This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 1st April”.
1816: Jane Austen declines royal writing advice
“I could not sit down to write a serious romance under any other motive than to save my life.” This was how Jane Austen responded to Prince Regent’s (future King George IV) letter suggesting she write a historic romance. The success of her novels Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility prompted her correspondence with the Prince Regent and other literary figures.
1924: Hitler sentenced for his role in Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch was an attempted coup in Munich on November 8, 1923 by right-wing members of the army and the Nazi Party. The government had foiled it and charged Hitler with high treason. Despite his conviction, Hitler was out of jail before the end of the year, with his political position stronger than ever. He spent his years in prison writing the first volume of Mein Kampf.
1945: Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa during World War II was the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific theatre. 50,000 US combat troops, under the command of Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner Jr., marched into the southwest coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa. They battled nearly 120,000 Japanese armies, militia and labour troops under the command of Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima. The 1952 film Okinawa starring Pat O’Brien also depicts this episode.
1976: Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs establish Apple Inc.
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs dropped out of college and discovered Apple Inc. in the garage of Jobs’ parents’ house in Cupertino, California. Apple Inc. has pioneered its way through the computer industry with a belief in pushing the limits of creativity to produce interesting and valuable products for society. After more than 40 years, it is undeniable that Apple has had a profound impact on technology, innovating and influencing not only how we use computers but the activities for which we use them.
1980: 14 x World Champion Randy Orton is born
Third generation professional wrestler Randy Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history at the age of 24. In the years since, he has become The Legend Killer, The Viper and WWE’s Apex Predator backed by two Royal Rumble victories and 14 World Heavyweight Title wins. He is also known for his lethal move – the RKO – and being part of the faction Evolution alongside Triple H, Batista and Ric Flair. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Grand Slam Champion turns 41 today.
1984: Marvin Gaye is shot and killed by his own father
“The man who chased away the demons of millions with his heavenly sound and divine art was chased by demons of his own throughout his life.” This was how critic Michael Eric Dyson described the life of the Prince of Motown, Marvin Gaye. It came to a tragic end when his father shot and killed him today; one day short of his 45th birthday. This occurred after an argument between the two at their house in West Adams, Los Angeles. Some of the late artist’s hits include Ain’t That Peculiar, How Sweet it is and I Heard it Through the Grapevine.
2004: Gmail turns fifteen
Paul Buchheit created Gmail today with an initial storage capacity of one gigabyte per user. Google’s email service has evolved since then to allow 15GB of free storage. Users can receive emails up to 50MB in size, including attachments, while they can send emails up to 25MB in size. “We may have launched Gmail on April Fools’ Day, but the last 15 years have been no joke. And we’re looking forward to what’s to come,” posted Gmail on its blog.
