This month in history: April
April 1
In 2003, American troops stormed a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, to rescue Army Pvt. Lynch, who was a prisoner of war. Watch video of the rescue.
Lynch has since given birth to a daughter and received a teaching degree. See photos of her now.
What else happened on this day?
1945: American forces invaded a Pacific island during World War II.
1991: HBO and Viacom joined forces to form a cable TV network meant to tickle your funny bone.
April 2
In 1992, Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering. The mob boss died after serving about 10 years behind bars.
A new biopic will revisit the life of the dapper gangster.
What else happened on this day?
1725: An author and adventurer, whose name symbolizes the art of seduction, was born.
1968: A popular science-fiction movie made its world debut in the nation's capital.
April 3
In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his final speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn.
Read the text of the speech.
What else happened on this day?
1882: A notorious outlaw was fatally shot by Robert Ford, a member of his gang.
1996: A man now known as the "Unabomber" was arrested on charges stemming from mail bombings. Remember his real name?
2009: A Supreme Court in the Midwest legalized gay marriage.
April 4
In 1915, singer Muddy Waters was born in Rolling Fork, Miss. His swaggering, Delta-rooted blues defined the postwar Chicago music scene. Listen to his songs.
What else happened on this day?
1818: Congress stipulates the number of stars and stripes on the U.S.
1968: A civil rights leader Marking Luther King, Jr., was assassinated. Find out who killed him.
April 5
In 1614, Pocahontas married English settler John Rolfe in Jamestown, Va. But according to faulty folklore, the daughter of a Powhatan chief was romantically linked to another man.
Her story has been the subject of many films, including a Disney classic (watch video clips).
What else happened on this day?
1987: A new television network made its prime-time debut.
2006: A TV journalist announced her departure from NBC's "Today" show.
April 6
In 2009, the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan, considered basketball's greatest player ever, was elected to the Hall of Fame. See video clips of his best-ever dunks.
The basketball legend is now the majority owner of a basketball team.
What else happened on this day?
1830: A new religious denomination was organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, N.Y.
1909: Two explorers became the first men to reach the North Pole.
April 7
In 1956, "Blue Suede Shoes" made its Billboard chart debut, one of five hit singles Elvis Presley released that year.
Check out his film roles and the famous women who swooned over the "King of Rock 'n' Roll."
What else happened on this day?
1915: The jazz singer nicknamed "Lady Day" is born.
2001: A NASA spacecraft took off on a six-month, 286-million-mile journey to the red planet.
April 8
In 1974, slugger Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, breaking another Hall of Famer's record to become the new home run king.
Watch Aaron and others reminisce about his achievement.
What else happened on this day?
1975: An iconic mob movie wins the best picture Oscar.
2002: The first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize is announced. She won for her play "Topdog/Underdog." Who is she?
April 9
In 1865, the Confederate general surrendered his army in Virginia to end the Civil War. See photos of the celebrated general.
Although the war is long over, re-enactments continue to this day.
What else happened on this day?
1939: An American singer performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington after being banned from singing in Constitution Hall.
1959: NASA presented its first seven astronauts.
April 10
In 1925, the novel "The Great Gatsby," considered one of the greatest American novels of the 20th century, is published by a Minnesota-born novelist.
A new film adaption (read latest news) of the novel is expected to hit the silver screen, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
What else happened on this day?
1847: An influential 19th-century American newspaper editor and publisher, who later had a prominent award named after him, was born
April 11
In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte – the military leader and emperor of France – was forced to abdicate and was banished to an island.
His conquests of Europe and his great love, Josephine, are legendary.
What else happened on this day?
1945: Troops liberated a notorious German concentration camp.
1991: A controversial musical about a doomed romance between a Vietnamese woman and an American soldier opened on Broadway.
April 12
In 1961, a Soviet cosmonaut became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before making a safe landing.
Watch videos about Gagarin's mission.
What else happened on this day?
1945: The president who led America through the Great Depression and a world war dies.
1983: Chicago elects its first African-American mayor
April 13
In 1997, Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament. Watch videos of his triumph.
Since then, the golf phenom married Elin Nordegren and became a father, but a sex scandal caused him to fall from grace and get divorced.
What else happened on this day?
1743: The third president of the United States was born in Shadwell in the Virginia Colony.
1964: The "Lilies of the Field" actor broke a color barrier among Hollywood leading men
April 14
In 1865, while attending a perfomance at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded.
The 16th president reportedly suffered bouts of this illness during his life.
What else happened on this day?
1910: A presidental pitch started a time-honored baseball tradition.
2006: A Los Angeles Laker broke the team's single-season scoring record.
April 15
In 1912, the British passenger liner Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, less than three hours after striking an iceberg. See how many people died.
Learn about the sequence of events surrounding the saga, which inspired an Oscar-winning movie.
What else happened on this day?
1947: The first African-American player to join a major league baseball team made history by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. Who was the player?
