unraveled the mystery behind the first space traveler's death. Russia celebrates Cosmonauts' Day on April 12th, which is the anniversary of Gagarin's 1961 flight around the Earth. The cosmonaut died in a mysterious plane crash on March 27th, 1968 while on a routine training mission in a MiG-15 with his flight instructor. The official investigation that followed was hypothetical, and did not explain what happened to the flight, or why.

2009 Captain Richards Rescued From Pirates

2009: Captain Richards is held hostage by 3 Pirates on a lifeboat under tow by the USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) approximately 25 to 30 yards astern U.S. Navy SEAL marksmen open fire and kill the three pirates holding Captain Richard Phillips on the lifeboat and rescue him.

2009 Thailand State Of Emergency

2009: Following on from mass demonstrations at Government House and the nearby Royal Plaza by the evening in Bangkok on April 8th( 100,000 ) and further unrest in the streets over the next few days during the week-long Songkran (Thai New Year) holiday, Abhisit Vejjajiva declares a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas. On the 13th Thai soldiers in full combat kit used tear gas and live rounds from automatic weapons to clear protesters from the Din Daeng intersection near the Victory Monument in central Bangkok.

2009 Mexican Ambassador Accuses United States

2009: The U.S. Mexican ambassador has asked America to stop the flow of guns and cash into his country, saying that they fuel the country's drug wars. Arturo Sarukhan has said that the money provides the drug cartels with the means to "corrupt, bribe and kill." It has been reported that something like six thousand people died in 2008 from drug-related violence. The Mexican government believes the 90% of the weapons used have come from the United States.

2010 Washington Hosts Nuclear Security Summit

2010: World leaders, presidents, prime ministers and top officials from forty-seven countries, have arrived in Washington for a nuclear security summit. Barack Obama has warned world leaders of the problems of nuclear arms falling into the hands of extremists. He hopes that all nuclear materials will be made secure from theft or diversion within four years. The summit participants have issued a broad Communique that affirmed their dedication to preventing nuclear terrorism. During the summit Russia and the United States have agreed to dispose of some of their surplus weapons-grade plutonium under the deal that was signed at a nuclear summit in Washington. The deal asks for each side to dispose of 34 tons of the material. Moscow is to spend $2.5 billion on the program, with the U.S. contributing $400 million to the Russian disposal. Barack Obama has said that the participants had agreed to secure all the world's vulnerable nuclear material within four years.

2012 Connecticut Votes To End Death Penalty

2012: State legislators in the US state of Connecticut voted to repeal the death penalty in the state after a ten hour debate. The state's governor, Dannel Malloy, has said that he would sign the bill which would make Connecticut the seventeenth state to end the death penalty.

2013 Japanese Car Makers Recall Vehicles

2013: Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda announced that they would be recalling a total of 3.4 million vehicles worldwide due to a defective part in airbags. The vehicles were sold between 2000 and 2004 and some of the models affected included the Toyota Yaris and Corolla, Honda CRV and Civic and others.

2013 French Senate Approves Gay Marriage

2013: France's Senate voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the country. To become law in the country it would still need approval with a final vote in the country's lower house. The law is expected to pass despite the several protests against gay marriage in the country.

2014 Japan Official Visits Shrine

2014: A visit by the Japanese internal affairs minister, Yoshitaka Shindo, to the Yasukuni shrine angered officials in China and South Korea. The shrine honors Japan's dead soldiers, including war criminals. Shindo stated that he visited the shrine to pray for peace. Visits to the Yasukuni shrine by Japanese officials almost always draws criticism from China and South Korea who do not believe that Japan has done enough to recognize atrocities committed by the country during World War II.

Today in Labor History April 12, 2025

 

Florence Reece

A group of “puddlers”,  craftsmen who manipulate pig iron to create steel, met in a Pittsburgh bar and formed The Iron City Forge of the Sons of Vulcan. It was the strongest union in the U.S. in the 1870s, later merging with two other unions to form what was to be the forerunner of the United Steel Workers. – 1858

Florence Reece, an activist in the Harlan County, Kentucky coal strikes, and author of the song Which Side Are You On? was born on this date. The song was written in 1931 during a UMW strike in which sheriff Blair led a gang of thugs in a rampage, beating and murdering union leaders. Florence wrote the song on an old wall calendar while her home was being ransacked by Blair’s goons. – 1900

Which Side Are You On?  

