April 17
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Featured Event
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On this day in 1964, visitors to the New York Worldâs Fair had a unique opportunity to experience the brand-new Ford Mustang: it carried them through the Magic Skyway, designed by Walt Disney. This 12-minute, half-mile ride took passengers from the time of the dinosaurs to a vision of the future. Fordâs audacious model launch paid off: about 22,000 cars were sold the first day, and the Mustang became an American icon. [Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
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There were those who loved him, there were those who hated him, but there were few who would pass him by without looking in his direction.
Soviet Premier Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, born this day in 1894, guided the U.S.S.R. (and the communist movement) out from under the shadow of former premier Joseph Stalin and into closer orbit with the capitalist West.
Famous Birthdays
More on April 17
George Bush Presidential Library
2018
Barbara Bushâwife of George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, and mother of George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United Statesâdied at age 92. [Test your knowledge of the first ladies of the United States.]
© Lutfi Ozkok
2014
Colombian novelist Gabriel GarcĂa MĂĄrquez, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 and is widely considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, died at age 87. [Take our Nobel laureates in literature quiz.]
© 2013 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved.
2011
The hugely popular TV show Game of Thrones, which was based on George R.R. Martinâs fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire, debuted on HBO. [How much do you know about Game of Thrones?]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
2003
Anneli JÀÀtteenmĂ€ki was sworn in as prime minister of Finland, which thereby became the second countryâafter New Zealandâwith women as both head of government (JÀÀtteenmĂ€ki) and head of state (President Tarja Halonen). [Discover some famous firsts for women.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1982
The Canada Act, also known as the Constitution Act, was proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II, making Canada a wholly independent country. [Prove what you know about the geography of Canada.]
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1975
Cambodiaâs ruling Lon Nol government collapsed, and the communist forces of the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, entered Phnom Penh and forcibly dispersed its citizenry into rural areas. It marked a first step toward the Cambodian genocide.
NASA
1970
The Apollo 13 command moduleâcarrying James A. Lovell, Jr., Fred W. Haise, Jr., and John L. Swigert, Jr.âentered Earthâs atmosphere and splashed down, ending one of the most tense chapters in space history. Four days earlier an oxygen tank had exploded, threatening the lives of the three astronauts. [Test your knowledge of astronauts and space exploration.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1961
Fidel Castroâs forces repelled the Bay of Pigs invasion, which was led by recent Cuban exiles and financed by the U.S. government during the Cold War. [Discover six interesting facts about Fidel Castro.]
AP/REX/Shutterstock.com
1951
Mickey Mantle made his Major League Baseball debut, as an outfielder for the New York Yankees. [How much do you know about baseball?]
EDU Vision/Alamy
1895
The Treaty of Shimonoseki concluded the First Sino-Japanese War, with China recognizing the independence of Korea, ceding Taiwan and other territories, and paying a large indemnity. Japanâs defeat of China encouraged Western powers to make further demands of the Chinese government. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China.]
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1790
American printer, publisher, author, inventor, scientist, and diplomat Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the foremost of the Founding Fathers, died at age 84. [Test your knowledge of early American history.]
Photos.com/Getty Images
1521
Martin Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms to defend his ideas on church reform. [How much do you know about the history of Christianity?]
© Photos.com/Thinkstock
1194
Richard I (the Lionheart) was crowned king of England for the second time, after earlier surrendering his kingdom to the Holy Roman emperor Henry VI. [Take our kings of England quiz.]