Osun Defender History Corner: April 6 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

April 6, 1320

The Declaration of Arbroath, asserting Scottish independence from England, was signed.

April 6, 1652

Cape Colony, the first European settlement in South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company.

April 6, 1712

The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 took place, resulting in the execution of 21 enslaved Africans.

April 6, 1830

Joseph Smith and five others organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fayette, New York.

April 6, 1862

The Battle of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, began in Tennessee.

April 6, 1896

The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece, marking the revival of the ancient tradition.

April 6, 1909

Explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson became the first men to reach the North Pole.

April 6, 1917

The United States declared war on Germany, entering World War I.

April 6, 1930

Mahatma Gandhi led the Salt March, a nonviolent protest against British salt taxes in colonial India.

April 6, 1941

Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia and Greece during World War II.

April 6, 1965

The United States launched Early Bird, the world’s first commercial communications satellite.

April 6, 1973

Pioneer 11, a spacecraft launched to study the outer planets, was launched by NASA.

April 6, 1992

Microsoft released Windows 3.1, a significant milestone in personal computing.

April 6, 1994

The Rwandan Genocide began, resulting in the mass slaughter of Tutsi ethnic group members by Hutu extremists.

April 6, 2008

The United States and China held the 5th Strategic Economic Dialogue to discuss economic issues.

April 6, 2010

An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

April 6, 2018

The former President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was ordered to begin serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption.

April 6, 2019

The first image of a black hole, located in the galaxy Messier 87, was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.

April 6, 2020

The International Olympic Committee announced the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 6, 2021

The World Health Organization approved the emergency use of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, expanding global vaccination efforts.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on April 6. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.