      Come all of you good workers
      Good news to you I’ll tell
      Of how that good old union
      Has come in here to dwell

      Chorus
      Which side are you on?
      Which side are you on?
      Which side are you on?
      Which side are you on?

      My daddy was a miner
      And I’m a miner’s son
      And I’ll stick with the union
      Till every battle’s won

      They say in Harlan County
      There are no neutrals there
      You’ll either be a union man
      Or a thug for J.H. Blair

      Oh, workers can you stand it?
      Oh, tell me how you can
      Will you be a lousy scab
      Or will you be a man?

      Don’t scab for the bosses
      Don’t listen to their lies
      Us poor folks haven’t got a chance
      Unless we organize

The Union Label and Service Trades Department was founded by the American Federation of Labor. Its mission was to promote the products and services of union members. – 1909

Attempting to relieve striking pickets at the Garfield, New Jersey mill of Forstmann and Huffmann, twenty “girl millworkers were beaten when they did not move fast enough to suit” thirty special deputies who ordered them off the site, according to a news report. – 1912

Chris Turner was born in Floyd, Virginia. He went on to become a NASCAR driver and attempted, along with Fireball Roberts and Tim Flock, to organize the other drivers into a union in 1961 in the hope of better purses, a share in broadcasting rights and retirement benefits for the drivers. He was banned by NASCAR and was unsuccessful when he sued for reinstatement. The court said he was an individual contractor, not an employee of NASCAR or any track. – 1924

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, upheld the Wagner Act in a series of decisions involving five separate cases. The most significant was probably the case involving Jones & Laughlin Steel Company, in which Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes wrote the majority decision approving the Wagner Act as falling under the Congress’ constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce. The Wagner Act, also known as the National Labor Relations Act, created the structure for collective bargaining in the United States. – 1937

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

 Retired Los Angeles Times Press-men gathering in Pomona

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2 Turkish journalists are detained on charges their newspapers say are based on their work - AP

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Important Events From This day in History April 11th

 

1951 U.S.A. General Douglas MacArthur

1951 : President Harry S Truman has fired General Douglas MacArthur as commander of United Nations and US forces in the Far East after General Douglas MacArthur has made public statements calling for an attack on mainland China unless Communist forces laid down their arms in Korea. The president is still hoping for a peaceful settlement. Find More From What happened in 1951

1981 UK Brixton Riots

1981 : The arrest of a black man in Brixton, South London leads to mass rioting with youths taking to the streets throwing petrol bombs, bottles and bricks at police, looting local shops and setting fire to cars. A local school and two pubs have also been torched by the rioters and firefighters are unable to reach fires due to the threat of attacks. The Police armed with riot shields and batons charge the rioters and more than 50 police are injured and at least 20 have been arrested.

1921 U.S.A. Cigarette tax

1921 : Iowa becomes the first state to impose a cigarette tax.

11 Apr, 1929 U.S.A. Rebels Captured

1929 : US Federal Troops take 100 Mexican prisoners captive on raid on General J Gonzalo Insurgent Encampment on the Border of Escabar near Naco Senora.

1936 U.S.A. Barbershop Quartets

1936 : Barbershop quartets across the country breathe a sigh of relief when the SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America) is created.

1938 Philippines Japanese Fleet Spotted

1938 : Japanese Fleet Spotted off the Philippines near Davan , US mistakenly said they believed they were Fishing Trawlers.

1945 US Troops Liberate Buchenwald Concentration Camp

1945 : United States forces liberated a concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany today. Over Twenty thousand inmates were free today after its capture. Since 1933 , approximately 200,000 persons doomed to sadistic death or a living hell passed through the gates of the electrically-charged barbed-wire enclosure as infamous as the camps at Dachau and Oranienburg.

1947 U.S.A. Jackie Robinson

1947 : Jackie Robinson took to the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in an exhibition match between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees becoming the first black player to play in Major league baseball. On April 15th he took to the field for Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day when the Dodgers defeat the Boston Braves, 5-3.

1953 U.S.A. Prison Riot Minnesota

1953 : 1000 Inmates from Stillwater Prison start fires, smash windows and shout profanities at the guards during a prolonged prison riot.

