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【外部リンク】
April 1969
Mandsford: ←Created page with ' File:USS Pueblo & EC-121 Incident Map border rev1.png|left|thumb|350px|April 15, 1969: North Korea...'
[[File:USS Pueblo & EC-121 Incident Map border rev1.png|left|thumb|350px|April 15, 1969: North Korea shoots down American spy plane over international waters]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F010324-0002, Flughafen Köln-Bonn, Adenauer, de Gaulle-cropped.jpg|right|180px|thumb|France's President de Gaulle resigns after voters reject his plan]]
[[File:Lockheed EC-121M with F-4B.jpg|left|350px|thumb|A similar EC-121M spyplane]]
[[File:Tom Smothers Dick Smothers Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 1968.JPG|right|thumb|180px|April 4, 1969: CBS cancels the popular Smothers Brothers' show]]
The following events occurred in '''April 1969''':
==[[April 1]], 1969 (Tuesday)==
[[File:Space shuttle model, created by Dr. Max Faget, April 1, 1969 - Kennedy Space Center - Cape Canaveral, Florida - DSC02459.jpg|150px|thumb|left|The original Space Shuttle design]]
*At Houston, [[NASA]] Engineer [[Max Faget]] showed 20 colleagues a small balsa wood and paper model with "straight, stubby wings and a shark-like nose" and told them. "We're going to build America's next spacecraft. It's going to launch like a spacecraft; it's going to land like a plane." Faget, the director of engineering and development at the [[Johnson Space Center|Manned Space Center]], was introducing the assembled group to a planned reusable spacecraft, the American [[Space Shuttle]]. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2BzlwYo "STS-135: The Final Mission"], NASA press kit, p3</ref> <ref>Rowland White, ''Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her'' (Simon and Schuster, 2017) p3</ref>
*The [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier|Harrier GR1]], a jet fighter with vertical takeoff and landing capability, entered military service for the first time, with the original Harrier jets becoming part of Britain's [[Royal Air Force]] fleet at [[RAF Wittering]] <ref> Robert Jackson, ''Britain's Greatest Aircraft'' (Pen and Sword, 2007) p214 </ref>. The Harrier had first flown on December 28, 1967. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2w1bWbK "Aircraft of the Month: Hawker Siddeley Harrier"], Tangmere Military Aviation Museum</ref>
*The [[9th National Congress of the Communist Party of China]] opened in [[Beijing]], with 1,512 delegates appearing for 24 days of meetings. [[Lin Biao]], the Vice-Chairman of the Party, Vice-Premier of China and Defense Minister, delivered the opening address and was accepted later in the Congress was as the official successor to Chairman [[Mao Zedong]]. The Congress was the first in almost 14 years. <ref>Cheng Nien, ''Life and Death in Shanghai'' (Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 2010) p267</ref>
*Meeting in [[Stevenson, Washington]], the Board of County Commissioners of [[Skamania County, Washington|Skamania County]] voted to enact county ordinance Number 69-01, making either an [[April Fool's Day]] joke or the first official recognition by any government agency of the possibility of the existence of "[[Bigfoot]]". <ref>Joe Gisondi, ''Monster Trek: The Obsessive Search for Bigfoot'' (University of Nebraska Press, 2016)</ref> Whether intended as humorous or not, the ordinance was published in the April 4 and April 11 issues of the weekly ''Skamania County Pioneer'', a requirement under state law, and was amended again in 1984. The text of the 1969 enactment noted "evidence to indicate the possible existence" in the county of an ape-like creature, a large number of "purported recent sightings" and "an influx of scientific investigators as well as casual hunters, many armed with lethal weapons", and was passed to discourage "laxity in the use of firearms" that posed a threat to "persons living or traveling within the boundaries of Skamania County", and made slaying of the creature described as "Sasquatch", "Yeti" or "Bigfoot" a felony punishable by a $10,000 fine and/or five years imprisonment. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2BzryIN "Skamania County, Washington State Bigfoot Ordinance, No. 69-01]</ref>
*'''Born: '''
**[[Fadl Shaker]], Lebanese singer, in [[Sidon]]
**[[Andrew Vlahov]], Australian pro basketball player for the [[National Basketball League (Australia)|National Basketball League]] [[Perth Wildcats]]; in [[Perth]]
==[[April 2]], 1969 (Wednesday)==
*All 51 people aboard [[LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165]] were killed when the [[Antonov An-24]] crashed into a mountain slope during its scheduled flight from [[Warsaw]] to [[Krakow]]. <ref>"Polish Airlines Crash Claims 51 Victims", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 3, 1969, p1</ref> With visibility low in a snowstorm, and the pilot well off course, the propeller-driven airplane impacted with [[Polica (mountain)|Polica Mountain]] at an altitude of , after flying past past its destination and impacting in the mountains above the town of [[Zawoja]]. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2w1PrDB Aviation-Safety.net report]</ref>
*The [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]], "apparently bowing to a Soviet ultimatum", reluctantly announced strict censorship of the Czechoslovakian news media, and the government's Ministry of the Interior issued new regulations. <ref>"Czechs Accept Soviet Rules Of Censorship", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 3, 1969, p1</ref> The CTK government news agency issued a statement saying that punishment awaited any newspaper or broadcast report that did not "proceed in harmony with the interests of the domestic and foreign policy of the State", and that the government "expressed its regret and apologies" to the USSR for instances where a mood of "anti-Soviet hysteria" had been created by the press.
