Category: Today in History
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April 9, 1865
Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. ㅤOn the morning of April 9, 1865, Confederate General John B. Gordon’s corps attacked Union cavalry, initially pushing them back. However, the Confederate advance stalled upon encountering the Union XXIV and…
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April 7, 529
First Corpus Juris Civilis, a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I. ㅤThe Corpus Juris Civilis, meaning “Body of Civil Law,” is the modern name for a collection of fundamental legal works enacted between 529 and 534 CE by order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Directed by Tribonian, this…
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April 7, 1933
Nazi Germany issues the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service banning Jews and political dissidents from civil service posts. ㅤThe Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, enacted by the Nazi regime in Germany on April 7, 1933, was an early and significant piece of anti-Semitic and racist legislation. Following…
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April 7, 2003
U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime falls two days later. ㅤThe Battle of Baghdad was a key military engagement in early April 2003 during the invasion of Iraq. Spearheaded by the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, elements of the Coalition Forces Land Component Command successfully captured Baghdad approximately three weeks into the invasion.…
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April 1, 1924
Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years fortress confinement for his participation in the “Beer Hall Putsch” but spends only nine months in prison. ㅤFollowing his failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, was arrested and tried for high treason before the People’s Court of Bavaria. Presided over by Georg…
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March 25, 1979
The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch. ㅤConstruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia began in 1975 at Rockwell International in Palmdale, California. The orbiter’s name draws inspiration from multiple sources: the ship Columbia Rediviva, the Apollo 11 command module, and the female symbol…
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March 19, 1945
Adolf Hitler issues his “Nero Decree” ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities, and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed. ㅤIn March 1945, with Allied forces advancing deep into Germany, Adolf Hitler issued the “Nero Decree,” officially titled “Decree Concerning Demolitions in the Reich Territory.” This order mandated the destruction of all German infrastructure to prevent…
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March 18, 1942
The War Relocation Authority is established in the United States to take Japanese Americans into custody. ㅤFollowing the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the creation of exclusion zones for individuals deemed a threat to national security. This order, fueled by suspicion of Japanese Americans, led…
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March 17, 180 CE
Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eighteen, following the death of his father, Marcus Aurelius. ㅤMarcus Aurelius’ death on March 17, 180 marked a pivotal moment in Roman history, leaving his 18-year-old son, Commodus, as the sole emperor. Commodus quickly negotiated a peace treaty with the Danubian tribes, ending…
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March 7, 161 CE
Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus become joint emperors of Rome upon the death of Antoninus Pius. ㅤUpon Antoninus Pius’s death in 161 CE, Marcus Aurelius found himself the de facto ruler of the Roman Empire. While the formal conferral of titles was imminent, with the Senate poised to grant him “Augustus,” “imperator,” and “pontifex maximus,”…
Paul M. Krueger 