1957 Singapore Self Rule

1957 : The British government allows the island colony of Singapore to govern itself under a new constitution agreed in London. Great Britain will continue to control external affairs and defense.

1961 Israel Adolf Eichmann

1961 : Adolf Eichmann went on trial in an Israeli courthouse today. accused of mass murder and the helping in the death of millions of Jews in German Concentration Camps during World War II.

11 Apr, 1965 U.S.A. Palm Sunday Tornadoes

1965 : The Palm Sunday Tornadoes of 1965 strike Indiana and the surrounding states. In Indiana alone, 1200 people were injured and over 135 were killed.

1968 U.S.A. Civil Rights Act of 1968

1968 : President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 , prohibiting housing discrimination and providing protection for civil rights workers. President Johnson, voicing outrage at the slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King and the violence that followed it, has signed an historic open-housing bill, The new law will prohibit discrimination in 80 per cent of all housing sales and rentals by 1970.

1970 U.S.A. Apollo 13

1970 : NASA launched Apollo 13 , America's third manned moon-landing mission, from Cape Kennedy, Florida today, Two days after launch, an oxygen tank on the spacecraft exploded, forcing the astronauts to abandon their mission. Although they had only a small supply of oxygen, water and power, the Apollo 13 crew managed to safely return to Earth in the spaceship's lunar module.

1979 Uganda Idi Amin Deposed

1979 : Tanzanian backed rebels seize control in Uganda and the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed as president of Uganda and flees to Libya.

1980 U.S.A. New Rules Re Sexual Harassment

1980 : The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued regulations prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace of workers by supervisors.

1982 Falkland Isles Naval Blockade

1982 : Britain imposed a Naval Blockade with a 200 mile Radius on the Falkland Isles today and warned that Argentina Ships within that would be sunk as hostile following the invasion of the Falklands by Argentina , both sides are now preparing for war.

1990 UK "Supergun" Barrel Seized

1990 : Customs officers in Middlesbrough seize the barrel ( 130 feet long ) of a "Supergun" on a ship bound for Iraq. A gun barrel of this length would give a "Supergun" the range of approximately 600 miles.

1994 Serbia US Air Strikes

1994 : Serbia facing additional air strikes from US on 5 additional Muslim enclaves and to try to force the Serbs back into peace talks.

1996 Lebanon Israel Air Strikes

1996 : Israel has carried out a series of air strikes on Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The assaults on Hezbollah targets in "Operation Grapes of Wrath" are in retaliation for rocket attacks two days ago on northern Israeli settlements.

2001 China American spy plane

2001 : China agrees to free crew members of an American spy plane that had collided with a Chinese fighter plane, killing its pilot.

2003 Iraq Mosul

2003 : American troops take control of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul without a fight.

2006 Iran Uranium Enrichment

2006 : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country had succeeded in enriching uranium on a small scale for the first time.

2006 Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

2006 : Following Ariel Sharon's stroke on January 4th, 2006 where he fell into a coma the acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been performing his duties and on This Day Israel's Cabinet declared Prime Minister Ariel Sharon permanently incapacitated, officially ending his five-year tenure. As of April 2008, he is still in a persistent vegetative state.

2006 Anne Franks letters are shown in Amsterdam

2006 : The Amsterdam Historical Museum is showing an exhibition of Anne Frank's private letters. Frank's diary of life in hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam is well known, but these letters are said to reveal her more intimate thoughts. One of the letters talks about her friendship with the boy who shared her hiding place (which was disproved of by her father). Most of the letters were sent to her relatives in Switzerland.

2007 US Senate backs stem cell research

2007 : The Senate has lessened the restrictions that were placed on the use of federal funds for stem-cell research, and defied the veto that President Bush has threatened to put on them. The Democrats have helped pass the vote with a majority of 63 to 24, which is just short of the two-thirds required to override a presidential veto. The President has said he will veto the amendments again.

2007 Iranian arms in Iraq

2007 : The U.S. military in Iraq has said that have found more arms that were made in Iran. These have turned up in a Sunni-majority area. Major General William Caldwell has also told a news conference that detainees in American custody have said that Iranian intelligence operatives gave the weapons to Sunni insurgents, and that surrogates for the Iranian intelligence service were training Shi'ite extremists in Iran.

