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30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in April 2022 (U.S. Edition)

30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in April 2022 (U.S. Edition)

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Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in April 2022 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2022. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead.

Apr 1, 1947 – 75 years ago
Death of King George II of Greece. Succeeded by his brother Paul.

Apr 2, 1922 – 100 years ago
Death of Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychologist and psychoanalyst. Best known for developing the Rorschach inkblot test which was widely used as a means of diagnosing mental disorders.

Apr 3, 1922 – 100 years ago
Joseph Stalin became leader of the Soviet Union, succeeding Vladimir Lenin.

Apr 4, 1942 – 80 years ago
World War II: white bread was no longer available in Britain. It was replaced by the “national loaf” made from wheatmeal.

Apr 5, 1722 – 300 years ago
Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to visit Easter Island.

Apr 6, 1947 – 75 years ago
The first Tony Awards (for excellence in Broadway theater) were presented at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, New York City, USA.

Apr 7, 1947 – 75 years ago
Death of Henry Ford, American industrialist, car manufacturer and inventor. Founder of the Ford Motor Company. He revolutionized factory production by introducing assembly lines, and brought motorized transport to the masses.

Apr 8, 1942 to Nov 1945 – 80 years ago
World War II – the Hump. Allied pilots carried out a daily airlift of supplies into China from India after Axis forces blocked supply routes including the Burma Road. They resupplied the Chinese war effort as well as U.S. Army Air Force units stationed in China. They were forced to fly a challenging route over the eastern end of the Himalayas – which they nicknamed “the Hump.” 594 aircraft were lost or irreparably damaged during the mission, and 1,659 personnel were killed.

Apr 9, 1942 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Bataan Death March. The Japanese forced 75,000 captured Filipino and American troops to march for six days without food or water to a prisoner-of-war camp. Thousands died.

Apr 10, 1872 – 150 years ago
The first Arbor Day in the USA was celebrated in Nebraska, when J. Sterling Morton organized the planting of one million trees.

Apr 11, 1972 – 50 years ago
The first episode of the radio comedy panel game show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue was broadcast of BBC Radio 4 in the UK. It is still running.

Apr 12, 1992 – 30 years ago
Disneyland Paris (originally known as Euro Disney) opened in France.

Apr 13, 1997 – 25 years ago
American golfer Tiger Woods, aged 21, became the youngest player to win the U.S. Masters championship, and the first African-American to win. He also set a new tournament record.

Apr 14, 1922 – 100 years ago
The Teapot Dome Scandal was revealed in the Wall Street Journal. U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, had secretly granted oil companies the right to drill for oil on federal land in exchange for bribes. It was the biggest political scandal of the era. Investigations revealed an unprecedented level of corruption in the federal government.

Apr 15, 1947 – 75 years ago
Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, ending the racial segregation that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues.

Apr 16, 1947 – 75 years ago
The term “Cold War” was used for the first time when American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch described the relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Apr 17, 1982 – 40 years ago
Queen Elizabeth II signed the Canada Act into law, severing Canada’s last ties with Britain and making it wholly independent.

Apr 18, 1942 – 80 years ago
World War II: the USA bombed mainland Japan for the first time, hitting Tokyo, Yokohama, and other cities. This was a huge boost to the Allies’ morale.

Apr 19, 1897 – 125 years ago
The first Boston marathon was held in Massachusetts, USA. It is the world’s oldest annual marathon.

Apr 20, 1992 – 30 years ago
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was held at Wembley Stadium in London. It was a tribute to the Queen singer who died in November 1991, with all proceeds going to AIDS research.

Apr 21, 1922 – 100 years ago
Birth of Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist. Best known for The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare. (Died 1987.)

Apr 22, 1972 – 50 years ago
British rowers John Fairfax and Sylvia Cook became the first people to row across the Pacific Ocean. They took 361 days.

Apr 23, 1992 – 30 years ago
The world’s largest McDonald’s fast-food restaurant opened in Beijing, China.

Apr 24, 1962 – 60 years ago
The first transcontinental relay of a television signal by satellite. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used the Echo I satellite to send a TV signal between California and Massachusetts.

Apr 25, 1982 – 40 years ago
Israel withdrew its troops from the Sinai Peninsula, as agreed under the Camp David Accords of 1978

Apr 26, 1942 – 80 years ago
The worst mining disaster in history. An explosion at the Honkeiko (also known as Benxihu) colliery in Benxi, China killed 1,549 miners.

Apr 27, 1822 – 200 years ago
Birth of Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States (1869–77).

