Today is Thursday, April 8, the 98th day of 2010. There are 267 days left in the year.
1766 _ First fire escape patented, wicker basket on a pulley and chain
1781 _ Premiere of Mozart's violin sonata K379
1832 _ Charles Darwin begins trip through Rio de Janeiro
1913 _ Opening of China's first parliament takes place in Peking (now Beijing)
1916 _ Norway approves active and passive female suffrage
1946 _ League of Nations assembles for last time
1968 _ 40th Academy Awards postponed to April 10th due to death of Martin Luther King Jr.
1985 _ India files suit against Union Carbide over Bhopal disaster
1988 _ Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, 52, was defrocked by the Assemblies of God following the
disclosure of his involvement with a prostitute
1989 _ One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott debut but lasts only 4 2/3 innings