2012 Algeria's First President Dies

2012 : Ahmed Ben Bella who became the first president of independent Algeria in 1963 died at the age of ninety-five. Ben Bella had ruled Algeria for three years as a one-party state before the army overthrew him. He had been known as the head of the Algerian independence movement and had planned the uprising that led to the war of independence.

2013 Japanese Car Makers Recall Vehicles

2013 : Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda announced that they would be recalling a total of 3.4 million vehicles worldwide due to a defective part in airbags. The vehicles were sold between 2000 and 2004 and some of the models affected included the Toyota Yaris and Corolla, Honda CRV and Civic and others.

2014 United States BMW Recalls 165,000 Cars

2014 : Car manufacturer BMW has announced they will recall 165,000 vehicles sold in the United States because defective bolts that could loosen or break causing engine damage to the cars. The recall would effect the 2010 to 2012 models of the Series 5 and Z4.

Today in Labor History April 11, 2025

 Police confront strikers during 1985 Hormel strike

Frank Norman, who had the gall to organize all citrus workers regardless of their race, was kidnapped from his home in Florida and murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. – 1934

Richard Whitney, five-term president of the New York Stock Exchange, was sentenced to 5-10 years for grand larceny. – 1938

Ford Motor Company signed its first contract with United Auto Workers. – 1941

Jackie Robinson, the first black ballplayer hired by a major league team, played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. – 1947

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was signed into law barring racial discrimination in housing and other areas. The Act also made it a crime to cross state lines with the intent to incite a riot, giving the government a new tool to prosecute labor and other protest organizers. – 1968

United Mine Workers President W. A. “Tony” Boyle was found guilty of first-degree murder, for ordering the 1969 assassination of union reformer Joseph A. “Jock” Yablonski. Yablonski and his wife and daughter were murdered on December 30, 1969. Boyle had defeated Yablonski in the UMW election earlier in the year, an election marred by intimidation and vote fraud. That election was set aside and a later vote was won by reformer Arnold Miller. – 1974

An eleven-day strike by 34,000 New York City Transit Authority workers for higher wages ended with management agreeing to a 9% raise in the first year and 8% in the second year. During this same year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission prohibited sexual harassment of workers by supervisors in the workplace. – 1980

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued regulations prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors in the workplace. – 1980

Seventeen were arrested on felony riot charges after police tear-gassed striking Hormel meatpacking workers in Austin, Minnesota. The following day, 6,000 people demonstrated against Hormel and the police (nearly one-third of the city’s entire population). The strike was eventually suppressed by Hormel, with the collaboration of the state, and the workers’ own union. – 1986

Some 25,000 marchers in Watsonville, California showed support for the United Farm Workers organizing campaign among strawberry workers. – 1997

31,000 Stop & Shop workers in New England struck for 11 days costing the company up to $110 million in profits. Workers went back to work after ratifying a contract that preserved their health and pension benefits and raised employee pay. – 2019

A TRIBUTE TO NASH BERRU

 

Nash Berru Rest in Peace

Just learned long time Los Angeles Times press man, Nash Berru 102, passed away. 

I worked with Nash at the old press room on Spring Street, and his sons and daughter-in-law. 

Nash would always love to sing for us, and he had a great voice. 

He will be missed by everyone he touched. I have not heard of a memorial service or funeral yet. 

Los Angeles Times press room retirees Bob Lewis and Nash Berru

Nash Berru and Jasper, old time pressmen

Chris Berru Paper Handling

Deirdre Berru Advertising

Mark Berru Circulation

Nash Berru Pressroom

From the left, Chris Berru, Nash Berru, and Deirdre Berru

Drive thru food pantry

SATURDAY | 8:30AM | April 12th

If you or someone you know is facing food insecurity, our church’s food pantry is here to meet that need.

Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, our drive-thru pantry helps feed hundreds of people.

Volunteers arrive at 7:30am and the food line begins at 8:30am.

