Podcast Episodes
Back to Search12th April 1945: Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd President of the United States when his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, dies while having his portrait painted
Truman faced an enormous challenge simply by being the person to follow Roosevelt as President, let alone the ongoing struggles of the Second World .…
14 hours ago
11th April 1979: The rule of Idi Amin in Uganda ends when opposing forces capture the capital city of Kampala
Idi Amin seized power in a coup while the president, Milton Obote, was attending a meeting abroad. He suspended parts of the constitution and establi…
1 day, 14 hours ago
10th April 1858: Big Ben, the bell inside the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster, was cast
The bell has chimed the hours almost non-stop since it first rang in July 1859, over a year after the bell itself was cast at the Whitechapel Bell ...
2 days, 14 hours ago
9th April 1767: John Hancock forcibly removes British customs officials from his ship
John Hancock, one of Boston’s wealthiest merchants and a leading figure in Boston politics, forcibly removed customs officials from his ship ...
3 days, 14 hours ago
8th April 1820: Venus de Milo statue discovered on the Greek island of Milos in the Aegean Sea
The sculpture, believed to represent the goddess Aphrodite, was was uncovered by a farmer named Yorgos Kentrotas near the remains of an ancient theat…
4 days, 14 hours ago
7th April 1498: Savonarola takes part in a failed trial by fire that was intended to test his holiness
The belief was that God would intervene to protect Savonarola from the flames, but he and his opponents squabbled for so long that a rainstorm eventu…
5 days, 14 hours ago
6th April 1896: The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens.
The 1896 Summer Olympics laid down many traditions including the first competitive marathon ...
6 days, 14 hours ago
5th April 1958: Ripple Rock underwater mountain destroyed in one of the largest ever non-nuclear explosions
The blast, which was broadcast live on television, broke apart the submerged peaks of the Ripple Rock underwater mountain, sending 635,000 metric ton…
1 week ago
4th April 1968: Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 39
King was standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorrain Motel in Memphis when he was hit by a single bullet that shattered his jaw and sever…
1 week, 1 day ago
3rd April 1860: The first Pony Express service goes into operation
The first Pony Express service left the American city of St Joseph in Missouri destined for Sacramento in ...
1 week, 2 days ago