Some notable facts about this date, for more, visit http://www.onthisday.com
Facts
1077 German King Henry IV is absolved by Holy Roman Emperor Pope Gregory VII after his penitent Walk to Canossa.
1099 1st Crusaders begins siege of Hosn-el-Akrad Syria
1262 Flemish Dutch coast ravaged by north westerly storm
1393 Fire during Royal Ball in Paris, 4 die (Ball of the Ardents)
1495 Pope Alexander VI (Roderic Llançol i de Borgia) gives his son Cesare as hostage to Charles VIII of France
1521 Emperor Charles V opens the Diet of Worms in Worms, Germany which lasts until May 25th. Produced the "Edict of Worms" which dennouced Martin Luther
1547 9-year-old Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII as King of England
1561 By Edict of Orleans French persecution of Huguenots is suspended
1986 25th Space Shuttle (51L)-Challenger 10 explodes 73 sec after liftoff
2013 Iran’s Pishgam rocket successfully completes a return trip of sending a monkey into space
Deaths
814 Charlemagne, German emperor/Roman Emperor (800-814), dies at 71
1547 Henry VIII, King of England (1509-47), dies at 55
1596 Francis Drake, English pirate, Admiral and Governor of Newfoundland (Porto Bello West Indies), dies at 50
1697 John Fenwick, English conspirator
1918 John McCrae, Canadian poet/physician/soldier, dies of pneumonia at 45
1957 Fred Stein, TV panelist (Live Begins at 80), dies at 88
1988 Klaus Fuchs, German physicist (b. 1911)
2002 Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author (b. 1907)
Sport
1904 1st college sports letters given to Seniors who played on University of Chicago's football team are awarded blankets with letter "C" on them
1939 32nd Men's Australian Championships: John Bromwich beats Adrian Quist (6-4, 6-1, 6-3)
1943 Forward Doug Bentley sets NHL record with 5 points in a game
Films and TV
1951 "La Vie Commence Demain", which depicted artificial insemination & is the 1st X-rated movie, opened in London
1960 "The Goon Show"'s final episode on BBC radio
1973 Ron Howard appears on MAS*H in "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet"
1973 30th Golden Globes: The Godfather, Marlon Brando and Liv Ullmann win
1978 35th Golden Globes: "The Turning Point", Richard Burton, & Jane Fonda win
1989 46th Golden Globes: "Rain Man", Dustin Hoffman, & Jodie Foster win
Born on this day
1955 Nicolas Sarkozy, 23rd President of France (2007-12), born in Paris, France
1985 Athina Onassis, daughter of Christina
A Couple of Pics from those no longer with us
Klaus Fuchs
Astrid Lindgren