804 E. Foothill Blvd., Glendora, CA. 91741

 

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

Students on the beat - Local News Initiative

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New study offers real ad solutions for tiny newsrooms - E&P Magazine

AP debuts new multiformat content delivery platform - The Associated Press

USA TODAY Network Style Guide provides transparency, clarity for readers - USA TODAY

Important Events From This day in History April 10th

 

1971 China Ping Pong Diplomacy

1971 : In an effort to build better relations between the U.S. and China a US table tennis team begins a week long visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at the invitation of China's communist government. Webmaster note - As soon as I read this I realized the significance of the Table Tennis in the movie "Forrest Gump" which I always wondered how it fit in with all the other major events from the time period. Find More From What happened in 1971

1912 United Kingdom Titanic Sets Sail

1912 : Titanic sets sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. The Titanic has been described as the worlds most luxurious floating hotel, and was only 5 days out when she hit an Iceberg and sank in the Atlantic with the loss of many lives.

1919 Mexico Emiliano Zapata

1919 : Emiliano Zapata the leader of the peasants during the Mexican Revolution, is ambushed and shot to death in Morelos by government forces.

1925 U.S.A. The Great Gatsby

1925 : The Great Gatsby a story is set in Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is published. and is now often regarded as an example of the Great American Novel. The Great Gatsby has become a standard text in high school and university courses on American literature in countries around the world.

1925 U.S.A. Arsenic Poisoning

1925 : Sixth Member of family succumbs to Arsenic poisoning after 5 other members of his family die not much hope is given for his survival.

1932 Germany Hitler

1932 : Adolf Hitler is beaten by Paul von Hindenburg for the German presidency.

1936 Britain War in Abyssinia

1936 : Britain Presses for Penalties on Italy after war in Abyssinia and threatened to take independent action heightening a war in Europe.

1942 Philippines Bataan Death March

1942 : The Japanese forced 75,000 captured American and Filipino soldiers to march more than 85 miles in six days from Bataan to a prison camp near Cabanatuan with only one meal of rice in total over the six days known as the "Bataan Death March" During the Forced march hundreds of Americans and many more Filipinos die.

1945 Vienna Austria Falls to Russians

1945 : Fall of Vienna to the Russian Cossack Allies and Russia moves on Berlin. US and Russia to make final assault on Berlin. War in Europe expected to end soon.

1968 New Zealand Ferry Disaster

1968 : A ferry the "TEV Wahine" capsizes in Wellington Harbor, New Zealand after running aground during one of the worst storms ever to ever hit New Zealand. The final death toll is expected to exceed 50 with most due to drowning.

1970 UK Beatles Break Up

1970 : Paul McCartney releases his first solo album after rifts between the group and announced that he has split from the Beatles.

1972 Iran Earthquake

1972 : An Earthquake centered on the town of Ghir, in southern Iraq kills up to an estimated 4,000 people in the massive earthquake an aircraft which flew over the area reports that there was not a single dwelling left standing above the ground . Soldiers, police and villagers dig survivors from the rubble for almost four days after the disaster and the final death toll is closer to 5,300 than the original estimates.

1972 Biological Warfare

1972 : Seventy nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, signed an agreement banning biological warfare.

1979 U.S.A. Terrible Tornadoes Tuesday

1979 : Thirteen tornadoes ripped through Texas and Oklahoma today in a deadly outbreak that meteorologists later referred to as "Terrible Tuesday." The twisters destroyed thousands of homes.

1981 UK Bobby Sands Elected

1981 : The imprisoned IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands is elected to Westminster as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Bobby Sands continued his hunger strike and died less than a month later on May 5 1981.

1985 US and USSR Prepare for talks

1985 : In the US President Reagan asks for all ties for US - Soviet to be checked prior to meeting next month with Soviet Union , meanwhile Gorbachev tells Russian congress he does not trust the Americans.

10 Apr, 2009 Fiji President Josefa Iloilo Takes Absolute Power

2009 : Following the Court of Appeal ruling that the government of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is illegal President Josefa Iloilo suspends the nation's Constitution and dismisses all judges assuming control. Following protests he orders security forces and the military to take "all reasonable steps" to maintain law and order and supports Prime Minister Bainimarama.

10 Apr, 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crashes in Smolensk Oblast, Russia

2010 : A Polish Air Force Tu-154 crashes in Smolensk Oblast, Russia carrying the Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, army chief, central bank governor, MPs, leading historians, and many top Polish government officials to their deaths. The cause of the crash was believed to be pilot error.