*'''Born: '''[[Ajay Devgn]], Indian [[Hindi cinema]] actor and two-time National Film Award Best Actor winner; in [[New Delhi]]
==[[April 3]], 1969 (Thursday)==
*The [[U.S. Department of Defense]] announced that the death toll for American soldiers in the [[Vietnam War]] had exceeded the 32,629 who had died in the [[Korean War]], based on 312 additional deaths during the week from March 22 to March 28 to bring the toll to 33,641. The Vietnam conflict became the "fourth bloodiest in American history" on March 26. <ref>"Vietnam Deaths Surpass Korea", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 4, 1969, p3</ref>
*Lieutenant General [[Joseph A. Ankrah]] resigned as [[President of Ghana]] after the revelation of a financial scandal that showed that Ankrah had accepted money from foreign interests in return for favors. The National Liberation Council required him to resign his post as chairman and retired him from the Ghanaian Army. Ankrah was replaced by Brigadier General [[Akwasi Afrifa]], who would allow [[Ghanaian parliamentary election, 1969|parliamentary elections on August 29]]. <ref>"Ghana, Republic of", in ''Heads of States and Governments: A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Over 2,300 Leaders, 1945 throught 1992'', by Harris M. Lentz III (Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1995) pp315-316</ref>
*'''Born: '''
**[[Ben Mendelsohn]], Australian film and TV actor, 2016 Emmy Award winner; in [[Melbourne]]
**[[Lance Storm]] (Lance Evers), Canadian professional wrestler, in [[Sarnia, Ontario]]
==[[April 4]], 1969 (Friday)==
[[File:Cooly2.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Dr. Denton Cooley]]
*Dr. [[Denton Cooley]] implanted the first temporary [[artificial heart]], in an operation at [[St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital]] in [[Houston]]. <ref>"Man Gets Plastic Device for Heart", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 5, 1969, p2</ref> The recipient was 47-year old Haskell Karp of [[Skokie, Illinois]], whose diseased heart was removed from his chest and replaced by the Liotta TAH plastic and fabric mechanical pump, developed by Dr. [[Domingo Liotta]]. Sixty-five hours after the implantation of the mechanical heart, Karp received a donor heart from a 40-year old woman whose body had been flown in from [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]]. <ref>"Real Heart Replaces Man's Synthetic One", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 8, 1969, p1</ref> However, Karp survived only 32 hours after the new heart was implanted, before he succumbed to [[pneumonia]] caused by ''[[Pseudomonas]]'' bacteria; another artificial heart implant would not take place until 1981. <ref>''Kaplan's Cardiac Anesthesia: The Echo Era'', by Joel A. Kaplan, et al. (Elsevier, 2011) p828</ref>
*Popular, but controversial, ''[[The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]]'' was abruptly canceled by the CBS television network. CBS President [[Robert Wood (television executive)|Robert Wood]] explained that the show's two producers, [[Dick Smothers]] and [[Tommy Smothers]], "consistently had failed to deliver tapes" of their programs in time for CBS executives and local TV stations to review the content, and added that it was "abundantly clear" that the brothers were "unwilling to accept the criteria of taste established by the network's program practices department." <ref>"Brothers Smothered By CBS-TV— Network Charges Dick and Tommy Didn't Cooperate", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 5, 1969, p3</ref>
*Also popular and controversial, singer [[Jim Morrison]] of [[The Doors]] appeared with his attorney before the Los Angeles office of the FBI to answer federal charges of "interstate flight to avoid prosecution" in relation to his indecent exposure at his March 1 concert in [[Miami]]. By arrangement, Morrison was arrested and immediately released upon posting of a $5,000 bond. By then, The Doors' 1969 concert dates had been canceled and the group was blacklisted by the Concert Hall Managers' Association. <ref>Stephen Davis, ''Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend'' (Penguin, 2005) </ref>
[[File:Felix-conde-falcon-united-states-army-medal-of-honor.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Staff Sgt. Falcon]]
*'''Died: '''U.S. Army Staff Sergeant [[Félix Conde Falcón]], 31, was killed in the [[Vietnam War]] while leading a charge against a large complex of enemy bunkers at Ap Tan Hoa. Almost 35 later, the case of the Puerto Rican non-commissioned officer would be reviewed and Falcón would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
==[[April 5]], 1969 (Saturday)==
