April 6
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Featured Event
© Olle LindeborgâAFP/Getty Images
ABBA wins Eurovision competition
On this day in 1974, ABBA won Eurovision with their song âWaterloo.â The whimsical number likened a breakup to Napoleonâs historic defeat at Waterlooâwith outfits to match. It was Swedenâs first Eurovision victory, and it became one of the competitionâs most famous performances. After winning Eurovision, âWaterlooâ topped charts across Europe. ABBA would go on to become one of the most successful pop bands in history. [Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Scala/Art Resource, New York
While we may term other works paintings, those of Raphael are living things; the flesh palpitates, the breath comes and goes, every organ lives, life pulsates everywhere.
Born this day in 1483 was Italian master painter and architect Raphael, whose work is admired for clarity of form and ease of composition and who is best known for his Madonnas and large figure compositions in the Vatican.
Famous Birthdays
More on April 6
NASA
2026
As they circled the far side of the Moon, the crew of Artemis II reached a point farther in space than any humans previously had, breaking the record for distance from Earth set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.
© John McCrearyâNHLI/Getty Images
2025
Washington Capitals wing Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal, breaking Wayne Gretzkyâs record and becoming the leading goal scorer in National Hockey League history. [Where is Ovechkin in our list of the best ice hockey players of all time?]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
2014
Diminutive actor Mickey Rooneyâwho was noted for his high energy, charisma, and versatility, which were on display in such notable roles as the wisecracking teenager in the Andy Hardy filmsâdied at the age of 93. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about A-list actors.]
© puck/Fotolia
2009
An earthquake struck near LâAquila, Italy, causing extensive damage and killing more than 300 people. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about earthquakes.]
© John Swart/AP/REX/Shutterstock.com
2009
Michael Jordan, widely considered basketballâs greatest all-around player, was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. [See where Michael Jordan ranks on our list of the 10 greatest basketball players of all time.]
Macmillan Publishers
1992
Russian-born American author and biochemist Isaac Asimov, a highly successful and prolific writer of science fiction and of science books for the layperson, died at age 72. [Take our quiz about science fiction writers.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1980
The American company 3M began selling Post-it Notes in U.S. stores; the small pieces of paper with adhesive strips became hugely popular. [Sort fact from fiction in our inventions and inventors quiz.]
© Jason Figert/Shutterstock.com
1973
In a game at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball. The rule change, which allowed for a better-hitting player to replace the pitcher in the batting order, was originally only adopted by the American League. (Blomberg had one hit, and the Yankees lost 15â5.) [Test your knowledge of baseball.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1947
The Tony Awards were presented for the first time; notable winners included actress Ingrid Bergman, playwright Arthur Miller, and director Elia Kazan. [Whatâs an EGOT, and why have so few people won one?]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1931
The Little Orphan Annie radio series had its national debut on NBCâs Blue Network. Based on Harold Grayâs comic strip of the same name, the program first aired in 1930 on WGN radio in Chicago and was the first nationally broadcast childrenâs radio program starring a juvenile protagonist. [Learn more about the people, places, and events that shaped the 1930s.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1917
The United States declared war on Germany, thus entering World War I three years after the conflict began. [How much do you know about World War I?]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1909
Robert Edwin Peary reached the North Pole, according to his expeditionâs records, though analysis in the 1980s suggested navigational mistakes and record-keeping errors meant he fell short. [Test your knowledge of exploration and discovery.]
© Fine Art ImagesâHeritage Images/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1896
The first modern Olympics opened in Athens after the revival of the Olympic Games by Pierre, baron de Coubertin, a founder of the International Olympic Committee and its president from 1896 to 1925.
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1868
The Japanese emperor Meiji issued the Charter Oath, which served to modernize the country during the Meiji Restoration. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Japanese history.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-pga-04037)
1862
Union troops clashed with Confederates in southwestern Tennessee at the Battle of Shiloh, the second great engagement of the American Civil War. [How much do you know about the American Civil War?]
Everett Collection Historical/Alamy
1830
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formed by Joseph Smith at Fayette, New York. [Test your knowledge of world religions.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
© DukasâUniversal Images Group/Getty Images
1199
Mortally wounded in battle, Richard the Lionheart died at ChĂąlus in the duchy of Aquitaine. [Take our quiz about the kings of England.]