Apr 28, 1947 – 75 years ago
Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates left Peru on the primitive raft Kon-Tiki in an attempt to prove that Polynesians may have originated in South America and crossed the Pacific. They successfully reached Polynesia in August.

Apr 29, 1952 – 70 years ago
IBM announced the IBM 701 (also known as the Defense Calculator), its first commercial scientific computer. Chairman Thomas J. Watson Jr. said they had expected to receive five orders but had managed to secure eighteen. This led to a famous misquote in which he was reported to have said: “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” Nineteen were eventually built and installed.

Apr 30, 1947 – 75 years ago
Boulder Dam, on the Colorado River in the USA, was renamed Hoover Dam.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2022. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2025 and 2026 editions will be released later this year. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in March 2022 (U.S. Edition)

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in March 2022 (U.S. Edition)

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Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in March 2022 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2022. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead.

Mar 1, 1872 – 150 years ago
Yellowstone National Park was established as the first national park in the USA, and probably also the first in the world.

Mar 2, 1972 – 50 years ago
NASA launched the Pioneer 10 space probe to explore the outer solar system. It famously carries a gold plaque that describes what humans look like and where we are. It was the first space probe to fly through the Asteroid Belt and the first to fly past Jupiter.
(The last communication from the probe was received on 23rd January 2003, after which its power supply became too weak to power its transmitter.)

Mar 3, 1847 – 175 years ago
Birth of Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-born American engineer and scientist. Credited with inventing the first practical telephone. Co-founder of AT&T. President of the National Geographic Society (1898–1903).

Mar 4, 1897 – 125 years ago
William McKinley was inaugurated as the 25th President of the United States.

Mar 5, 1982 – 40 years ago
Death of John Belushi, American comedy actor and musician. Best known for his appearances on the U.S. TV series Saturday Night Live, and for the films National Lampoon’s Animal House and The Blues Brothers. (Drug overdose, aged 33.)

Mar 6, 1957 – 65 years ago
The Gold Coast declared its independence from the UK and changed its name to Ghana.
It was the first African nation to declare independence from European colonization.

Mar 7, 1872 – 150 years ago
Birth of Piet Mondrian, Dutch abstract artist. Regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Best known for his paintings of simple geometric shapes in red, yellow, blue, black and white.

Mar 8, 1962 – 60 years ago
The Beatles gave their first performance on BBC radio in the UK, on the show Teenagers’ Turn: Here We Go. (Recorded March 7th, broadcast 8th.)

Mar 9 – 17, 1522 – 500 years ago
Martin Luther preached his Invocavit Sermons. He urged citizens to adhere to the core Christian values and trust in God, rather than using violence to bring about change.

Mar 10, 1922 – 100 years ago
Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi was arrested and charged with sedition for his campaign of non-cooperation against the British Indian government. He was sentenced to six years in prison but was released after two years as he required surgery for appendicitis.

Mar 11, 1942 – 80 years ago
World War II: American General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the Allied forces in the south-west Pacific, left the Philippines and fled to Australia, as instructed by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. He arrived in Australia on March 17th. On March 20th he made his famous speech in which he vowed: “I came out of Bataan and I shall return.” (He did return.)

Mar 12, 1947 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine. It granted economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey, which were threatened by the spread of communism.

Mar 13, 1997 – 25 years ago
The Net Book Agreement was abolished in Britain after being ruled anti-competitive by the Restrictive Practices Court. It allowed publishers to fix the price of books, preventing them from being sold at a discount.

Mar 14, 1942 – 80 years ago
The first successful use of penicillin to treat a patient. Anne Miller, who was dying of streptococcal septicemia, was given an injection of penicillin by doctors Orvan Hess and John Bumstead at Yale–New Haven Hospital, Connecticut, USA. She made a full recovery.

Mar 15 – 16, 1952 – 70 years ago
The current world record for the most rainfall in 24 hours was set: 73.62 inches (1,869.9 mm) at Cilaos, Réunion Island, Indian Ocean.

Mar 16, 1872 – 150 years ago
The first FA Cup Final was held at The Oval in Kennington, London. Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1–0.

Mar 17, 1897 – 125 years ago
British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons beat American Jim Corbett in Carson City, Nevada, USA, to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The match was filmed in its entirety, and was the longest film to date, running for about 100 minutes. It was released on May 22nd as the world’s first feature film: The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight. Only fragments of it survive.

Mar 18, 2002 – 20 years ago
Burger King became the first fast-food chain to sell veggie burgers on a nationwide basis in the USA.

Mar 19, 1822 – 200 years ago
The city of Boston, Massachusetts, USA was incorporated.