*Rescuers in [[Sweden]] saved all 18 skiers who had been buried in an [[avalanche]] at the [[Riksgränsen]] ski resort, although three were injured critically. The group, who were part of a group of tourists taking part in a slalom competition, were buried in the snow for up to an hour as hundreds of police from surrounding towns in Sweden and Norway searched for the group. [[Rescue dog]]s were able to dig the tourists out. <ref>"18 Rescued After Burial In Snow", ''Cincinnati Enquirer'', April 6, 1969, p3</ref>
*A sniper killed two people at random and wounded 15 more on a section of the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] as he pulled off to the shoulder of the westbound lanes and took shots with an army carbine and a .30 caliber rifle and fired shots and passing cars. <ref>"Turnpike Gun Spree Kills 4", '"Detroit Free Press', April 6, 1969, p1</ref> After killing a man and woman near the Highspire Service Area, Donald Lambright (the son of comedian [[Stepin Fetchit]]) killed his wife and then himself. <ref>"Sniper Spree On Pike Kills 4 And Injures 15", ''Pittsburgh Press'', April 6, 1969, p1</ref>
*'''Died: '''[[Rómulo Gallegos]], 84, Venezuelan politician who was elected [[President of Venezuela]] in 1948, but was overthrown in a military coup nine months after taking office
==[[April 6]], 1969 (Sunday)==
*Twenty-five crewmen on the [[Taiwan]]ese freighter ''Union Faith''were killed in a fiery crash on the [[Mississippi River]] beneath the [[Greater New Orleans Bridge]]. The freighter, with 51 men onboard, collided head-on with a set of three linked oil-laden barges that were being pushed by the tugboat ''Warren Doucet'', causing the lead barge to split in two and set fire to its cargo of 9,000 barrels of crude oil. <ref>"Ship, Barges Crash, Burn", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 7, 1969, p1</ref>
*'''Born: '''
**[[Paul Rudd]], American film actor known for portraying [[Ant-Man (film)|Ant-Man]] in Marvel films; in [[Passaic, New Jersey]]
**[[Bret Boone]], American MLB baseball player and winner of four Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards; in [[El Cajon, California]]
**[[Louie Spence]], English dancer, choreographer and TV personality; in [[Enfield, London]]
*'''Died: '''[[Gabriel Chevallier]], 73, French satirical novelist and author of the 1934 book ''[[Clochemerle]]''
==[[April 7]], 1969 (Monday)==
[[File:Steve Crocker (square crop).jpg|right|thumb|150px|Crocker in 2005]]
*[[UCLA]] graduate student and computer scientist [[Steve Crocker]] wrote and ciruclated the very first [[Request for Comments]] (RFC) publication to be circulated among the Network Working Group (Crocker, [[Jeff Rulifson]] and Bill Duvall of Stanford Research Institute, and Steve Carr of Utah) that was developing the [[communication protocol]]s for the upcoming [[ARPANET]], the forerunner of the [[internet]]. <ref>Terry D. Pardoe and Gordon F. Snyder, Jr., ''Network Security'' (Thomson Delmar Learning, 2005) p151</ref> The very first RFC <ref>[https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1| Internet Engineering Task Force archive], IETF.org </ref> summarized the tentative agreements that the group had settled on for the [[Interface Message Processor]] (IMP) routers in the network sites, with initial messages being limited to 8,080 [[bit]]s.
*The [[United States Supreme Court]] ruled in ''[[Stanley v. Georgia]]'' that the possession of obscene material was protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Writing for the majority, Justice [[Thurgood Marshall]] commented that "A state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch," adding that individual state governments remained free to restrict public distribution of those materials. <ref>"Possession Of Obscene Matter OKd— Supreme Court Bars Censorship In Private Homes", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 8, 1969, p1</ref>
==[[April 8]], 1969 (Tuesday)==
*The [[1969 Montreal Expos season|Montreal Expos]] defeated the [[1969 New York Mets season|New York Mets]], 11 to 10, in what sportswriter [[Dick Young (sportswriter)|Dick Young]] described as "the first international major league baseball game in history" <ref>"Mets, Expos at Shea Has International Flavor", by Dick Young, ''Daily News'' (New York), p71</ref> The Expos, one of four new major league teams and MLB's first team from outside the United States, played the Mets at New York's [[Shea Stadium]], and Montreal mayor [[Jean Drapeau]] tossed out the ceremonial first pitch; ten-year MLB veteran [[Maury Wills]] batted first for the Expos, who almost blew an 11-6 lead in the final inning. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2BKgybF "Look who's in first place! Expos take the opener"], ''Montreal Gazette'', April 9, 1969, p1</ref> The result was not a sign of things to come; the Mets would win the [[1969 World Series]], while the Expos and the other new National League team, the San Diego Padres, would tie for MLB's worst win-loss record (52-110) in 1969.
