Today in history
1461 - Bloodiest battle of the Wars of the Roses occurs at Towton, near York with 36,000 Yorkists defeating 40,000 Lancastrians, securing the English throne for Edward IV.
1772 - Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish philosopher and scientist, dies.
1801 - Britain seizes Danish and Swedish islands in West Indies.
1812 - The first White House wedding takes place when First Lady Dolly Madison’s sister Lucy Payne Washington marries Supreme Court Justice Thomas Todd.
1814 - Jews get equal rights in Denmark.
1830 - Spain’s King Ferdinand VII passes law allowing females to be heirs to throne.
1847 - Victorious American forces led by General Winfield Scott occupy the city of Veracruz after Mexican defenders capitulate.
1849 - Britain annexes Punjab in India by treaty with Maharajah of Lahore.
1864 - Ionian Islands are ceded by Britain to Greece.
1867 - British Parliament passes the North America Act to create the Dominion of Canada.
1943 - Rationing of meat, butter and cheese in United States begins during World War II.
1973 - Last American troops leave South Vietnam, ending direct military role of US in Vietnam war.
1990 - Prime Minister Bob Hawke claims victory in Australian election, becoming first Labor winner of four consecutive terms.
1994 - Serbs and Croats sign a cease-fire to end the war between them in Croatia.
1997 - A boat carrying dozens of Albanians seeking refuge in Italy strikes an Italian navy ship and sinks in Adriatic waters. A total of 52 bodies are recovered.
2002 - Israeli forces storm Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s compound and West Bank cities after two suicide attacks kill 26 people in Netanya.
2006 - Charles Taylor is flown to Sierra Leone, opening the way for the former Liberian president to become the first African head of state tried for war crimes by an international court.
2010 - Terror returns to the heart of Russia, with two deadly suicide bombings on the Moscow subway at rush hour.
2013 - Pope Francis veers from the message of his predecessor and praises ‘‘the friendship of so many Muslim brothers’’ during a Good Friday procession dedicated to the plight of Christians in the Middle East.
Today’s Birthdays:
Eric Idle, British actor/comedian of Monty Python (1943-); Perry Farrell, US singer and founder of the Lollapalooza festival (1959-); Elle Macpherson, Australian model (1963-); Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress (1968-).