130 years ago today
The First Modern Olympic Games Open in Athens
On April 6, 1896, King George I of Greece opened the first modern Olympic Games in Athens before a crowd of around 80,000 people — the largest audience to witness a sporting event in the modern era up to that point. The revival of the ancient Greek festival was the brainchild of French baron Pierre de Coubertin, who had campaigned for years to create an international athletic competition as a vehicle for peace and understanding between nations. Fourteen countries sent athletes, though many were tourists who happened to be in Athens at the time. The American James Connolly won the triple jump, becoming the first Olympic champion in 1,500 years. The games lasted ten days and were considered a magnificent success, though modern athletes would barely recognize the informal, amateur events on offer.
This day, across time
- 46 BCEEventCaesar Wins the Battle of Thapsus
- 1199DiedRichard I of England
- 1320EventScotland Signs the Declaration of Arbroath
- 1453EventMehmed II Begins the Siege of Constantinople
- 1483BornRaphael
- 1520DiedRaphael
- 1808EventJohn Jacob Astor Founds the American Fur Company
- 1830EventJoseph Smith Founds the Church of Christ
- 1896FeaturedThe First Modern Olympic Games Open in Athens
- 1909EventPeary and Henson Reach the North Pole
- 1917EventUnited States Enters World War I
- 1928BornJames Watson
- 1929BornAndré Previn
- 1937BornMerle Haggard
- 1937BornBilly Dee Williams
- 1974EventABBA Wins Eurovision with "Waterloo"
- 1994EventRwandan Genocide Begins
- 1994DiedJuvénal Habyarimana
Alive in 1896
OverlapSame years; not influence
- Adolf Hitlerturned 7 this year
Albert Einsteinturned 17 this year
Carl Gustav Jungturned 21 this year
Eleanor Rooseveltturned 12 this year
Franz Kafkaturned 13 this year
Franz Rosenzweigturned 10 this year
Friedrich Nietzscheturned 52 this year
Henry Fordturned 33 this year
Joseph Stalinturned 18 this year
Mahatma Gandhiturned 27 this year
14 more figures were alive that year
On This Day in History
10 EventsCaesar Wins the Battle of Thapsus
Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Metellus Scipio and Cato the Younger in North Africa, effectively ending the Great Roman Civil War. Cato committed suicide rather than accept Caesar's clemency.
Scotland Signs the Declaration of Arbroath
Scottish nobles send the Declaration of Arbroath to Pope John XXII, asserting Scotland's independence from England and stating that even if their king were to submit to England, they would choose another king who would defend their freedom. It is one of the most eloquent declarations of national independence ever written.
Mehmed II Begins the Siege of Constantinople
Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire begins his siege of Constantinople with an army of perhaps 80,000 men and enormous new cannons designed to breach walls that had stood for a thousand years. The city fell 53 days later, ending the Byzantine Empire.
John Jacob Astor Founds the American Fur Company
John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company in New York, beginning the commercial enterprise that would make him the first multi-millionaire in American history and open the Pacific Northwest to American trade and settlement.
Joseph Smith Founds the Church of Christ
Joseph Smith organizes the Church of Christ in Fayette, New York, with six founding members — the original Latter Day Saint church that would become the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is now one of the fastest-growing religious movements in the world.
First Modern Olympic Games Open in Athens
King George I of Greece opens the first modern Olympic Games at the Panathenaic Stadium before 80,000 spectators, reviving an ancient institution after 1,500 years. Fourteen nations competed across 43 events.
Peary and Henson Reach the North Pole
American explorer Robert Peary and his assistant Matthew Henson — along with four Inuit guides — are claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole, though the claim has been disputed by historians ever since.
United States Enters World War I
After President Wilson's war message to Congress, the United States formally declares war on Imperial Germany, bringing American resources into the conflict and ultimately tipping the balance toward the Allied powers.
ABBA Wins Eurovision with "Waterloo"
The Swedish pop group ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with "Waterloo," launching one of the most successful recording careers in pop music history. The song hit number one across Europe and reached the top ten in the United States.
Rwandan Genocide Begins
When the plane carrying President Juvénal Habyarimana is shot down over Kigali, Hutu extremists immediately begin systematically massacring Tutsi civilians. Over the next 100 days, between 500,000 and 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed.
Born on This Day
Raphael
Italian Renaissance painter and architect
One of the three titans of the High Renaissance alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raphael painted the Vatican Stanze frescoes including The School of Athens, which depicted the great philosophers of antiquity in an idealized architectural setting. He died on this same date in 1520, aged 37.
James Watson
American biologist, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix
Together with Francis Crick, Watson deduced the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 — one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. His later public statements on race caused significant controversy.
Merle Haggard
American country singer and songwriter
Raised in a converted boxcar by a widowed mother, Haggard was imprisoned at San Quentin before becoming one of country music's most authentic voices. Songs like "Okie from Muskogee" and "Mama Tried" made him the poet laureate of working-class America.
André Previn
American pianist, composer, and conductor
A rare talent who excelled in jazz, classical music, and Hollywood film scoring, Previn won four Academy Awards for film scores and led the London Symphony Orchestra for a decade. His appearances on British television made him a beloved public figure.
Billy Dee Williams
American actor
Williams became an icon of cool as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), and earlier as the charismatic lead in Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He returned to the role of Lando in 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.
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Richard I of England
King of England, "Richard the Lionheart"
Richard died from a crossbow bolt wound sustained during a minor siege in France, having spent less than six months of his ten-year reign in England. He was a formidable warrior and led the Third Crusade, but his legend far exceeded his administrative achievements.
Raphael
Italian Renaissance painter
Raphael died on his 37th birthday after a brief illness, at the height of his fame and productivity. Pope Leo X is said to have wept at the news. He was buried in the Pantheon in Rome.
Juvénal Habyarimana
President of Rwanda
The shooting down of his plane as it approached Kigali airport on April 6 was the trigger for the Rwandan genocide. Responsibility for the attack has never been definitively established, and the mystery remains one of the most consequential unsolved questions of the late 20th century.
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