On This Day April 6

1993
A tank of radioactive material explodes in Siberia, spewing clouds of radioactive material and causing the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

1965
First geosynchronous communications satellite: Early Bird is launched for COMSAT. It was the first satellite to provide direct and nearly instantaneous contact between Europe and North America.

1957
Trolley Cars: NY trolley cars make their last runs.

1938
Teflon: DuPont researchers accidentally discover polytetrafluoroethylene, which would later be marketed as teflon.

1929
First sighting of the Mediterranean fruit fly in North America, at Orlando, Florida.

1924
First around-the-world flight: Lt. Lowell Smith and Lt. Erik Nelson (in separate planes) take off. The flight took 175 days.

1909
First person to reach the North Pole: American explorer Robert E. Peary.

1892
Ice Cream Sundae: Although the origin of this treat is highly disputed, the first newspaper ad for it appeared on this date, by Chester Platt in the Ithaca Daily Journal.

1869
First patent for plastic: Celluloid is patented by John Wesley Hyatt, who was looking for a new way to make billiard balls.

1862
Civil War: Battle of Shiloh begins. During the two-day battle, 23,746 men were killed, wounded, captured, or missing. This is more than the American casualties of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War combined, making it the bloodiest battle in United States history up to that time.

1830
The Mormon Church is organized at Fayette Seneca county, New York, by Joseph Smith. (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1814
Napoleon: The French Emperor abdicates. He would then be exiled to Elba.

648 B.C.
First solar eclipse recorded by the Greeks: Greek poet Archilochus wrote, "Zeus, the father of the Olympic Gods, turned mid-day into night, hiding the light of the dazzling Sun; and sore fear came upon men."

1952
Marilu Henner (Mary Lucy Denise Pudlowski), American actress. TV: Taxi (Elaine Nardo). She dated Taxi co-stars Tony Danza and Judd Hirsch.

1944
Michelle Phillips, American folk singer, with The Mamas and the Papas. Music: California Dreamin' and Monday, Monday.

1938
Roy Thinnes, American actor. TV: The Invaders (David Vincent) and Falcon Crest (Nick Hogan).

1937
Merle Haggard, American country singer. He served time in prison for attempted burglary (1958-63), for which he was pardoned in 1972 by California governor Ronald Reagan.

1937
Billy Dee Williams, American actor. Film: The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Lando Calrissian). TV: The Guiding Light (Dr. Jim Frazier).

1928
James Dewey Watson, American biochemist, co-winner of the 1962 Nobel prize for discovering the structure of DNA.

1914 d. 1959
George Reeves (George Besselo), American actor. TV: Superman from the series.

1895 d. 1960
Dudley Nichols, American screenwriter. He became the first person to refuse an Oscar (1935, Best Screenplay for The Informer).

1810 d. 1888
Philip Henry Gosse, English naturalist. He coined the word "Aquarium."

1745 d. 1799
William Dawes, American patriot. He rode with Paul Revere on his famous ride (1775) warning of the British advancement.

1992 b. 1920
Isaac Asimov, Russian-born American science-fiction author and giver of the "three laws of robotics." Writings: I Robot (1950)

1971 b. 1882
Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky, Russian composer, The Firebird, The Rite of Spring, and Petrushka.

1944 b. 1874
Rose Cecil O'Neill, American illustrator, created the Kewpie doll (1909).

1935 b. 1869
Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet, 3-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, known for his short character sketches such as Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy.

1888 b. 1807
Thomas Green Clemson, American mining engineer, politician, founder of Clemson University.

1860 b. 1778
James Kirke Paulding, American author, poet. He wrote Koningsmarke, the Long Finne (1823) in which the tongue-twister "Peter Piper pick'd a peck of pickled peppers" first appeared.

1528 b. 1471
Albrecht Dürer, German Renaissance artist. His series of Apocalypse woodcuts became the first book published by an artist from their own work (1498).

1199 b. 1157
Richard I, King of England (1189-99), known as Richard the Lion-Hearted.

April 6

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