April 20th Through History

Explanation: Jacques Cartier would make a total of three voyages to the New World. It was during his first voyage that he explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and took possession of Canada in the name of the King of France, planting a cross at Gaspé. His initial goal of finding a passage to the Indies would never be achieved.

Explanation: The Columbine shooting, perpetrated by two high school students, caused the death of 13 people and injured 24 others. This event deeply marked the United States and reignited the debate on gun control and violence in schools. It remains one of the most striking school shootings in American history.

Explanation: The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon platform, operated by BP, caused the largest oil spill in US history. About 800 million liters of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days before the leak was plugged. The ecological consequences on marine wildlife and the Louisiana coast were disastrous.

Explanation: Adolf Hitler, born in Braunau am Inn in Austria-Hungary, came to power in Germany in 1933. He established a totalitarian regime, the Third Reich, and was the principal person responsible for triggering World War II and the Shoah. He committed suicide on April 30, 1945, ten days after his birthday, when Berlin was surrounded by the Soviets.

Explanation: The transfer of Marie Curie's ashes to the Panthéon was a first for a woman in France, which until then had only honored men within its walls. Marie Curie is the only woman to have received two Nobel prizes, in physics (1903) and in chemistry (1911). The ceremony took place in the presence of Presidents Mitterrand and Walesa, highlighting the scientist's Polish origins.

Explanation: Manfred von Richthofen, nicknamed the Red Baron because of the color of his plane, was shot down the next day, April 21, 1918, over the Somme. To this day, he remains the most successful pilot of World War I. His emblematic aircraft, the red Fokker Dr.I triplane, has become a symbol of military aviation of that era.

Explanation: These farewells of Napoleon to his Imperial Guard in the courtyard of the White Horse are among the most moving moments of the Napoleonic epic. Napoleon kissed the eagle of the regiment and gave a farewell speech before leaving for the island of Elba. He would return less than a year later for the Hundred Days, before his definitive defeat at Waterloo in June 1815.

Explanation: Apollo 16 was the fifth mission to successfully land on the Moon. The lunar module Orion landed in the Descartes Highlands region, more rugged terrain than previous missions. Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke collected 95 kg of lunar rocks. This mission allowed for the first study of the lunar highlands, rich in anorthositic rocks.

Explanation: This referendum, which ended on April 22, 2019, was widely approved with around 90% favorable votes. The extension of the presidential term from 4 to 6 years, combined with a transitional clause allowing President Sisi to run again, theoretically allowed him to stay in power until 2030. These reforms have been heavily criticized by human rights organizations.

Explanation: Marie and Pierre Curie received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1903, jointly with Henri Becquerel, for their research on radiation. Marie Curie then obtained alone the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1911 for the discovery of polonium and radium. She remains to this day the only person to have been awarded two Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields.