What Happened in April?

The Colfax massacre, sometimes referred to as the Colfax riot, occurs in Colfax, Louisiana on Easter Sunday. The parish seat of Grant Parish. An estimated 62–153 Black men were murdered while surrendering to a mob of former Confederate soldiers and members of the Ku Klux Klan. Three White men also died during the confrontation. More

The first telephone is installed in the White House during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes.

German scientist Robert Koch identifies the tubercle bacillus responsible for tuberculosis. He also determined how the disease spread, primarily through bodily fluids, like sputum. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1905. More

The first recorded sale of bottled Coca-Cola takes place in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The Oklahoma Land Rush begins as thousands of homesteaders plant their stakes pursuing their 160 acres claims to nearly 1.9 million acres of land that was formerly part of Indian Territory but had been identified by the federal government as unassigned land. Thousands of people seeking land crowded into towns that served as official starting points for the April 22 claim race.  Different starting points experienced a different process, some more orderly and some more chaotic. More

Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight: James J. Corbett defeats John L. Sullivan in the first heavyweight championship boxing match using boxing gloves.

The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece.

The Greco-Turkish War begins  with a general advance by Ottoman forces under Edhem Pasha. However, the war effectively started earlier, following the rebellion on Crete in late 1896 and Greek military interventions in early 1897, which escalated tensions and border clashes before the formal start of the conflict. 

The United States declares war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War.

The Boxer Rebellion begins in China with the killing of foreign diplomats and civilians in Beijing.

1901, April 3 - The first recorded game of what would become ice hockey in the United States takes place in Baltimore, Maryland.

Danish author Hans Christian Andersen dies in Copenhagen.

The British luxury passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks 5 days into its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City, USA. Built by the Harland and Wolff shipbuilding company in Belfast, Ireland, It was the largest ship afloat at the time of its completion, with a length of 882.5 feet and a width of 92.5 feet Equipped with advanced safety features, including 16 watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, leading to its reputation as "unsinkable". It was carrying 2,240 passengers and crew and approximately 1,500 people died when it sank almost three hours after it struck an iceberg. More 

The Armenian Genocide begins in the Ottoman Empire, resulting in the mass killing of Armenians.

The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) is established on April 10, 1916 in New York City at the Hotel Martinique on 32nd and Broadway. Its first President was Robert White and the inaugural PGA Championship was held in October 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York.

The Easter Rising begins in Ireland against British rule as Members of the Irish Citizen Army and Irish Volunteers seized strategic points in Dublin. Although quickly suppressed by the British Army, the rising herald the end of British power in Ireland paving the way to the nation's independence in 1922. More

The United States enters World War I as the U.S Congress voted to declare war on Germany and to enter what optimistically was called the “Great War. More

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, the German flying ace known as the "Red Baron" is killed in action near Vaux-sur-Sommeon. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Richthofen was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and respected by his enemies. Who shot down and killed Richtofen is still today a subject of debate. More

The Yankee Stadium, one of the most iconic sports venues, opens in the Bronx, New York City.