*All four of baseball's newest teams won their openers. The [[1969 San Diego Padres season|San Diego Padres]] debuted at home and beat the [[1969 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]], 3 to 1, taking the field first in a half-filled stadium in front of an opening-day crowd of just 23,370. [[Dick Selma]] threw the first pitch and allowed only five hits, and [[Rafael Robles]] was the first to bat. <ref>"Padres Start Off on Right Foot in NL, Top Astros, 2-1", ''Los Angeles Times'', April 9, 1969, pIII-1</ref> The [[1969 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]], bringing major league ball back to Kansas City after the Kansas City Athletics had moved to Oakland for 1968, beat the visiting [[1969 Minnesota Twins season|Minnesota Twins]], 4 to 3, before just 17,688 fans in a half-filled Municipal Stadium; the win came in the 12th inning as [[Joe Keough]] hit a single with the bases loaded; [[Lou Piniella]] was the first to bat for the Royals. Finally, the new [[1969 Seattle Pilots season|Seattle Pilots]] (who would go bankrupt and become the Milwaukee Brewers the following year) won 4-3 at Anaheim to beat the [[1969 California Angels season|California Angels]]; [[Tommy Harper]] batted first for the Pilots. <ref>"New Pilots Make Their First Night a Big One", ''Los Angeles Times'', April 9, 1969, pIII-1</ref>
==[[April 9]], 1969 (Wednesday)==
*[[Harvard University]]'s Administration Building was seized by close to 300 students, mostly members of the [[Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)|Students for a Democratic Society]]. Shortly after midnight, the Harvard administrators called the [[Cambridge Police Department (Massachusetts)|Cambridge police]] and the [[Massachusetts State Police]], and law enforcement officers charged in with billy clubs and pepper spray, arresting 184 people and injuring 45. <ref>"Rough Charge by Police Subdues Harvard Rebels", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 10, 1969, p2</ref> Among those arrested was future Fox News journalist [[Chris Wallace]], who "used his one phone call to contact the campus radio station", which recorded a first-hand account filed from behind bars. <ref>Peter Rader, ''Mike Wallace: A Life'' (Macmillan, 2012) p123</ref>
==[[April 10]], 1969 (Thursday)==
*On the morning that he was preparing to overthrow the government of the [[Central African Republic]], Lieutenant Colonel [[Alexandre Banza]] was arrested when he arrived at the army barracks at Camp Kassai. Banza, the Republic's former Finance Minister, had been betrayed by his confidant, Lieutenant Jean-Claude Mandaba, who had informed C.A.R. President [[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]] of the plot. Mandaba's soldiers seized Banza, who confessed under torture that he had intended to exile General Bokassa rather than to kill him, confirmed by the written plans for the coup found in Banza's jacket pocket, which included the names of people whom he had planned to have serve in his cabinet. A military tribunal convened at Camp de Roux in [[Bangui]], found Banza guilty of treason, and had him executed by firing squad the next day. <ref>"Banza, Alexandre (1923-1969), in ''Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic'', by Richard Bradshaw and Juan Fandos-Rius (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) p103</ref> <ref>"Loyalists Foil Army Coup in Central Africa", ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', April 13, 1969, p2</ref> <ref>"African Coup Chief Killed by Firing Squad", ''Chicago Tribune'', April 14, 1969, p2</ref>
*[[Charles de Gaulle]] announced in a live interview that he would resign as [[President of France]] if voters did not approve his referendum proposal for reducing the power of the French Senate and decentralizing the national government. "There cannot be the slightest doubt. On the reply the country makes to what I have asked it, will depend the continuation of my mandate or my immediate departure." <ref>"De Gaulle to Quit If He Loses Vote", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 11, 1969, p1</ref>
*NASA announced its choice for the crew of [[Apollo 12]], the second manned mission to the [[Moon]], with Charles Conrad and Alan L. Bean to walk the lunar surface while Richard F. Gordon remained in the lunar orbiter. <ref>"Apollo 12 Moon-Landing Crew Set", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 10, 1969, p3</ref>
*'''Died: '''[[Harley Earl]], 75, American automobile designer for [[General Motors]] known for creating the [[Chevrolet Corvette|Corvette]] and for introducing the [[Car tailfin|"tailfin"]] to the automobile industry popular between 1948 and 1964
==[[April 11]], 1969 (Friday)==
