1478
Crime
Pazzi Conspiracy in Florence
Members of the Pazzi family attempted to assassinate Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici during Mass in Florence Cathedral. Giuliano was killed, but Lorenzo survived and brutally suppressed the conspirators.
On This Day in History
1607
Exploration
English Colonists Arrive at Cape Henry, Virginia
English colonists aboard three ships arrived at Cape Henry, Virginia, the first landing of the Jamestown settlers. They would establish the first permanent English settlement in America within weeks.
1865
Crime
John Wilkes Booth Killed
Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth was shot and killed by Union soldiers at a farm in Virginia, 12 days after the assassination. He had refused to surrender.
1937
War & Conflict
Bombing of Guernica
German and Italian warplanes bombed the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, killing hundreds of civilians. Picasso's painting of the event became one of the most powerful anti-war works.
1964
Politics
Tanganyika and Zanzibar Merge to Form Tanzania
Tanganyika and the island nation of Zanzibar merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Julius Nyerere became the president of the newly unified nation.
1986
Disaster
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine exploded during a safety test. The accident released massive amounts of radiation and remains the worst nuclear disaster in history.
1994
Civil Rights
First Multiracial Elections in South Africa
South Africa held its first multiracial democratic elections, ending decades of apartheid. Nelson Mandela and the ANC won in a landslide, and Mandela became president.