Mar 20, 1942 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: Auschwitz–Birkenau concentration camp opened in Poland and began receiving prisoners.
Eichmann transports of Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe began on March 26th. 75% of prisoners were exterminated in gas chambers on arrival.

Mar 21, 1952 – 70 years ago
The Moondog Coronation Ball was held in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It is generally regarded as the world’s first rock and roll concert.

Mar 22, 1997 – 25 years ago
Comet Hale–Bopp made its closest approach to Earth. It reached perihelion on April 1st. It was a spectacular object and could be seen clearly with the naked eye even before the sky was dark.

Mar 23, 1872 – 150 years ago
Birth of Michael Joseph Savage, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1935–40). He is best known for creating New Zealand’s welfare state. (Died in office.)

Mar 24, 1997 – 25 years ago
The Australian Senate overturned the world’s first voluntary euthanasia law, passed by the Northern Territory. Four people had voluntarily ended their lives while the law was in force.

Mar 25, 1972 – 50 years ago
The pop song Long Haired Lover From Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond was released.
He was 9 years old and remains the youngest performer to have a #1 hit in the UK.

Mar 26, 1997 – 25 years ago
Police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate religious cult who had committed suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA. Cult members apparently believed their souls would reach an alien spacecraft that was following Comet Hale–Bopp, and they would then be transported to a higher level of existence.

Mar 27, 1952 – 70 years ago
Sun Records was founded by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Mar 28, 1942 – 80 years ago
World War II – Operation Chariot. The British Royal Navy and Army Commandos blew up the dry docks in the Occupied French port of Saint-Nazaire, forcing large German warships in the Atlantic to return to Germany for repairs.

Mar 29, 1992 – 30 years ago
U.S. presidential candidate Bill Clinton admitted experimenting with marijuana while he was a student at Oxford University. He said he tried it a time or two, didn’t like it, didn’t inhale, and didn’t try it again. He was elected president in November.

Mar 30, 1822 – 200 years ago
The Territory of Florida became an incorporated territory of the United States. It became a U.S. state in 1845.

Mar 31, 1997 – 25 years ago
American geneticists led by Dr. Huntington Willard from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, announced the creation of the first artificial human chromosome.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2022. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2025 and 2026 editions will be released later this year. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2021 (U.S. edition)

Posted on by admin

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in July 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

Jul 1, 1921 – 100 years ago
West Virginia became the first U.S. state to impose a sales tax on purchases.

Jul 2, 1921 – 100 years ago
The world heavyweight boxing championship fight between Jack Dempsey (USA) and George Carpentier (France) was held in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Named one of the “fights of the century.” It was the first world title fight to be broadcast on the radio (by RCA’s temporary station WJY and Pennsylvania’s KDKA), and the first to generate over $1 million in revenue.

Jul 3, 1971 – 50 years ago
Death of Jim Morrison, American rock singer and songwriter (The Doors).

Jul 4 or 5, 1951 – 70 years ago
American engineer William Shockley announced that he had invented the junction transistor.

Jul 5, 1946 – 75 years ago
The first bikini two-piece swimsuit was unveiled at a fashion show in Paris, France. It was created by French designer Louis Réard.

Jul 6 to Aug 5, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II – Operation Barbarossa – the Battle of Smolensk. The first major battle during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. German victory which proved costly later as Hitler assumed the operation would end quickly and had not prepared for a winter war.

Jul 7, 1981 – 40 years ago
The first solar-powered airplane, Solar Challenger, successfully flew 160 miles (258 km) from Paris, France to Kent, England.

Jul 8, 1721 – 300 years ago
Death of Elihu Yale, British-American merchant, slave trader, Governor of the British East India Company, and philanthropist. Yale University was named in his honor.

Jul 9, 1981 – 40 years ago
The arcade video game Donkey Kong was released by Nintendo in Japan. (USA: July 31st.)

Jul 10 and 17, 1821 – 200 years ago
The USA took possession of East Florida and West Florida from Spain. They were merged into Florida Territory in 1822. Florida was admitted as a U.S. state in 1845.

Jul 11, 1921 – 100 years ago
Former U.S. President William Howard Taft took office as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the only person to hold both offices.

Jul 12, 1971 – 50 years ago
The Australian Aboriginal Flag was flown for the first time, on National Aborigines Day in Adelaide. It was adopted as one of the official flags of Australia in 1995.

Jul 13, 1871 – 150 years ago
Britain’s first cat show was held at the Crystal Palace in London.

Jul 14, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Benjamin Spock was published. It became one of the best-selling books in history.