April 16
In 1996, the Duke and Duchess of York, aka Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, announced they were divorcing. Watch a video of the couple in happier times.
Ferguson later became a diet plan spokeswoman and sank into scandal.
What else happened on this day?
1889: A British actor and director, who became famous for his role in American silent movies, was born.
1789: The president-elect left Mount Vernon, Va., for his inauguration in New York.
April 17
In 2001, Barry Bonds hit his 500th career home run. Watch vidoes of his historic feat.
The San Francisco Giant later became embroiled in a drug scandal.
What else happened on this day?
1961: Elizabeth Taylor took home the best actress Academy Award for her performance as the "other woman" in an emotional drama.
1961: CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched a disastrous mission to invade Cuba and topple its leader.
1964: The Ford Motor Co. unveils a signature muscle car
April 18
In 2010, a country music organization named Carrie Underwood entertainer of the year -- the first time a woman held the honor twice.
The crooner first shot to fame after winning a popular singing competition. Watch videos of her performances.
What else happened on this day?
1775: An American patriot began his ride to Lexington, Mass., warning colonists that the British were coming.
1999: The NHL's all-time leading scorer played his last professional game.
April 19
In 1903, Ness, an agent during this period of American history, was born. He led a legendary law enforcement team that took down a notorious Chicago gangster.
An A-list actor played Ness in a crime thriller.
What else happened on this day?
1897: This city's first marathon was run.
1956: A Hollywood actress marries her prince in a fairy-tale wedding in Monaco. Who was the iconic woman?
April 20
In 2008, race car driver Danica Patrick left her competitors in the dust when she made history as the first female winner to capture an Indy race.
The racer now drives for NASCAR.
What else happened on this day?
1972: A manned lunar module landed on the moon.
April 21
In 1836, Texas Gen. Sam Houston launched a battle against the Mexican army at San Jacinto. The extremely brief battle led to the establishment of an independent Republic of Texas.
What else happened on this day?
1910: The author of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" dies. Who was the author?
1986: A TV journalist opens a rediscovered vault linked to Chicago gangster Al Capone.
April 22
In 1970, Americans paused for a day to observe the planet's natural resources and focus on environmental concerns.
Find a list of Earth Day activities.
What else happened on this day?
1904: An American nuclear physicist, who headed the country's atomic bomb development project, was born.
April 23
In 1985, soft-drink company Coca-Cola revealed that it was changing its secret formula and introducing a "new" beverage to compete with its rival. But the move proved disastrous, so the "classic" formula made a swift comeback.
What else happened on this day?
1969: The man convicted in the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy is sentenced.
1971: The Rolling Stones released the first album on their new label. Listen to their songs.
April 24
In 2005, an inauguration Mass was held in the Vatican City to install Pope Benedict as the Roman Catholic Church's new spiritual leader.
The pope formerly held this title.
What else happened on this day?
1898: A European country declared war on the United States, which responded likewise the next day.
1953: A British statesman was knighted.
April 25
In 1990, NASA's Hubble telescope was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery. Hailed as a scientific triumph, the telescope had a significant flaw, requiring additional missions to upgrade its instruments and operational systems. See images of space from the telescope.
What else happened on this day?
1908: An influential American radio and TV broadcaster during the industry's early years was born.
1944: A fund was established to help African-American students attend college.
April 26
In 1886, Ma Rainey, one of the earliest known professional blues singers, is born. Billed as the "mother of the blues," the vaudevillian was one of the first generation of such singers to record.
What else happened on this day?
1986: A major nuclear accident occurred at a plant in the Ukraine.
1989: A red-haired actress, who became one of America's most beloved TV comedians, died at age 77.
April 27
In 1947, Yankee Stadium held a special day to honor the ailing Babe Ruth, who had broken the sport's most important slugging records.
Read about his other milestones, and watch videos of the slugger.
What else happened on this day?
1822: The 18th president of the United States was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio.
2006: Construction began on the Freedom Tower in New York City
April 28
In 1990, 'Chorus Line,' a musical composed by Marvin Hamlisch, closed on Broadway after thousands of performances. View clips and listen to a signature tune from the show.
What else happened on this day?
1967: An already iconic heavyweight boxing champion refused to be inducted into the Army.
1789: Sailors drawn to the idyllic life on a Pacific island staged a mutiny against the captain of their British navy ship.
April 29
In 1429, Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a French victory over the English.
Two years later, the teen virgin warrior who proclaimed herself a divine messenger, would be sentenced to die.
What else happened on this day?
1992: A deadly riot erupts after four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of nearly all the charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King.
1899: This jazz composer and bandleader was born in Washington, D.C.
April 30
In 1997, ABC aired the "coming out" episode of a sitcom character played by DeGeneres, who also admitted in real life that she was gay.
Watch video clips of the episode and see whom the comedian later married.
What else happened on this day?
1803: The United States purchased a massive area of territory from France.
1859: Charles Dickens published a now classic novel (which one?) about the unrest leading to the American and French revolutions.
