It happened today – this day in history – April 8
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217AD: Roman Emperor Caracalla is assassinated.
1455: Alfonso de Borgia is elected Pope Callistus III.
1781: Premiere of Mozart’s violin sonata
1783: Catherine II of Russia annexes the Crimea.
1820: The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
1886: Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the House of Commons.
1908: Herbert Asquith succeeds Henry Campbell-Bannerman as Prime Minister.
1935: Bartok’s 5th String quartet premieres in Washington D.C.
1941: Joe Louis TKOs Tony Musto in Round 9 for the heavyweight boxing title
1953: Jomo Kenyatta convicted of involvement with the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya and sentenced to seven years jail.
1964: The Supremes record ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ at Motown Studios in Detroit.
1967: Sandie Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with ‘Puppet On A String’. On the same day, John Buckingham wins the Grand National on rank 100/1 outsider Foinavon.
1973: Death of artist Pablo Picasso aged 91.
1977: Israeli premier Yitzhak Rabin resigns.
1983: Illusionist David Copperfield makes the Statue of Liberty disappear.
1986: Clint Eastwood is elected mayor of Carmel, California.
1994: An electrician working at Kurt Cobain’s house discovers the Nirvana front man’s body.
1995: Oliver McCall defeats Larry Holmes for the heavyweight boxing title.
1997: Singer, songwriter Laura Nyro died from ovarian cancer.
1998: Ronnie Wood was rescued, along with 11 other passengers, in the nick of time, from a boat when an engine caught fire off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
2000: Papillon, ridden by jockey Ruby Walsh and trained by his father Ted Walsh wins the Grand National.
2001: Tiger Woods wins his second US Masters title.
2010: Malcolm McLaren, former manager of The Sex Pistols died aged 64.
2013: Death of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher aged 87.
2017: Death of disc jockey Brian Matthew aged 88.
BIRTHDAYS: Dame Vivienne Westwood, fashion designer, 79; Roger Chapman, singer (Family) 78; Steve Howe, guitarist (Yes) 73; Izzy Stradlin, guitarist (Guns n Roses) 58; Donita Sparks, singer/guitarist (L7) 57; Julian Lennon, musician, 57; Robin Wright, actress, 54; Patricia Arquette, actress, 52; Katee Sakhoff, actress, 40; Ezra Koenig, singer/guitarist (Vampire Weekend) 36; Matthew Healy, singer/guitarist (The 1975) 31; Isaac Hempstead-Wright, actor, 21.
