On this day

APRIL 9

1413 – Henry V is crowned King of England.

1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark.

1454 – The Treaty of Lodi is signed, establishing a balance of power among northern Italian city-states for almost 50 years.

1782 – American War of Independence: Battle of the Saintes begins.

1860 – On his phonautograph machine, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville makes the oldest known recording of an audible human voice.

1867 – Alaska Purchase: Passing by a single vote, the United States Senate ratifies a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska.

1909 – The U.S. Congress passes the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act.

1914 – Mexican Revolution: One of the world’s first naval/air skirmishes takes place off the coast of western Mexico.

1916 – World War I: The Battle of Verdun – German forces launch their third offensive of the battle.

1917 – World War I: The Battle of Arras – the battle begins with Canadian Corps executing a massive assault on Vimy Ridge.

1918 – World War I: The Battle of the Lys – the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps is crushed by the German forces during what is called the Spring Offensive on the Belgian region of Flanders.

1918 – The National Council of Bessarabia proclaims union with the Kingdom of Romania.

1937 – The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London – it is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.

1975 – 8 people in South Korea, who are involved in People’s Revolutionary Party Incident, are hanged.

1980 – The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein kills philosopher Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda after three days of torture.

1981 – The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS George Washington accidentally collides with the Nissho Maru, a Japanese cargo ship, sinking it.

1991 – Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union