On This Day April 6th

 OTD

April 6th is the Ninety-sixth Day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 269 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus.

1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.

1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.

1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.

1776 – American Revolutionary War: Ships of the Continental Navy failed to capture a Royal Navy dispatch boat.

1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic.

1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, eventually making him America's first millionaire.

1830—Joseph Smith and others organize the Church of Christ, the original church of the Latter-day Saint movement, at Fayette or Manchester, New York.

1866—The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union Civil War veterans, was founded and lasted until 1956.

1896—In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after Roman emperor Theodosius I banned the original games.

1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first people to reach the North Pole; Peary's claim has been disputed because of his navigational ability.

1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany.

1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball uses the designated hitter.

1994 – The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down.

 

Birthdays

1135 – Maimonides, Jewish philosopher, Torah scholar, physician, and astronomer (March 30 also proposed, d. 1204)

1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English biologist and academic (d. 1888)

1928 – James Watson, American biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, Nobel Prize laureate

1937 – Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)

1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor and director.

1965 – Black Francis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1979 – Clay Travis, American sports journalist, blogger, and broadcaster.

 

Holidays And Observance

California Poppy Day

 

In California’s earlier days, the Spanish showed remarkable resilience by dividing the region into two parts, Baja California, and Alta California, to form provinces of New Spain (Mexico). Baja California was the area between the Baja Peninsula and California. Alta California had indefinite territories to the north and south of it, as the Spanish claimed all of what is now the western United States. On October 15, 1697, the first permanent (Christian) mission in Baja California, Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó, was established by a Jesuit priest known as Juan Maria Salvatierra. He arrived at the location on a small boat comprising the crew and six soldiers, a testament to their unwavering commitment. Following the establishment of Missions in Alta California, the Spanish administered Baja California and Alta California as a single unit, a part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and with Monterey as the capital.

 

The Spanish settlement of Alta California was the final colonization attempt to expand Spain’s empire in North America. The presence of the Spanish in the region was responsible for and contributed to several notable conflicts and clashes. California’s unique combination of remoteness, lack of organized tribes in large numbers, and agricultural traditions, which were different from other regions, made it particularly challenging for the Missions to establish and sustain their presence. This distinctiveness made the area unattractive to many other potential colonists. The proposed settlement of California was made possible on the back of a few individuals financed by the Church and State.

 

Since 1900, California has rapidly become an agricultural and industrial power. In the early 20th century, California’s economy was widely based on specialized agriculture, oil, tourism, shipping, and film. 1940 marked the beginning of advanced technology, such as in the aerospace and electronics industries, where Silicon Valley has now become the world’s center for computer innovation.

 

Others Include.

Army Day

Charlie the Tuna Day

Drowsy Driver Awareness Day

Every Day is Tag Day

Fresh Tomato Day

Hostess Twinkie Day

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

International Fire walk Day

International Pillow Fight Day

Jump Over Things Day

National Birding Day National Caramel Popcorn Day

National DIY Day National Love Our Children Day

National Play Outside Day

National Siamese Cat Day

National Student-Athlete Day

National Tartan Day

New Beer's Eve

Plan Your Epitaph Day

Sorry Charlie Day

Tangible Karma Day

Teflon Day

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Day

Waltzing Matilda Day (Australia)

World Table Tennis Day