1792, the national anthem of France, “La Marseillaise,” was composed by Captain Claude Joseph Rouget De Lisle.
1800, Congress approved legislation establishing the Library Of Congress.
1898, Spain declared war on the U.S. after rejecting America’s order to withdraw from Cuba.
1915, the Ottoman Turkish Empire began the mass deportation of Armenians during World War I.
1916, Irish nationalists in Dublin, led by Patrick Pearse, launched the Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule, on Easter Sunday.
1953, Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
1961, Bob Dylan made his recording debut (and $50) playing harmonica on the title track of Harry Belafonte‘s Midnight Special album.
1962, The Massachusetts Institute Of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camp Parks, California, and Westford, Massachusetts.
1980, an ill-fated U.S. military operation to rescue the 52 American hostages held in Iran ended with eight U.S. military personnel killed and no hostages rescued.
1990, The space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope is so powerful, it can see a dime 25 miles away.
1990, junk bond dealer Michael Milken pled guilty to six counts of securities fraud.
1995, a package bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento, California, offices of a lobbying group for the wood products industry, killing lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray.