April 8
1513 - Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
1820 - The Venus de Milo statue was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of Milos.
1864 - The U.S. Senate passed on a 38-6 vote, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in January 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted the following December.)
1913 - The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, requiring the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than being chosen by state legislators.
1913 - President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.
1935 - The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was approved by Congress to help alleviate joblessness during the Great Depression.
1946 - The League of Nations assembled for the final time.
1952 - President Harry S. Truman seized control of the steel industry to avert a nationwide strike. (The Supreme Court later ruled that Truman had overstepped his authority, opening the way for a seven-week strike by steelworkers.)
1970 - The U.S. Senate rejected President Richard Nixon's nomination of G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court.
1973 - Artist Pablo Picasso died at age 91.
1986 - Actor Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, California.
1990 - Ryan White, an AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18.
1993 - Singer Marian Anderson died in Portland, Oregon at age 96.
1994 - Rock singer-musician Kurt Cobain of the group Nirvana was found dead in Seattle at age 27 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2002 - Suzan-Lori Parks became the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama for her play "Topdog/Underdog".
2005 - World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates in St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
2009 - Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. (The crew retook the cargo ship, and Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's American captain.)
2011 - Congressional and White House negotiators struck a last-minute budget deal ahead of a midnight deadline, averting a federal shutdown and cutting billions in spending.
2016 - In a sweeping document on family life that opened a door to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, Pope Francis insisted that church doctrine could not be the final word in answering tricky moral questions and that Catholics had to be guided by their own informed consciences.
2020 - A 76-day lockdown was lifted in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic began; residents would have to use a smartphone app showing that they had not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.
2020 - Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont ended his presidential bid, making Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump.
Birthdays
24 - Sadie Calvano (actress)
29 - Dej Loaf (rapper)
31 - Gabriella Wilde (actress)
37 - Kirsten Storms (actress)
37 - Taran Nolan Smith (actor)
40 - Taylor Kitsch (actor)
41 - Katee Sackhoff (actress)
48 - Emma Caulfield (actress)
51 - JR Bourne (actor)
53 - Patricia Arquette (actress)
55 - Robin Wright (actress)
58 - Dean Norris (actor)
58 - Julian Lennon (singer)
61 - John Schneider (actor)
74 - Steve Howe (musician)
75 - Stuart Pankin (actor)
80 - Peggy Lennon (singer)
95 - Shecky Greene (comedian)
======================================
Today in Sports History - April 8
1943 - The Detroit Red Wings sweep the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.
1966 - The American Football League names 36-year-old Al Davis as commissioner.
1969 - The first Major League Baseball game featuring a Canadian team takes place as the Montreal Expos defeat the New York Mets 11-10 in their debut; three other expansion teams also win their inaugural debut games: the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Seattle Pilots.
1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth's career record.
1975 - Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians became first black manager of a major league baseball team.
1987 - Al Campanis, vice president of player personnel for the Los Angeles Dodgers, resigned after saying on ABC's "Nightline" that Blacks might lack some of the "necessities" for becoming baseball managers.
1990 - Nick Faldo wins the Masters.
1991 - The Oakland Athletics become the first professional sports team in America to ban smoking in its outdoor stadium.
1992 - Tennis star Arthur Ashe announced he had AIDS.
2001 - Tiger Woods wins his second Masters and sixth major championship.
2003 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 73-68 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2007 - Zach Johnson wins the Masters.
2008 - Tennessee defeats Stanford 64-48 to win a second consecutive national championship and eighth title overall.
2012 - Bubba Watson wins the Masters.
2013 - Louisville defeats Michigan 82-76 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2014 - Connecticut defeats Notre Dame 79-58 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2018 - Patrick Reed wins the Masters.
2018 - WrestleMania 34 is held in New Orleans. The top matches on the card saw Ronda Rousey debut in professional wrestling, AJ Styles defeating Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship and Brock Lesnar defeating Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship.
2019 - Virginia defeats Texas Tech 85-77 in overtime to win the NCAA Tournament.
