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 – 6th April”.
1896: First Modern Olympics held at Athens
First Modern Olympics, which lasted for 10 days, started on this day. 280 athletes, all-male participated. The participants were mainly college students and club members, with only Hungary’s national team. Pierre De Coubertin played a central role in its revival, being one of the founding members of the International Olympic Committee and holding the position of President as well.
1917: America enters World War I
Originally USA’s public fostered a neutral reaction to war, but it changed after Lusitania, a British ship was sunk by Germans. The ship had 128 American passengers, therefore it enraged the USA further. On this day, the United States officially declared war on Germany.
1930: Dandi March ends and the Civil disobedience movement starts
On this day, the famous Dandi March ended. The 24-day protest march began on 12th March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea coast with barely 80 people. The act of picking up some salt by breaking the salt laws paved the way for two momentous things in history – The Civil Disobedience Movement and an increase in women’s participation in the freedom struggle.
1931: Suchitra Sen was born
Roma Dasgupta, who would go on to become one of the most loved actresses that West Bengal brought forth, was born on this day. At a young age, she was married and it was her husband who encouraged her to act. She got her screen name, ‘Suchitra’ by an assistant of the director, Sukumar Dasgupta. She was the first Indian actress to win the Best Actress award at the Moscow International Film Festival.
1980: BJP was formed
It’s been 41 years since the inception of one of the leading political parties of India. Bharatiya Janta Party was formed on this day. Its history can be traced back to the Jana Sangh which thereafter merged with other parties to form the Janata Party. When the Janata Party collapsed, its members reunited themselves as BJP. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was made its first President.