10 Apr, 2011 Bob Dylan Plays First Concert in Vietnam

2011 : Legendary folk singer and songwriter, Bob Dylan, who had become a voice for the anti-Vietnam war movement in the 1960s and 1970s in America, played his first concert in the Communist country of Vietnam. The sixty-nine year old musician held the concert in Ho Chi Minh City. Only about half of the seats at the venue were sold for the concert, this was largely attributed to the fact that nearly half of the population of Vietnam was under thirty years old and had no memories of the war with the United States.

10 Apr, 2012 US Rick Santorum Ends White House Bid

2012 : Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum announced the end of his run for the White House effectively leaving the Republican nomination to Mitt Romney. Santorum was behind Romney in funding and the polls and had been taking time off of the campaign after his daughter was admitted to the hospital.

10 Apr, 2012 Norway Mass Killer Breivik Declared Sane

2012 : Anders Breivik, the accused mass killer that orchestrated a bomb attack and shooting spree that left seventy-seven people dead in July of 2011, was declared sane preceding his impending trial. The declaration was made so that he would be allowed to face trial and a jail term, he had been previously declared insane after an evaluation in November of 2011.

10 Apr, 2013 France Louvre Closes Over Pickpockets

2013 : The Louvre in Paris did not open on this day because workers were protesting against pickpockets at the museum. Workers had stated that the pickpockets were becoming increasingly aggressive and organized and they had been coming to work afraid of being targeted. The management at the museum stated that they would try to come up with a solution to the problem, even though they had already asked the police for more assistance.

10 Apr, 2014 Child Bride Poisons Husband in Nigeria

2014 : Police confirmed that a fourteen year old child bride confessed to killing her thirty-five year old husband who she was forced to marry. She had said that she put rat poison in his food, another three people died as a result and ten others were hospitalized.

Today in Labor History April 10

 

The “Saint of Labor Day” Frances Perkins

This was the birth date of Frances Perkins, the “Saint of Labor Day”, named Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, becoming the first woman to hold a cabinet-level office. – 1880

133 people, mostly women and girls, were killed when an explosion in the loading room tore apart the Eddystone Ammunition Works in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, near Chester. Fifty-five of the dead were never identified. – 1917

Labor leader, community organizer, civil rights activist, and feminist Dolores Huerta was born on this date. With Cesar Chavez, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which would later become the United Farm Workers. “Walk the street with us into history”, Huerta said. “Get off the sidewalk.” – 1930

Seattle’s Hooverville was burnt to the ground. Set up by people impoverished in the Great Depression to protest the policies of President Hoover, Seattle’s Hooverville encompassed 25 city blocks by 1941. – 1941

FBI agents visited Ronald Reagan (then president of the Screen Actors Guild) and his wife Jane Wyman, accusing them of belonging to a communist front group. To prove his loyalty, Reagan agreed to become a secret informer and went on to have a long and illustrious career as an anti-communist. – 1947

Dancers from the Lusty Lady Club in San Francisco’s North Beach ratified their first-ever union contract by a vote of 57-15, having won representation by SEIU Local 790 the previous summer. The club later became a worker-owned cooperative. – 1997

Tens of thousands of immigrants demonstrated in 100 U.S. cities in a national day of action billed as a campaign for immigrants’ dignity. Some 200,000 gathered in Washington, D.C. – 2006

Important Events From This day in History April 9

  

1974 U.S.A. Nuclear Power Debate

1974 : As oil prices continue to rise major debates are continuing in Government over the increased use of Nuclear power for electricity production or increasing the number of Coal Fired plants with opponents on both sides due to safety and environmental concerns The price of a gallon of gas had changed from 40 cents in 1973 to 55 cents in 1974 an increase of 36% in 12 months. Below Video explains how nuclear power is made Find More What happened in 1974

2003 Iraq Statue of Saddam Hussein

2003 : Iraqis turn on symbols of former leader, pulling down a statue of Saddam Hussein and tearing it to pieces as US tanks roll into the centre of Baghdad.

1865 U.S.A. Robert E. Lee surrenders

1865 : Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

1924 U.S.A. Hoof and Mouth

1924 : An increased number of Hoof and Mouth Cases are being reported in the current epidemic with and additional 200 plus cows reported with the disease each day in California alone.

