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 on 4th April!
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 – 4th April”.
1841: US President Harrison dies
On this day in 1841, President William Henry Harrison died unfortunately after only serving 32 days in office. He holds the presidential record for the shortest term in office. At the end of the inauguration day, he contracted a cold which later turned out to be a fatal case of pneumonia which ultimately led to his demise.
1905: Kangra Earthquake
On 4th April 1905, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the magnitude scale hit the Kangra Valley of the Punjab Province (modern-day Himachal Pradesh) in India. The earthquake killed more than 20,000 people and destroyed most buildings in the towns of Kangra, Mcleodganj and Dharamshala. As many as 100,000 buildings were reported to have been demolished by the earthquake.
1949: NATO is established
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a military alliance between 30 European and North American countries. Originally it had 12 member countries. It was the prompt of further communist expansion that prompted the 12 countries to form NATO in the aftermath of World War II. Its original members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the United States.
1968: Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an eminent leader of the civil rights movement and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is recognized for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. He was lethally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on 4th April 1968. James Earl Ray pled guilty to the shooting and received a 99-year prison sentence. However, Ray recanted his plea later saying that the foreman had coerced him into pleading guilty.
1975: Microsoft is born
Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft on 4th April 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally Microsoft was formed to make microprocessors and software—to produce software for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer. Microsoft eventually grew into a major multinational technology corporation because of which Gates became the world’s youngest billionaire at the age of 31.
