TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2018 On this day in history:

1139 - The Second Lateran Council opened in Rome.

1653 - In England, Oliver Cromwell expelled the Long Parliament for trying to pass the Perpetuation Bill that would have kept Parliament in the hands of only a few members.

1657 - English Admiral Robert Blake fought his last battle when he destroyed the Spanish fleet in Santa Cruz Bay.

1689 - The siege of Londonderry began. Supporters of James II attacked the city.

1792 - France declared war on Austria, Prussia, and Sardinia. It was the start of the French Revolutionary wars.

1809 - Napoleon defeated Austria at Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria.

1839 - George Grey’s expedition is saved by friendly Aborigines.

1879 - First mobile home (horse drawn) was used in a journey from London to Cyprus.

1908 - Two trains collide at the Sunshine railway station in Victoria, Australia, killing 44 people.

1916 - Sir Roger Casement landed in Ireland to incite rebellion against the British. Casement, a British diplomat, was captured within hours and was hanged for high treason on August 3.

1919 - The Polish Army captured Vilno, Lithuania from the Soviets.

1945 - Soviet troops began their attack on Berlin.

1945 - During World War II, Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart.

1953 - Operation Little Switch began in Korea. It was the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of war.

1984 - Britain announced that its administration of Hong Kong would cease in 1997.

1987 - In Argentina, President Raul Alfonsin quelled a military revolt.

1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Soviet head of state to visit South Korea. 1992 - The worlds largest fair, Expo ’92, opened in Seville, Spain.