Jul 15, 1996 – 25 years ago
MSNBC, the 24-hour TV news channel, was launched in the USA.

Jul 16, 1821 – 200 years ago
Birth of Mary Baker Eddy, American founder of Christian Science.

Jul 17, 1981 – 40 years ago
The Humber Bridge, linking Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, was officially opened. It was the world’s longest single-span suspension bridge at that time. (Opened to traffic on June 14th.)

Jul 18, 1921 – 100 years ago
Birth of John Glenn, American astronaut and politician. The first American to orbit the Earth. He later became a U.S. Senator (D, Ohio). (Died 2016.)

Jul 19, 1821 – 200 years ago
The coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom.

Jul 20, 1871 – 150 years ago
British Columbia became a province of Canada.

Jul 21, 1931 – 90 years ago
The first regularly scheduled television broadcasts in the USA began, from CBS’s experimental station W2XAB in New York City.

Jul 22, 1991 – 30 years ago
The Citizen’s Charter was launched by British Prime Minister John Major. The initiative aimed to measure, improve and maintain public services.

Jul 23, 1961 – 60 years ago
The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was founded in Nicaragua.

Jul 24, 1946 – 75 years ago
American comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed together for the first time, at Club 500 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (They were not well received, so on the second night they threw out their scripts and ad-libbed their performance with great success. Their final show was on July 24, 1956 – exactly 10 years after they started.)

Jul 25, 1961 – 60 years ago
British electronics engineer Clive Sinclair founded Sinclair Radionics. The company initially produced radios and hi-fi equipment, but later developed pocket calculators, digital watches, portable televisions and scientific equipment. Clive Sinclair left the company in 1979. It is now known as Aim & Thurlby Thandar Instruments.

Jul 26, 1971 – 50 years ago
NASA launched Apollo 15 on a manned mission to the Moon. This was the first mission in which a lunar rover was used.

Jul 27, 1996 – 25 years ago
Centennial Olympic Park bombing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Two people were killed and over 100 injured.

Jul 28, 1896 – 125 years ago
The city of Miami, Florida, USA was incorporated.

Jul 29, 1921 – 100 years ago
Adolf Hitler became leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (the Nazi Party).

Jul 30, 1921 – 100 years ago
The hormone insulin was discovered by Frederick Banting and Charles Best at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Jul 31, 1941 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: Nazi leader Hermann Goering instructed SS leader Reinhard Heydrich to submit an administrative and financial plan for “the final solution of the Jewish question.”

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2021. The 2022 edition is also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in May 2021 (U.S. Edition)

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Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in May 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

May 1, 1941 – 80 years ago
The U.S. première of Orson Welles’s award-winning movie Citizen Kane.
(Released: September 5th. UK première: October 12th, released: January 24, 1942.)

May 2 to 4, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Battle of Alcatraz. Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay, California, USA was taken over by prisoners after a failed escape attempt. A violent battle ensued.

May 3, 1921 – 100 years ago
Ireland was divided into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland (now the Republic of Ireland).

May 4, 1896 – 125 years ago
The first edition of the Daily Mail newspaper was published in the UK.

May 5, 1821 – 200 years ago
Death of Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte), Emperor of France (1804 – 14, 1815).
(Died from stomach cancer while in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, aged 51.)

May 6, 1941 – 80 years ago
Joseph Stalin became Premier of the Soviet Union.

May 7, 1946 – 75 years ago
Sony, the Japanese electronics company, was founded (as the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation).

May 8, 1721 – 300 years ago
Innocent XIII became Pope.

May 9 to Aug 8, 1896 – 125 years ago
The world’s first motor show was held at the Imperial Institute in London.

May 10, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II: The last major attack on London during the Blitz caused heavy damage to many important buildings, including the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St James’s Palace and Lambeth Palace, several railway stations and hospitals, the British Museum and the Old Bailey. More than 1,300 people were killed.

May 11, 1931 – 90 years ago
Austria’s largest bank, Creditanstalt, declared itself bankrupt, sending shockwaves across Europe. It was one of the major bank failures that initiated the Great Depression. It was rescued by the German Chancellor.

May 12, 1941 – 80 years ago
German engineer Konrad Zuse completed his Z3 computer and presented it to an audience of scientists in Berlin. It is now recognised as the world’s first fully functional programmable digital computer. (No one outside of Germany was aware of its existence, so it had no influence on computer development in the UK or USA).

May 13, 1981 – 40 years ago
Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously injured by a Turkish gunman in an assassination attempt in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City.

