The Straits Settlements, comprised of Singapore, Malacca and Penang, became a crown colony under direct British control / A ceremony at the Town Hall in Singapore marked the formal transfer of the Straits Settlements from the jurisdiction of British India to the direct administration of the Crown. Harry St. George Ord was appointed the first governor of the new crown colony.
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What Happened Today in History on April 1
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on April 1st. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Battle of Okinawa starts as more than 60,000 soldiers and US Marines of the US Tenth Army stormed ashore at Okinawa. Savage fighting erupted at the island’s southern end as the US forces encountered a network of Japanese inland defenses. The land, sea, and air battle raged for nearly three months. About 12,000 American and 90,000 Japanese combatants died in the fighting, but deaths among Okinawan civilians may have reached 150,000. More
An 8.6 magnitude earthquake occurs in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Near the source of the earthquake, at Unimak Island, huge tsunami waves reached more than 100 feet above sea level and destroyed completely the newly built steel-reinforced concrete U.S. Coast Guard's Scotch Cap lighthouse; killing all 5 crew members.
The tsunami arrived 4.9 hours later in Hilo, causing $26 million (1946 dollars) in damages and killing 96 people. More
The Netherlands, becomes the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. The legislation had been approved by the Dutch Parliament in late 2000 and allows same-sex couples to marry on the same terms as heterosexual couples. The first same-sex marriages were officiated by the mayor of Amsterdam on this historic date.
Google launches Gmail, such a mind-bending concept at the time that shortly after The Associated Press published a story about Gmail, readers began contacting the news agency telling them that it had to be a Google April Fools joke. Five years later more than a billion people were using Gmail.