April 10
Today is the 100th day of 2017, there are 265 days remaining in the year.
There are 258 days until Christmas.
Today is internationally observed as
Siblings Day.
Events
837 –
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
1815 – The
Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, lasting until July 15. The eruption ultimately kills 71,000 people and
affects Earth's climate for the next two years.
1826 – The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town of
Missolonghi begin leaving the town after a year's siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive.
1858 – After the original
Big Ben, a 32,000 lb bell for the Palace of Westminster, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current 13.76 tonnes (30,300 lb) bell by
Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
1865 – American Civil War: A day after his surrender to Union forces, Confederate General
Robert E. Lee addresses his troops for the last time:
Quote:
Headquarters, Army of Northern Virginia, 10th April 1865.
General Order
No. 9
After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.
I need not tell the survivors of so many hard fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to the result from no distrust of them.
But feeling that valour and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that must have attended the continuance of the contest, I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.
By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you his blessing and protection.
With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your Country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration for myself, I bid you an affectionate farewell.
— R. E. Lee, General, General Order No. 9
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1872 – The first
Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska.
1912 –
RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, England on her maiden and only voyage.
1916 – The
Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) is created in New York City.
1919 – Mexican Revolution leader
Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos.
1925 –
The Great Gatsby by
F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City.
1963 – One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the submarine
USS Thresher sinks at sea. The loss of the Thresher lead to the implementation of a rigorous submarine safety program known as
SUBSAFE.
1967 -
Marvin Gaye records his version of '
I Heard It Through The Grapevine'.
1970 – Paul McCartney
announces that he is leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons.
1972 – Tombs containing bamboo slips, among them
Sun Tzu's
Art of War and
Sun Bin's
lost military treatise, are accidentally discovered by construction workers in Shandong.
1972 –
Vietnam War: For the first time since November 1967, American B-52 bombers reportedly begin bombing North Vietnam.
1976 -
Peter Frampton went to No.1 on the US album chart with '
Frampton Comes Alive', one of the biggest selling 'live' albums in rock history. It was the best-selling album of 1976, selling over 6 million copies in the US.
Frampton Comes Alive! was voted "Album of the year" in the 1976 Rolling Stone readers poll. It stayed on the chart for 97 weeks.
1979 –
Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado (one of 59 in this outbreak) lands on Wichita Falls, Texas killing 42 people.
1982 -
Iron Maiden scored their first UK No.1 album with
The Number Of The Beast. The bands third studio album saw the debut of vocalist
Bruce Dickinson and the final appearance of the late drummer
Clive Burr. This was their first album to reach No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart, and be certified platinum in the US.
2010 – Polish Air Force
Tu-154M
crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President
Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.
2016 – The
Paravur temple accident in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for
Vishu, kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for seventh day of
Bhadrakali worship.
Births
1794 – Matthew C. Perry, 1827 – Lew Wallace, 1829 – William Booth (founded The Salvation Army), 1847 – Joseph Pulitzer (yeah,
that one), 1911 – Martin Denny
, 1915 – Harry Morgan ('Col. Henry Potter' on
M*A*S*H (series)), 1921 – Chuck Connors (
The Rifleman), 1921 – Sheb Wooley♪ ♫(sang "The Purple People Eater", was also in
High Noon, The Outlaw Josey Wales, & Rawhide), 1925 – Angelo Poffo (father of 'Leaping' Lanny Poffo & Randy 'Macho Man' Savage), 1926 – Junior Samples (
HeeHaw), 1929 – Liz Sheridan (Jerry's mother on
Seinfeld), 1929 – Max von Sydow, 1932 – Omar Sharif, 1934 – David Halberstam, 1936 – John Madden, 1938 – Dandy Don Meredith, 1941 – Paul Theroux, 1947 – Bunny Wailer
(Bob Marley & The Wailers), 1950 – Ken Griffey, Sr., 1952 – Steven Seagal, 1954 – Paul Bearer (wrestling manager), 1954 – Peter MacNicol, 1957 – Steve Gustafson
(10,000 Maniacs), 1959 – Brian Setzer
(Stray Cats, Brian Setzer Orchestra), 1961 –
Joe Cole (roadie for Rollins Band, Black Flag, Hole), 1963 – Warren DeMartini
(Ratt), 1965 – Tim Alexander
(Primus), 1968 – Orlando Jones, 1972 – Priit Kasesalu (co-created Skype), 1975 – Chris Carrabba♪ ♫(Dashboard Confessional), 1980 – Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), 1980 – Kasey Kahne
, 1984 – Mandy Moore
, 1992 – Daisy Ridley
Deaths
879 – Louis the Stammerer, 1919 – Emiliano Zapata, 1954 – Auguste Lumière, 1962 – Stuart Sutcliffe
, 1966 – Evelyn Waugh, 1969 –
Harley Earl (head of design for General Motors), 1975 – Marjorie Main (Ma Kettle), 1986 – Linda Creed♪ ♫(co-wrote "
The Rubberband Man"
), 1991 – Kevin Peter Hall ('The Predator' in
Predator, 'Harry' in
Harry & The Hendersons), 1991 – Natalie Schafer ("Mrs. Howell' on
Gilligan's Island), 1992 – Sam Kinison
, 1994 – Sam B. Hall, Jr. ("...and I hate you, one and all, damn yer eyes!"), 2000 – Larry Linville ('Major Frank Burns' on
M*A*S*H (series)), 2003 – Little Eva♪ ♫, 2010 – Dixie Carter (
Designing Women),
2012 – Barbara Buchholz♪ ♫(Theremin player), 2016 – Howard Marks (Welsh cannabis smuggler)