May 14, 1771 – 250 years ago
Birth of Robert Owen, Welsh textile manufacturer and social reformer. A founder of the cooperative movement. Best known for his efforts to improve working conditions in his textile mill, and for his promotion of experimental utopian societies.

May 15, 1921 – 100 years ago
The Royal British Legion was founded.

May 16, 1946 – 75 years ago
The musical Annie Get Your Gun opened on Broadway.

May 17, 1996 – 25 years ago
Megan’s Law came into effect in the USA. The public must be notified if dangerous sex offenders are released into their community.

May 18, 1991 – 30 years ago
Helen Sharman became the first British citizen to travel into space. She responded to an advertisement to become the first British astronaut, was selected on live TV, spent 18 months training, and then spent a week on the Soviet Union’s Mir space station.

May 19, 1961 – 60 years ago
The Soviet space probe Venera 1 became the first man-made object to fly past another planet, passing within 62,000 miles (100,000 km) of Venus.

May 20, 1996 – 25 years ago
Oil-for-food programme, Iraq. The United Nations agreed to allow Iraq to sell up to $2 billion worth of oil to buy humanitarian supplies.

May 21, 1991 – 30 years ago
Death of Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (1984–89). (Assassinated.)

May 22, 1981 – 40 years ago
British serial killer Peter Sutcliffe (the “Yorkshire Ripper”) was convicted of murdering 13 women and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge labelled him “an unusually dangerous man”. He is one of the few prisoners to be given a whole life tariff, meaning he will never be released.

May 23, 1951 – 70 years ago
China annexed Tibet after pressuring Tibetan negotiators to sign a 17-point agreement – which many argue they had no real authority to sign and is therefore invalid. The Tibetan Government remained in place, but was dissolved in 1959 following an uprising that forced the Dalai Lama into exile. Tibet Autonomous Region was established in 1965.

May 24, 1956 – 65 years ago
The first Eurovision Song Contest was held, in Lugano, Switzerland, and was won by Switzerland.

May 25, 1961 – 60 years ago
U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his famous “man on the moon” speech. He urged Congress and America to commit itself to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth before the end of the decade.

May 26, 1896 – 125 years ago
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was published for the first time in the Wall Street Journal.

May 27, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II: the British Royal Navy sank the German battleship Bismarck off France. More than 2,000 crew were killed.

May 28, 1951 – 70 years ago
The first episode of the radio comedy series The Goon Show was broadcast in the UK. (The first series was called Crazy People.)

May 29, 2001 – 20 years ago
A jury in New York, USA convicted 4 followers of Osama bin Laden of the 1998 bombing to two US embassies in Africa, which killed 224 people. (They were sentenced to life imprisonment. This was the first conviction in relation to Osama bin Laden’s terrorism activities.)

May 30, 1846 – 175 years ago
Birth of Peter Carl Fabergé, Russian goldsmith and jeweller. Best known for his Fabergé eggs.

May 31, 1821 – 200 years ago
Baltimore Basilica in Maryland was dedicated. It was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the USA.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2021. The 2022 edition is also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in April 2021 (US Edition)

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Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, and editors, producers and publishers love them. They’re really easy to research, and you can turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, documentaries, movies, novels, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in April 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

Apr 1, 2001 – 20 years ago
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands (the first country to do so) and the first four same-sex marriage ceremonies took place.

Apr 2, 1951 – 70 years ago
General Dwight D. Eisenhower (later U.S. President) became NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander. He assumed command of all Allied forces in the Western Mediterranean and Europe.

Apr 3, 1721 – 300 years ago
Robert Walpole became the first British Prime Minister.

Apr 4, 1821 – 200 years ago
Birth of Linus Yale, Jr., American engineer and businessman. Inventor of the cylinder lock. Co-founder of the lock manufacturing company Yale.

Apr 5, 1941 – 80 years ago
Death of Sir Nigel Gresley, Scottish steam locomotive engineer. Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) (1923–41). He designed some of Britain’s fastest and most famous steam locomotives, including the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard.

Apr 6 to 15, 1896 – 125 years ago
The first modern Summer Olympic Games were held, in Athens, Greece. The original Olympics were banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius (I or II) in either 393 or 426 AD.

Apr 7, 2001 – 20 years ago
NASA launched its Mars Odyssey spacecraft to search for evidence of water and volcanic activity on Mars. It went into orbit around Mars on October 24th and remains operational (though it will run out of propellant in 2025). It is the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft orbiting another planet. It successfully mapped the distribution of water below the surface and discovered a vast amount of ice below the equatorial regions.

