This Week in History

April 23

Shannon Rochelle was born

Mairead Fitzgerald was born.

Victoria Mahon was born.

Mike O’Neil was born.

1985 – Coca-Cola changed its formula and introduced New Coke.

April 24 

Dee Roberts was born.

Amy Mahon was born.

1898 – Spain declared war on the U.S.

APRIL 25

Eugene Brennan was born.

Ashlee Ferriola was born.

1928 – The first seeing eye dog was presented to Morris S. Frank.

1945 – Delegates met in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.

APRIL 26

Kirsten Keller was born.

1865 – John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s assassin, was surrounded by federal troops in a barn in Virginia. He was shot and killed, either by the soldiers or by his own hand.

1986 – The worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred at Chernobyl, near Kiev, U.S.S.R.

APRIL 27

Michelle Comins was born.

Nancy Gahles was born.

1956 – Rocky Marciano retired as the undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion.

1983 – Pitcher Nolan Ryan surpassed Walter Johnson’s strikeout record — one Johnson had held since 1927.

APRIL 28

Jim Moore was born.

1945 – Benito Mussolini was executed.

1947 – Thor Heyerdahl and five others began their Pacific Ocean crossing on the raft, Kon-Tiki.

APRIL 29

Terence McNicholas was born.

Mary Sternhell was born.

Kerry Gallagher was born.

1992 – A Los Angeles jury acquitted four police officers accused of beating Rodney King. Massive rioting and looting ensued.