1927 U.S.A. Mae West Arrested

1927 : Mae West is Arrested during her starring role in the play "Sex" which she wrote, produced, directed and starred in on Broadway. She was prosecuted on morals charges and sentenced to 10 days in jail for public obscenity.

1940 Germany invades Norway and Denmark

1940 : Nazi Germany invades neutral Norway and Denmark, surprising the Norwegian, Danish and British defenders of the countries and capturing several strategic points along the coast.

1942 Philippines Surrender To Japanese

1942 : American and Filipino defenders taking a last stand to the Japanese invasion begun in December 1941 on Bataan surrender to Japanese forces during World War II. The Japanese then forced the 70,000 captured American and Filipino soldiers to march more than a hundred kilometers from Bataan to Tarlac known as the "Bataan Death March" . The Allied and the Philippine Commonwealth forces began the campaign to recapture the Philippines in 1944, with landings on the island of Leyte, and the battle was still going until the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945 following the dropping of atomic bombs "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, and "Fat Man" over the city of Nagasaki, Japan.

1947 U.S.A. Tornado Woodward, Oklahoma

1947 : A severe Tornado hit Woodward, Oklahoma where 200 residential blocks were completely leveled and nearly 1,000 homes were razed. 107 people were killed in Woodward and many more were injured.

1959 America's First Astronauts

1959 : NASA the National Aeronautics and Space Administration introduces America's first astronauts to the world, Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr., and Donald Slayton to take part in Project Mercury, America's first manned space program.

1969 UK Race Relations

1969 : As race relations continue to worsen in Britain a group of cConductors and drivers on Wolverhampton buses who are practicing Sikhs have won the right to wear turbans on duty after the leader of a Sikh group, Sohan Singh Jolly, had threatened to burn himself to death in protest.

1984 UK Miners Strike

1984 : Violence at picket lines during the Miners Strikes in the coal industry leads to 100's of picketers arrested during violent clashes with police outside two working coal pits in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

1986 France Renault

1986 : The French government ruled against the privatization of leading French car maker Renault but did agree to shares in the car maker to the public.

1992 U.S.A. Manuel Noriega

1992 : Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted in Miami of drug and racketeering charges.

1999 Ibrahim Bare Mainassara

1999 : The president of Niger, Ibrahim Bare Mainassara, has been assassinated in an apparent coup attempt.

2001 American Airlines Gets Bankrupt TWA

2001 : Trans World Airlines established in 1930 filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001 as part of the deal for American Airlines to acquire Trans World Airlines making American Airlines the No. 1 carrier in the United States.

Today in Labor History – April 9th, 2025

 

SS Leviathan

The United States Supreme Court ruled in Bunting v. Oregon, upholding Oregon’s 1913 state law that prescribed a ten-hour workday for both men and women and the state’s requirement that businesses in the state pay time-and-a-half for overtime up to three hours a day. The case was one of the first that upheld wage regulations in addition to hours regulations.- 1917

The IWW organized the 1,700 member crew of the Leviathan, then the world’s largest vessel. – 1930

Public school teachers went on strike in Minneapolis, violating court orders not to walk out. The members of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers sought pay raises and the right to collectively bargain. Local Union President Norm Moen said, “As an English teacher, I remember the example of Thoreau. We are taking a courageous action against an oppressive and repressive law”. With support from AFL-CIO unions and despite the opposition of groups such as the American Legion (which evicted the union from its building), the teachers reached a reasonable settlement, including amnesty for the strikers. A year later, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA), strengthening collective bargaining rights for public employees. – 1970

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 Ontario Airport, California

Reporting from the right - E&P Magazine

Audiences are still skeptical about generative AI in the news - Poynter

What media innovators need to know about Newsrewired 2025 - Journalism UK

PR industry alarmed at rise of fake commenters exposed by Press Gazette - Press Gazette

Journalism advisory organizations issue rare alert to student news outlets - Nieman Reports

Gannett launches a standalone true crime subscription powered by local journalism - Nieman Lab

 

Important Events From This day in History April 8

 

1977 England The Clash

1977 : The Clash an English punk rock band,and part of the original wave of British punk rock release 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 immen'se 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 a threatened steel workers 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 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 it's 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 were 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.