Apr 8, 1946 – 75 years ago
Électricité de France (EDF), the world’s largest utility company, was founded when around 1,700 French energy producers, transporters and distributors were nationalized.

Apr 9, 1821 – 200 years ago
Birth of Charles Baudelaire, French poet, essayist, art critic, philosopher, and translator of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories into French.

Apr 10, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II: Germany and Italy established the independent state of Croatia in occupied Yugoslavia.

Apr 11, 1921 – 100 years ago
The Emirate of Transjordan (now Jordan) was created.

Apr 12, 1961 – 60 years ago
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space and the first to orbit the Earth.

Apr 13, 1771 – 250 years ago
Birth of Richard Trevithick, British mining engineer and inventor of the first steam locomotive.

Apr 14, 1931 – 90 years ago
The first edition of The Highway Code was published in the UK.

Apr 15, 1991 – 30 years ago
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development opened in London to assist economic development in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Apr 16, 1971 – 50 years ago
British rock band the Rolling Stones released their hit song Brown Sugar.

Apr 17, 1961 – 60 years ago
Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba. Approximately 1,500 Cuban exiles who opposed Fidel Castro’s regime attempted an invasion, financed and directed by the USA. U.S. President John F. Kennedy later accepted sole responsibility for the failed invasion.

Apr 18, 1951 – 70 years ago
The European Coal and Steel Community was established when Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany signed the Treaty of Paris. The organization eventually became the European Union.

Apr 19, 1971 – 50 years ago
The Soviet Union launched Salyut 1, the world’s first space station.

Apr 20, 1971 – 50 years ago
National Public Radio (NPR) began broadcasting in the USA.

Apr 21, 1946 – 75 years ago
Death of John Maynard Keynes, British economist. The most influential economist of the 20th century, whose ideas formed the basis of Keynesian economics.

Apr 22, 1821 – 200 years ago
Death of John Crome, (“Old Crome”), British landscape artist.

Apr 23, 1896 – 125 years ago
Thomas Edison began public showings of his films at Koster and Bial’s Music Hall in New York City, USA, using his Vitascope system.

Apr 24, 1996 – 25 years ago
The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act was signed into law in the USA.

Apr 25, 1961 – 60 years ago
American engineer Robert Noyce was granted a U.S. patent for the integrated circuit.

Apr 26, 1941 – 80 years ago
The first organ was played in a Major League Baseball stadium when the Chicago Cubs brought one into Wrigley Field as a one-day gimmick. It proved popular, and the tradition soon became established.

Apr 27, 1521 – 500 years ago
Death of Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the Earth. (Killed by natives in the Philippines, aged 41.)

Apr 28, 2001 – 20 years ago
American businessman Dennis Tito became the world’s first space tourist. He travelled on a Russian rocket for a seven-day visit to the International Space Station, for which he reportedly paid $20 million.

Apr 29, 1946 – 75 years ago
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East was convened to try Japanese war criminals following the end of WWII. Those indicted included former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and 28 other leaders.

Apr 30, 1991 – 30 years ago
Ramiz Alia became the first President of Albania. He had been the Communist Leader of Albania since 1985 and was re-elected in the country’s first democratic election since WWII.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2021. The 2022 edition is also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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29 newsworthy historical anniversaries in February 2021 (U.S. Edition)

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Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.

Here are 29 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in February 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

Feb 1, 1896 – 125 years ago
The premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s opera La bohème, in Turin, Italy.

Feb 2, 1946 – 75 years ago
Trygve Lie of Norway became the first Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Feb 3, 1971 – 50 years ago
American police officer Frank Serpico was shot and wounded during a drugs bust in Brooklyn, New York City. As a plain clothes officer he had uncovered widespread corruption in the New York Police Department (NYPD) and some believe the shooting was an attempt by NYPD officers to have him murdered. After recovering from his injuries he testified before the Knapp Commission, which had been appointed to investigate corruption in the NYPD. His story is told in the 1973 movie Serpico.

Feb 4, 1941 – 80 years ago
The United Service Organization (USO) was created to provide social, welfare, recreational services and entertainment for members of the U.S. armed forces and their families.

Feb 5, 1996 – 25 years ago
The first genetically modified (GMO) food went on sale in the UK: tomato puree made from tomatoes that had had the “rotting gene” removed. (The product was withdrawn in 1999 following strong opposition.)

Feb 6, 1951 – 70 years ago
Woodbridge train derailment, New Jersey, USA. 86 people were killed and more than 500 injured. It was one of the worst rail disasters in U.S. history.

