On This Day in History, April 18

April 18 is National Animal Crackers Day. Greet your loved ones today with a box of animal crackers.

Take a look at the outlined events below to find out what made history on April 18.

  • 1791-National Guardsmen prevented Louis XVI and his family from leaving Paris.
  • 1835-William Lamb became prime minister of England.
  • 1846-The telegraph ticker was patented by R.E. House.
  • 1861-Colonel Robert E. Lee turned down an offer to command the Union armies during the U.S. Civil War.
  • 1906-A massive earthquake destroyed San Francisco.
  • 1910-Walter R. Brookins made the first airplane flight at night.
  • 1924-Simon and Schuster, Inc. published the first “Crossword Puzzle Book.”
  • 1938-Superman made his debut when he appeared in the first issue of Action Comics.
  • 1943-Japanese Admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto, was shot down by American P-38 fighters.
  • 1946-The League of Nations was dissolved.
  • 1949-Ireland became an independent republic.
  • 1950-The first transatlantic jet passenger trip was completed.
  • 1951-The European Coal and Steel Community was established.
  • 1954-Gamal Abdel Nasser seized power in Egypt.
  • 1956-Rainier III married Grace Kelly.
  • 1960-The Mutual Broadcasting System was sold to the 3M Company of Minnesota for $1.25 million.
  • 1983-The U.S. Embassy in Beirut was blown up by a suicide car bomber.
  • 1985-Ted Turner filed for a hostile takeover of CBS.
  • 1999Wayne Gretzky played his final game in the NHL.
  • 2002-The city legislature of Berlin decided to make Marlene Dietrich an honorary citizen.

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