Japanese Emperor
French mathematician, physicist, engineer
Indonesian/French singer-songwriter, producer
American pianist, composer, bandleader
American actress, singer
American actor, author
Canadian/American economist
English cricketer
English director, producer
Austrian/English philosopher
Union forces under the command of General Benjamin Butler captured the city of New Orleans, which was a key Confederate port on the Mississippi River. The fall of the city was a significant blow to the Confederacy, as it allowed the Union to control the entire length of the Mississippi River.
The Easter Rising was a rebellion by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland. After a week of fighting, the rebels, who had taken over key buildings in Dublin, including the post office, surrendered unconditionally. The leaders of the rebellion were executed, but the event helped to galvanize support for Irish independence.
On the same day that Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun got married, US troops liberated the Dachau concentration camp near Munich. The camp was the first to be established by the Nazis and had been used to imprison political dissidents, homosexuals, Jews, and other groups deemed undesirable by the regime. The liberation of the camp provided irrefutable evidence of the horrors of the Nazi regime and helped to solidify the Allies' commitment to bringing the war to a swift end.
Hair was a groundbreaking musical that celebrated the counterculture of the 1960s and challenged traditional attitudes toward sex, race, and war. It was highly controversial at the time, but its songs, such as "Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In," became anthems of the peace movement during the Vietnam War.
After years of fighting, the North Vietnamese army captured the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, effectively ending the Vietnam War. In response, the US began to evacuate its citizens and allies from the city in a massive airlift operation known as Operation Frequent Wind. The fall of Saigon marked a humiliating defeat for the US and signaled the end of its involvement in the conflict.
The Berlin Wall had been a symbol of the Cold War and the division of Europe since it was built in 1961. On this day, the demolition of the wall began at the Brandenburg Gate, a major landmark in Berlin. The fall of the wall in the months that followed marked the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany.
A devastating cyclone struck the Chittagong district in Bangladesh, causing widespread destruction and killing an estimated 139,000 people. The cyclone was one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history and left millions homeless.
The riots erupted in Los Angeles after the acquittal of four police officers who had been filmed beating Rodney King, an African American man. The riots lasted for several days and resulted in the deaths of 53 people, as well as widespread looting and arson. The event highlighted long-standing tensions between the police and minority communities in the US.
The Chemical Weapons Convention was