Feb 7, 1991 – 30 years ago
IRA mortar attack on 10 Downing Street, London. 3 shells were fired from a parked van while British Prime Minister John Major was chairing a cabinet meeting about the Gulf War. No one was injured.

Feb 8, 1971 – 50 years ago
NASDAQ, the first electronic stock exchange, began trading.

Feb 9, 1996 – 25 years ago
An IRA bomb exploded in London’s Docklands, killing 2 people and causing massive damage.

Feb 10, 1846 – 175 years ago
Following repeated attacks, the Mormons began a long exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois to what is now Salt Lake City, Utah. The first group of pioneers set off on this date, with the main exodus beginning in April 1947. The first group reached the Great Salt Lake in July 1847 and began establishing a settlement.

Feb 11, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Revised Standard Version of the New Testament was published. It was the first major English-language update of the Bible since the King James version was published in 1611.

Feb 12, 1971 – 50 years ago
Death of James Cash Penney, American businessman who founded the J. C. Penney chain of department stores.

Feb 13, 1931 – 90 years ago
New Delhi became the capital of India, replacing Kolkata.

Feb 14, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Bank of England was nationalized.

Feb 15, 1946 – 75 years ago
ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, was dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Feb 16, 1971 – 50 years ago
U.S. President Richard Nixon had a secret taping system installed in the Oval Office of the White House. The system was later expanded to other rooms and Camp David. The existence of the tapes was revealed during the Watergate Scandal of 1973 – 74.

Feb 17, 1621 – 400 years ago
Myles Standish was elected as the first commander of the Plymouth Colony militia in North America.

Feb 18, 1896 – 125 years ago
Birth of André Breton, French writer and poet. Leader of the Surrealist movement.

Feb 19, 2001 – 20 years ago
The first case of foot-and-mouth disease in the 2001 UK outbreak was detected at an abattoir in Essex. The European Union (EU) subsequently banned all British milk, meat and livestock exports.

Feb 20, 1961 – 60 years ago
Death of Percy Grainger, Australian-born American composer, pianist and conductor.

Feb 21, 1821 – 200 years ago
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy was founded in Pennsylvania. It was the first pharmacy college in the USA. It is now part of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Feb 22, 1821 – 200 years ago
The Adams-Onís Treaty (also known as the Florida Purchase Treaty) came into effect. Spain ceded Florida to the USA and the border between the USA and Mexico was established, settling a dispute.

Feb 23, 1821 – 200 years ago
Death of John Keats, British poet. (Tuberculosis, aged 25.)

Feb 24, 1871 – 150 years ago
British naturalist Charles Darwin’s book The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex was published.

Feb 25, 1956 – 65 years ago
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave an infamous speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences in which he condemned and denounced former leader Joseph Stalin as a brutal despot. This led to the de-Stalinisation of the Soviet Union.

Feb 26, 1896 – 125 years ago
French scientist Henri Becquerel unknowingly discovered radioactivity while investigating the phosphorescent rays of uranium and potassium crystals. He was jointly awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Pierre and Marie Curie who carried out further research. The SI unit for radioactivity, the becquerel, is named in his honor.

Feb 27, 1996 – 25 years ago
The Pokémon media franchise was launched by Japanese video game designer Satoshi Tajiri.

Feb 28, 1991 – 30 years ago
The Gulf War ended at midnight when a ceasefire came into effect.

Feb 29, 1996 – 25 years ago
A court ruled that the British actress Joan Collins was entitled to keep a $1.3 million advance from publishers Random House, plus a further $1.3 million for delivering her manuscripts on schedule. Random House had claimed that her two novels were unpublishable and demanded their money back.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2021. The 2022 edition is also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in August 2020 (U.S. edition)

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Historical anniversaries are great for On This Day in History features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re simple to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of August from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries in the book.

Aug 1, 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of William Clark, American explorer (Lewis and Clark expedition).

Aug 2, 1990 to Feb 28, 1991 – 30 years ago
Gulf War. On August 2nd Iraq invaded Kuwait. On 6th the United Nations Security Council ordered a global trade embargo against Iraq. On 7th the USA launched Operation Desert Shield, sending U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia to prevent an Iraqi invasion. On 8th Iraq took full control of Kuwait and installed a puppet government. This led to Operation Desert Storm (Jan 17 – Feb 28, 1991). Coalition victory.

Aug 3, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of P. D. James, British novelist. Best known for her crime novels featuring the detective Adam Dalgliesh.

Aug 4, 1870 – 150 years ago
The British Red Cross Society was founded.

