On This Day in History

April 7

Historical Events

30 Scholars' estimate for Jesus' crucifixion by Roman troops in Jerusalem [or April 3]

529 First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis or the Justinian Code (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I

1948 World Health Organization is formed by the United Nations

1954 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a news conference is first to voice fear of a "domino-effect" of communism in the Indo-China region

Front page of The Washington Post on April 7, 1968, three days after the assassination of Martin Luther King

1968 Riots continue in over 100 US cities following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

1969 The Internet's symbolic birth date: publication of RFC 1.

More Historical Events

Famous Birthdays

William Wordsworth 1770 - 1850 Will Keith Kellogg 1860 - 1951

Francis Ford Coppola 85th Birthday Jackie Chan 70th Birthday

Also Billie Holiday, Ravi Shankar and Russell Crowe (60).

More Famous Birthdays

Famous Deaths

Toussaint Louverture 1743 - 1803 Joe Gallo 1929 - 1972

Also P. T. Barnum and Henry Ford.

More Famous Deaths

The Man Who Sold His Wife

Most modern readers believe Thomas Hardy was plunging into deep fiction when he wrote about a man selling his wife in, The Mayor of Casterbridge. He wasn't.

The True Story of Mary Thompson