*The [[Arab Liberation Front]] was founded in [[Iraq]] by Zeid Heidar of Iraq's Ba'ath Party, with the goal of representing Iraq's small Palestinian Arab population. <ref>Yazid Sayigh, ''Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949-1993'' (Clarendon Press, 1997) p236</ref>
*The first test of using a [[designated hitter]] in [[baseball]]— a person who takes the place of the team's pitcher in the batting lineup— happened in a game in the minor [[Texas League]], which was testing a rule allowing what it called a "wild card [[pinch hitter]]" (who could replace any player rather than just the pitcher). According to baseball researcher Kevin Saldana, the first person wild card pinch hitter was Paul Flesner of the [[Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs]]. <ref name=Morris> Peter Morris, ''A Game of Inches: The Stories Behind the Innovations that Shaped Baseball : the Game on the Field'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006) p217</ref> Flesner had four at-bats in the Spurs' 8-5 loss to the visiting [[Amarillo Giants]]. <ref>"Spurs Lose Opener, 8-5", ''Odessa (TX) American'', April 12, 1969, p3-B</ref>
*'''Born: '''
**[[Cerys Matthews]], Welsh alternative rock singer and co-founder of the band [[Catatonia (band)|Catatonia]]; in [[Cardiff]]
**[[Chisato Moritaka|Chisato Eguchi]] (Chisato Moritaka), Japanese female pop singer and songwriter; in [[Ibaraki, Osaka|Ibaraki]]
==[[April 12]], 1969 (Saturday)==
*[[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] won the [[1969 Five Nations Championship|Five Nations Championship]] in [[rugby union]] play by scoring 27 points in the second half of the game against [[England national rugby union team|England]] to win 30-9. By beating England, Ireland and Scotland, Wales also won the [[Triple Crown (rugby union)|rugby union "Triple Crown"]], in which one of the four "home nations" on the British Isles defeats the other three; a Welsh draw with the fifth nation, France, did not have any effect on winning the Crown. <ref>"Wales win title", ''The Observer'' (London), April 13, 1968, p1</ref>
*The Spanish trawler ''Gaztalupe'' sank in the [[North Sea]] after colliding with the French trawler ''Olagorra''. Eight members of the 13 man crew of the ''Gaztalupe'' went down with the ship about from Scotland's [[Outer Hebrides]] islands, while the ''Olagorra'' limped into port at [[Stornoway]] with two of its crew dead from the impact. <ref>"9 die in sea collision", ''The Observer'' (London), April 13, 1968, p1</ref> <ref>"Mueren ocho de los trece tripulantes de un pesquero español hundido al norte de Irlanda", [[ABC (newspaper)|''A B C'']] (Madrid), April 15, 1969, p33</ref>
*'''Born: '''[[Michael Jackson (wide receiver)|Michael D. Jackson]], American NFL wide receiver; as Michael Dywane Jackson Dyson in [[Tangipahoa, Louisiana]] (killed in motorcycle accident, 2017)
==[[April 13]], 1969 (Sunday)==
*Less than 24 hours before the scheduled shutdown of the United States railway system by a nationwide walkout of workers was scheduled to begin, the nation's major railroad companies reached an agreement with the 10,000 member [[Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen]]. The pact came after a 28-hour bargaining session overseen by the [[National Mediation Board]], averting a strike that was to have started at 6:01 Monday morning. <ref>"Nick-of-Time Pact Averts Nationwide Railroad Tieup", ''Daily News'' (New York), April 14, 1969, p2</ref>
*[[German Communist Party|West Germany's Communist Party]], the DKP (''Deutsche Kommunistische Partei'') was relaunched after 13 years after the demise of the old [[KPD]] in 1956, as the 773 delegates to the first DKP Congress in [[Essen]] voted 770-0 (with three abstentions) to approve "a party platform stressing its nonrevolutionary nature", its lack of a relationship with East Germany's ruling Communist Party (the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] or SED) and its plans to seek representation in democratic elections. <ref>"W. German Reds Start New Party After 13-Year Hiatus", ''Los Angeles Times'', April 14, 1969, p1</ref>
*'''Born: '''[[Harold Pruett]], American television actor, in [[Anchorage, Alaska]] (died of drug overdose, 2002)
==[[April 14]], 1969 (Monday)==
*The [[1969 Montreal Expos season|Montreal Expos]] edged the visiting [[1969 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] in the first regular season Major League Baseball game to be played outside the United States, playing before a standing room only crowd of 29,184 fans at [[Jarry Park Stadium]]. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2Pq28zX "Big league ball fever has Expos' fans in a dither"], ''Montreal Gazette'', April 9, 1969, p1</ref> After 36 seasons in Montreal, the Expos would relocate in 2005 to become the [[Washington Nationals]].