Aug 5, 1895 – 125 years ago
Death of Friedrich Engels, German socialist philosopher and social scientist who collaborated with Karl Marx to found modern communism and co-write The Communist Manifesto.

Aug 6, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the U.S. Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The center of the city was totally destroyed and approximately 80,000 people were killed immediately. A further 60,000 people died by the end of the year because of injury or radiation. It was the first city in history to be hit by a nuclear weapon. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9th.

Aug 7, 1955 – 65 years ago
Sony (then known as the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) released the first transistor radio made in Japan: the TR-55. It was also the first transistor radio in the world to use all-miniature components.

Aug 8, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and entered the Pacific War, exactly three months after the war in Europe ended, as agreed at the Yalta Conference in February.

Aug 9, 1930 – 90 years ago
The cartoon character Betty Boop first appeared, in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes.

Aug 10, 1895 – 125 years ago
The Proms (Promenade Concerts) began in London.

Aug 11, 1995 – 25 years ago
U.S. President Bill Clinton banned all nuclear weapons testing by the USA, saying that the country’s nuclear stockpile could be safely maintained without the need for any further testing. He made this statement ahead of signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in September 1996.

Aug 12, 1960 – 60 years ago
NASA launched the first successful communications satellite, Echo 1, into low Earth orbit, to relay voice and TV signals. The satellite’s 98-foot (30-meter) shiny surface reflected signals from one point on the Earth to another. (This satellite was officially named Echo 1A. It was a replacement for the first Echo 1, whose launch in May 1960 ended in failure and it ditched into the Atlantic.)

Aug 13, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the main phase of the Battle of Britain began. The German Luftwaffe launched raids on RAF airfields and radar installations.

Aug 14, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: V-J Day. Japan announced its unconditional surrender, ending WWII in the Pacific. (The war officially ended on September 2nd when Japan signed the surrender document.)

Aug 15, 1945 – 75 years ago
Korea was divided along the 38th parallel, creating the Soviet-occupied North Korea and the U.S.-occupied South Korea.

Aug 16 to 23, 1930 – 90 years ago
The first British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Aug 17, 1960 – 60 years ago
The Beatles gave their first live public performance, at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany. They performed there seven evenings a week, then relocated to the Kaiserkeller on October 4th after the Indra Club was closed down because of noise complaints.

Aug 18, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian nationalist. Leader of a WWII force that attempted (unsuccessfully) to liberate the Indian military from British rule.

Aug 19, 1960 – 60 years ago
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 5 with the dogs Belka and Strelka (plus 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants) on board. After a day in orbit, they returned safely. They were the first animals to survive orbital flight.

Aug 20, 1920 – 100 years ago
The National Football League (NFL) was founded (as the American Professional Football Association).

Aug 21, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Christopher Robin Milne, British bookseller. Son of the author A. A. Milne. He appears as a character in his father’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories. (Died 1996.)

Aug 22, 1770 – 250 years ago
British explorer Captain James Cook discovered eastern Australia, named it New South Wales, and claimed it for Britain.

Aug 23 to 31, 2005 – 15 years ago
Hurricane Katrina hit the Bahamas, Cuba and the southern U.S. states. The city of New Orleans, Louisiana was particularly badly affected (on August 29th) when the levee system failed, flooding 80% of the city for several weeks. Florida and Mississippi also suffered severe damage. Over 1,800 people were killed. It was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Aug 24, 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, German engineer and television pioneer who invented the Nipkow disk – a spinning perforated disk that could scan images. It was used by John Logie Baird to develop the first mechanical television system.

Aug 25, 1270 – 750 years ago
Death of Saint Louis IX, King of France (1226–70).

Aug 26, 1920 – 100 years ago
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution came into effect. It granted women the right to vote.

Aug 27, 1955 – 65 years ago
The first edition of the Guinness Book of Records (now Guinness World Records) was published.

Aug 28, 1955 – 65 years ago
Death of Emmett Till, African American teenager who was mutilated and killed in Mississippi after flirting with a white woman. His death was one of the key events that motivated the Civil Rights Movement.

Aug 29, 1895 – 125 years ago
The Rugby Football League was founded in England (as the Northern Rugby Football Union. The first match was played on September 7th.

Aug 30, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: Hong Kong was liberated by British forces.

Aug 31, 1980 – 40 years ago
Solidarity was formed in Gdansk, Poland after striking shipyard workers won the right to form a trade union. Communist authorities officially recognized Solidarity in October, but outlawed it in 1981 when they imposed martial law followed by years of political repression. It was legalized again in 1989.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2020. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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