1513 - Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
1820 - The Venus de Milo statue was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of Milos.
1864 - The U.S. Senate passed on a 38-6 vote, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in January 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted the following December.)
1913 - The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, requiring the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than being chosen by state legislators.
1913 - President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.
1935 - The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was approved by Congress to help alleviate joblessness during the Great Depression.
1946 - The League of Nations assembled for the final time.
1952 - President Harry S. Truman seized control of the steel industry to avert a nationwide strike. (The Supreme Court later ruled that Truman had overstepped his authority, opening the way for a seven-week strike by steelworkers.)
1970 - The U.S. Senate rejected President Richard Nixon's nomination of G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court.
1973 - Artist Pablo Picasso died at age 91.
1986 - Actor Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, California.
1990 - Ryan White, an AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18.
1993 - Singer Marian Anderson died in Portland, Oregon at age 96.
1994 - Rock singer-musician Kurt Cobain of the group Nirvana was found dead in Seattle at age 27 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2002 - Suzan-Lori Parks became the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama for her play "Topdog/Underdog".
2005 - World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates in St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
2009 - Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. (The crew retook the cargo ship, and Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's American captain.)
2011 - Congressional and White House negotiators struck a last-minute budget deal ahead of a midnight deadline, averting a federal shutdown and cutting billions in spending.
2016 - In a sweeping document on family life that opened a door to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, Pope Francis insisted that church doctrine could not be the final word in answering tricky moral questions and that Catholics had to be guided by their own informed consciences.
2020 - A 76-day lockdown was lifted in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic began; residents would have to use a smartphone app showing that they had not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.
2020 - Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont ended his presidential bid, making Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump.
Birthdays
24 - Sadie Calvano (actress)
29 - Dej Loaf (rapper)
31 - Gabriella Wilde (actress)
37 - Kirsten Storms (actress)
37 - Taran Nolan Smith (actor)
40 - Taylor Kitsch (actor)
41 - Katee Sackhoff (actress)
48 - Emma Caulfield (actress)
51 - JR Bourne (actor)
53 - Patricia Arquette (actress)
55 - Robin Wright (actress)
58 - Dean Norris (actor)
58 - Julian Lennon (singer)
61 - John Schneider (actor)
74 - Steve Howe (musician)
75 - Stuart Pankin (actor)
80 - Peggy Lennon (singer)
95 - Shecky Greene (comedian)
======================================
Today in Sports History - April 8
1943 - The Detroit Red Wings sweep the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.
1966 - The American Football League names 36-year-old Al Davis as commissioner.
1969 - The first Major League Baseball game featuring a Canadian team takes place as the Montreal Expos defeat the New York Mets 11-10 in their debut; three other expansion teams also win their inaugural debut games: the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Seattle Pilots.
1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth's career record.
1975 - Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians became first black manager of a major league baseball team.
1987 - Al Campanis, vice president of player personnel for the Los Angeles Dodgers, resigned after saying on ABC's "Nightline" that Blacks might lack some of the "necessities" for becoming baseball managers.
1990 - Nick Faldo wins the Masters.
1991 - The Oakland Athletics become the first professional sports team in America to ban smoking in its outdoor stadium.
1992 - Tennis star Arthur Ashe announced he had AIDS.
2001 - Tiger Woods wins his second Masters and sixth major championship.
2003 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 73-68 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2007 - Zach Johnson wins the Masters.
2008 - Tennessee defeats Stanford 64-48 to win a second consecutive national championship and eighth title overall.
2012 - Bubba Watson wins the Masters.
2013 - Louisville defeats Michigan 82-76 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2014 - Connecticut defeats Notre Dame 79-58 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2018 - Patrick Reed wins the Masters.
2018 - WrestleMania 34 is held in New Orleans. The top matches on the card saw Ronda Rousey debut in professional wrestling, AJ Styles defeating Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship and Brock Lesnar defeating Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship.
2019 - Virginia defeats Texas Tech 85-77 in overtime to win the NCAA Tournament.