*Almost four years after becoming independent from the United Kingdom, and five months after abolishing the monarchy, the [[Republic of the Maldive Islands]] notified the [[United Nations]] that it was formally changing its name to the [[Republic of Maldives]]. <ref>''Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General: Status as at 31 December 2003'' (United Nations Publications, 2004) p xxv</ref>
*The 24-game championship series of the [[World Chess Championship 1969|World Chess Championship]] began in [[Moscow]], with champion [[Tigran Petrosian]] defending his title against challenger [[Boris Spassky]]. <ref>"Petrosian pawn up— but title threatened by Spassky", ''The Guardian'' (Manchester), April 15, 1969, p2</ref> <ref>"Top Chess Men Battle In Moscow", ''El Paso (TX) Times'', April 15, 1969, p3-B</ref>
==[[April 15]], 1969 (Tuesday)==
*At 1:47 in the afternoon local time (0447 UTC) <ref name=NSA>[https://ift.tt/2ofU9aQ ''United States Cryptologic History: The National Security Agency and the EC-121 Shootdown (S-CCO)''], declassified National Security Agency document, 1989</ref>, [[EC-121 shootdown incident|an unarmed American EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft]] was shot down by a [[North Korea]]n MiG-21 jet fighter over the [[Sea of Japan]], killing all 31 U.S. servicemen on board. <ref>"N. Korea Downs U.S. Spy Plane— Debris Is Spotted 120 Miles off Shore", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 16, 1969, p1</ref> Presented with a variety of options ranging from diplomatic protests to military retaliation (including a possible nuclear strike) <ref>[https://ift.tt/2Pmw6VH "Nixon Considered Nuclear Option Against N. Korea"], by Mike Shuster, ''All Things Considered'', National Public Radio, July 6, 2010</ref> against North Korea, U.S. President Nixon limited the American response to adding armed escorts for future spy plane flights and redeploying four aircraft carriers and other [[United States Seventh Fleet|Seventh Fleet]] ships into the [[Sea of Japan]] for ten days. <ref>Michael Brecher and Jonathan Wilkenfeld, ''A Study of Crisis'' (University of Michigan Press, 1997) pp354-355</ref> <ref>Walter Isaacson, ''Kissinger: A Biography'' (Simon and Schuster, 2005) pp180-181</ref> The bodies of Lt. (j.g.) Joseph R. Ribar and AT1 Richard E. Sweeney were recovered two days later from the sea, but none of the effects of the other 29 crewmen were found. <ref name=NSA/> In 2000, authors [[Anthony Summers]] would write in his book, ''The Arrogance of Power: The Secret World of Richard Nixon'', that White House insiders had told him that President Nixon had been intoxicated when he was informed of the EC-121 shootdown, and quoted former CIA employee George Carver as saying that "The [[Joint Chiefs of Staff|Joint Chiefs]] were alerted and asked to recommend targets" for a tactical nuclear strike, but that "[[Henry Kissinger|Kissinger]] got on the phone to them. They agreed not to do anything until Nixon sobered up." <ref>"Nixon beat his wife, book says", by Leo Standora, ''Daily News'' (New York), August 27, 2000, p5</ref>
*The [[White House]] hosted its largest number of visitors since March 4, 1829, when new U.S. President [[Andrew Jackson]] invited the general public to come inside the presidential mansion, with 26,000 people arriving in what would become known as the [[First inauguration of Andrew Jackson#Reception|"Inaugural Brawl"]]. First Lady [[Pat Nixon]] welcomed 4,702 members of the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] for a reception. <ref>"White House Party Biggest Since Jackson's Day", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 16, 1969, p3</ref>
*'''Died: '''[[Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg|Queen Victoria-Eugenia]], 81, Scottish-born member of British royalty who was [[Queen consort of Spain]] from the time of her marriage to King [[Alfonso XIII]] in 1906 and the abolition of the monarchy in 1931. Victoria-Eugenie had lived in exile in [[Switzerland]] since 1942, and was buried at [[Lausanne]].
