This Week in History

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
23rd April 1984 - The virus which causes HIV/AIDS is discovered.
21st April 1509 - Henry VIII accedes to the English throne.
25th April 1859 - The construction of the Suez canal begins.

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
13th April 1970 - An explosion on board Apollo 13 threatens the lives of three astronauts.
16th April 1616 - William Harvey begins publicising the pioneering medical theory that blood circulates around the body.
18th April 1930 - Listeners who tuned in to the BBC for the 845pm bulletin were told 'there is no news'.

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
10th April 1815 - Mount Tambora erupts, the largest in recorded history. For two years particles stay in the air across the globe, inspiring various artworks.
6th April 1994 - A plane carrying President Habyarimana of Rwanda and the Burundian President Ntaryamira is shot down, sparking the start of the Rwandan Genocide.
7th April 1853 - Queen Victoria uses chloroform to relieve the pain of childbirth, a pioneering moment for obstetric medicine.

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
1st April 2001 - Slobodan Milošević, the former president of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, surrenders to police special forces.
4th April 1968 - The civil rights activist Martin Luther King is assassinated.
1st April 1748 - The ruins of the Roman city of Pompeii are discovered.

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
23 March 1900 - Excavations begin at Knossos, Crete, revealing the Bronze Age Minoan civilisation
27 March 1963 - The Beeching report is published, leading to mass railway closures in the UK
26 March 1778 - Beethoven gives his first concert at the age of 7, he dies on the same day in 1827