This Day in History

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April 6

1199 – King Richard I of England dies from an infection following the removal of an arrow from his shoulder.

1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in the history of England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.

1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.

1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America's first millionaire.

1830 – Church of Christ, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement, is organized by Joseph Smith and others at either Fayette or Manchester, New York.

1841 – U.S. President John Tyler is sworn in, two days after having become President upon William Henry Harrison's death.

1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later renamed Community of Christ, is organized by Joseph Smith III and others at Amboy, Illinois.

1869 – Celluloid is patented.

1895 – Oscar Wilde is arrested in the Cadogan Hotel, London, after losing a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry.

1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany.

1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement.

1968 – In Richmond, Indiana's downtown district, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.

1974 – The Swedish pop band ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waterloo", launching their international career.

1992 – The Bosnian War begins.

1998 – Travelers Group announces an agreement to undertake the $76 billion merger between Travelers and Citicorp, and the merger is completed on October 8, of that year, forming Citibank.

Births

1483 – Raphael, 1890 – Anthony Fokker, 1920 – Jack Cover, 1929 – Andre Previn, 1937 – Merle Haggard, 1937 – Billy Dee Williams, 1941 – Don Prudhomme, 1942 – Barry Levinson, 1944 – Anita Pallenberg, 1947 – John Ratzenberger, 1952 – Marilu Henner, 1955 – Michael Rooker, 1969 – Paul Rudd, 1975 – Zach Braff

Deaths

1520 – Raphael, 1862 – Albert Sidney Johnston, 1992 – Isaac Asimov, 1996 – Greer Garson, 1998 – Tammy Wynette, 2012 – Thomas Kinkade, 2014 – Mickey Rooney, 2015 – James Best, 2015 – Ray Charles, 2016 – Merle Haggard, 2017 – Don Rickles