==[[April 16]], 1969 (Wednesday)==
*The [[Catholic Biblical Federation]] was founded by the [[Vatican]] following the initiative of Cardinal [[Johannes Willebrands]] and the late Cardinal [[Augustin Bea]] and with the encouragement of [[Pope Paul VI]]. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2BzrA3n "Structure of the CBF"], Catholic Biblical Federation</ref>
*Americans who owned [[color television]]s were cautioned by the U.S. government to stay at least away from their sets when watching TV, "and to stay away from the sides and the back of the set" because of unsafe levels of radiation. The [[United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare]] issued the warning after a report that 1,000 of 5,000 color TV sets in [[Suffolk County, New York]] "were emitting more than the accepted level of radiation" of 0.5 [[milliroentgen]]s of x-ray and gamma ray radiation per hour. <ref>"Color TV Viewers Advised to Stay Six Feet from Set", ''Los Angeles Times'', April 17, 1969, p1</ref>
==[[April 17]], 1969 (Thursday)==
*[[Specialist Fifth Class|U.S. Army Spec. Fifth Class]] Thomas Van Putten was safely rescued more than a year after he had been declared [[missing in action]], and 21 days after his March 28 escape from a [[Viet Cong]] prison camp, becoming the second of only two American [[prisoners of war]] to escape captivity during the [[Vietnam War]]. <ref>"GI Held by Enemy 14 Months Escapes", ''Minneapolis Tribune'', April 20, 1969, p1</ref> SP4 Van Putten had been operating a road grader for the 79th Engineer Group when he was captured in [[Tay Ninh Province]] on February 10, 1968, and was promoted to SP5 while missing. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2w2bAkU "Thomas H. Van Putten, Silver Star"], The Hall of Valor Project</ref>
*[[Alexander Dubcek]], whose [[Prague Spring|1968 liberal reforms]] had been countered by an [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia|invasion of his nation]] by the Soviet Union and other Communist nations, was dismissed as First Secretary of the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]] (KSČ) after 13 months. Dubcek had continued to serve after the August invasion, albeit with restricted powers. The KSČ's 190-member Central Committee voted to dismiss him and to install [[Gustav Husak]] of Slovakia's regional party as the new Party leader. <ref>"Dubcek Outsed as Chief Of Czech Communists", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 18, 1969, p1</ref> Husak had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 1954 during the administration of Dubcek's predecessor, [[Antonin Novotny]], on charges of having participated in a "Trotskyite-Titoite-Zionist conspiracy" against the KSČ, but had been released in 1959 and politically rehabilitated. <ref>Galia Golan, ''Reform Rule in Czechoslovakia: The Dubcek Era 1968-1969'' (Cambridge University Press, 1973) p301</ref>
[[File:X24.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The "Flying Bathtub"]]
*The experimental [[Martin Marietta X-24]] was given its first unpowered reentry and landing test by the [[United States Air Force]] and [[NASA]] to perfect technology that would eventually be used by the [[Space Shuttle]]. USAF Major [[Jerauld R. Gentry]] guided the X-24A after it was dropped from a B-52 in the [[stratosphere]] at an altitude of , and the wingless lifting body was maneuvered (including a full 180-degree turn) by Gentry over the next four minutes as it glided to the dry lake bed at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] at a speed of . <ref>"'Flying Bathtubs' Maneuver and Land After Air Launch", ''Los Angeles Times'', April 18, 1969, p3</ref> <ref> R. Dale Reed, with Darlene Lister, [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19980169231.pdf|''Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story''], NASA History Series, 1997) p122 </ref>
*British Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] informed the House of Commons that his government had "decided not to proceed further at this time with the Parliament (No. 2) Bill" intended to reduce the powers of the [[House of Lords]]. <ref>Chris Ballinger, ''The House of Lords 1911-2011: A Century of Non-Reform'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014) p150</ref>
*[[Sirhan Bishara Sirhan]] was convicted of the first-degree murder of U.S. Senator [[Robert F. Kennedy]], ten months after the fatal shooting of Kennedy on June 5, 1968. After a trial that had lasted 14 weeks, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury of seven men and five women deliberated (and asked Judge Herbert V. Walker for instructions relevant to second-degree murder) before returning the conviction, which carried with it a sentence of either life imprisonment or the death penalty. After almost 17 hours of deliberation (spread out over four days), the jury retunred its verdict at 10:47 in the morning. Jurors also convicted Sirhan of five counts of assault with intent to kill for five bystanders who had been wounded in the shooting. <ref>"Jury Convicts Sirhan of Murder In First Degree— Jury to Determine if he Gets Life Or the Gas Chamber", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 18, 1969, p1</ref>
*The television pilot for [[Medical Center (TV series)|''Medical Center'']], a popular CBS medical drama that would run for seven seasons, was shown as ''U.M.C.'', a made-for-TV movie starring film tough-guy [[Edward G. Robinson]] as Dr. Lee Forestman, [[James Daly (actor)|James Daly]] as Dr. Paul Lochner and [[Richard Bradford (actor)|Richard Bradford]] as Dr. Joe Gannon. The show would be picked up as a regular series on September 24, without Robinson, with Daly as the star and with [[Chad Everett]] taking over Bradford's role.
