Historical Events on April 7

  • 1788: the settlement of Marietta in Ohio is establishes as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
  • 1789: Selim III becomes the Caliph of Islam and the Ottoman Empire’s Sultan.
  • 1798: The Mississippi Territory is organized. 6-years later, in 1804, it would be expanded – a process which would be repeated in 1812.
  • 1805: The Corps of Discovery – a special military unit organized by Thomas Jefferson to explore the territory along the Missouri River – leaves its camp among the Mandan Native American tribe and continues West along the river.
  • 1827: The first friction match is sold by English chemist John Walker. Just the year before, he invented it.
  • 1829: Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery begin translation of the Book of Mormon.
  • 1862: Near Shiloh, Tennessee. The Confederate Army of Mississippi is defeated by the Union Army of the Ohio and the Army of Tennessee.
  • 1933: Beer that has no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight is no longer subject to Prohibition. In 8-months, the 21st Amendment will be ratified – legalizing all alcoholic beverages.
  • 1939: Albania is invaded by Italy during World War II.
  • 1940: The first African-American to be displayed on a U.S Postage Stamp is Booker T. Washington on this date.
  • 1943: Eleven hundred Jews are made to strip down and march through the city of Terbovlia in the Ukraine to the village of Plebanivka. When they arrived, they were shot and then buried in ditches.

Famous Birthdays on April 7

  • English poet William Wordsworth is born in 1770.
  • French author and philosopher Charles Fourier is born in 1772.
  • American businessman and founder of the Kellogg Company, Will Keith Kellogg is born in 1860.
  • German-American painter Frederick Carl Frieseke is born in 1874.
  • American singer-songwriter and actress, Billie Holiday is born in 1915.
  • American actor Anthony Caruso is born in 1916.
  • Hong Kong martial artist, stuntman and actor, Jackie Chan is born in 1954.
  • New Zealand-Australian actor, Russell Crowe is born in 1964.
  • American comedian and actor, Bill Bellamy is born in 1965.