This Week in History

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

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

Kerry Gallagher was born.

Terence McNicholas was born.

Mary Sternhell was born.

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

APRIL 30

Rose Love Resker was born.

Margaret O’Hanlon was born.

Donna Hickey Graves was born.

1803 – France sold Louisiana and adjoining lands to the United States

as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

1945 – Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide.

MAY 1

John O’Connor was born.

Helen Corr Endall was born.

1931 – The Empire State Building opened in New York City. At 102 stories, it would be the world’s tallest building for the next 41 years.

1960 – The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane over Soviet territory.