April 8 in History

1912 — Two steamers collide on the Nile River, drowning 200 people.

1913 — China’s first parliament convenes in Peking, following the overthrow the Qing dynasty. 1919 — Ian Smith, premier of Southern Rhodesia (1964-65) and prime minister of the Republic of Rhodesia (1965-79), is born in Selukwe.

1923 — Franco Corelli, tenor who has a major international opera career (1951-76), is born in Ancona, Italy.

1929 — Jacques Brel, Belgian singer, actor, is born in Brussels.

1950 — Vaslav Nijinsky, 61, Ukraine-born ballet dancer and choreographer deemed the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century, dies in London.

1973 — Pablo Picasso, 91, Spanish artist, dies at his home near Mougins, France.

1986 — Clint Eastwood, movie star and director, is elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1990 — The International Romani Union, a coalition of organisations working to ease the plight of Gypsies, declares this day as

International Day of Roma (Romani).

1992 — Tennis player Arthur Ashe announces he has Aids, has known about it for more than three years and that he is forced to go public because a newspaper is preparing an article about it.

1994 — Kurt Cobain, 27, singer-songwriter for the grunge band Nirvana, is found dead in his Seattle home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

1994 — Jean Kambanda is appointed (sworn in on the 9th) Rwandan prime minister of the interim government after the assassinations of President Juvénal Habyarimana (on the 6th) and Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana (7th). Kambanda goes on radio and urges fellow Hutus to abuse, hurt and kill Tutsis and Hutu moderates. He stays in office for the 100 days of the genocide, then flees the country. He pleads guilty in 1998 on charges of inciting the slaughter of over 800 000 Rwandans and is sentenced to life in prison.

2010 — The World Bank approves a $3.75-billion loan to Eskom for a coal-fired power plant to help South Africa meet growing power demand and avoid power blackouts.

2010 — Bishop Abel Muzorewa, 84, first black prime minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (June 1

1878 - April 18 1980), dies in Harare.

2013 — Baroness Margaret Thatcher, 87, the “Iron Lady” who transformed Britain and inspired conservatives around the world during her 11 years (1979-90) as prime minister, dies in London.