==[[April 18]], 1969 (Friday)==
*The new six-team [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]] (AA), one of three [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A rated minor leagues]] that were at the highest level of Major League Baseball's farm clubs, held its opening day, and became the first to test the [[designated hitter]] rule that would be adopted by the [[American League]] in 1969. According to baseball researcher John Lewis, "the first true designated hitter in regular season professional baseball" (i.e., one substituting for a pitcher) was one of three people-- Larry Osborne of the [[Omaha Royals]] who were first to bat in a 9 to 0 win over the [[Oklahoma City 89ers]] (whose pinch hitter was John Brandt), or Charles Weatherspoon of the [[Denver Bears]], who lost to the [[Tulsa Oilers]], 11-2. <ref name=Morris/> Each of the individuals was identified in box scores as "dph", the "designated pinch hitter", and none of the pitchers came to bat.
*The city of [[Northglenn, Colorado]], was incorporated ten years after the first residents had purchased homes in a residential community planned by Perl-Mack Enterprises in [[Adams County, Colorado|Adams County]] near [[Denver]]. By 1961, the planned community had 10,000 residents, and spent the next years in legal action to prevent being annexed by the neighboring city of [[Thornton, Colorado|Thornton]]. The formal creation of the city came only ten days after an April 8 election when voters approved incorporation and elected the first city officials, with Hugh Danaby as North Glenn, Colorado's first mayor; the city would be renamed a year later. <ref>Elizabeth Moreland Candelario, ''Images of America: Northglenn'' (Arcadia Publishing, 2013) p7</ref> Within 40 years, Northglenn would have a population of almost 36,000.
==[[April 19]], 1969 (Saturday)==
*Three days after becoming the new [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]] leader, Gustav Husak announced that the government would "fight without pity" against "anti-socialists" and "anti-Soviets", then implemented the new policy by having law enforcement forcibly disperse any large groups of young Czechoslovakians. Among the first to learn about the new rules (published in the [[KSČ]] newspaper, ''[[Rudé Právo]]'') were 20 people whose get-together was broken up by police swinging clubs happened to be listening to a tape recorder. Foreign newspapers were confiscated from travelers at the border, and [[Radio jamming|jamming]] of [[Radio Free Europe]] broadcasts went into effect immediately. <ref>"REDS TELL CZECHS: NO PITY— New Leader Enforces His Tough Policy", ''Chicago Tribune'', April 20, 1969, p1</ref>
*'''Born: '''[[Susan Polgar|Zsusza "Susan" Polgar]], Hungarian-born chessmaster and the first woman to be named Grandmaster of the Year by the [[United States Chess Federation]]; in [[Budapest]]
==[[April 20]], 1969 (Sunday)==
* A grassroots movement of Berkeley community members seized an empty lot owned by the [[University of California]], to begin the formation of "[[People's Park (Berkeley)|People's Park]]". The university had demolished all buildings on the block of [[Berkeley, California]] bounded by Telegraph, Haste, Bowditch and Dwight streets, leaving a vacant lot that had gone undeveloped for more than a year, so thousands of UC students and Berkeley residents — "hippies and freaks and Yippies and street people and politicos and radicals and peace activists and the Free Church of Berkeley and environmentalists and students and grad students and professors and architects and neighbors and their children" began landscaping. By May 15, the lot would have brick paths, flowers and trees, a playground and even an amphitheater. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2wgWG9N "May 30, 1969: The final scene in the powerful first act of Berkeley's People's Park"], Berkeleyside.com</ref> On May 15, the university would put a fence around the park and begin dismantling it, and the protests and response would escalate into a [[People's Park (Berkeley)|riot and the calling out of 2,000 state national guard troops]].
*For the first time in its 223-year history, [[Princeton University]] announced that it would admit women to its undergraduate program, starting with 130 "[[co-education|coeds]]" to begin the fall semester. Under the long range plan, 375 more would be admitted in 1970, 550 in 1971, 630 in 1972 and 650 in 1973. <ref>"Princeton to Accept 130 Coeds This Fall", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 21, 1969, p1</ref>
* [[British Army]] troops already stationed in [[Ulster]] Province in [[Northern Ireland]] were called for the first time to reinforce the local [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]]. <ref>"British Troops In Ulster", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 22, 1969, p2</ref> The British Army already had 2,500 men from its [[Royal Irish Rangers]] infantry regiment, including an armored unit, stationed at [[St Patrick's Barracks]] in [[Ballymena]] and at [[Palace Barracks, Holywood|Palace Barracks]] in [[Holywood]], and a government spokesman in London emphasized that no additional troops would be sent from England, and that the British Army's role would be to guard reservoirs and power stations. <ref>"Troops called for Ulster guard duties", ''The Guardian'' (Manchester), April 21, 1969, p1</ref>
*U.S. President Nixon announced that he would order the withdrawal of 150,000 American troops from [[South Vietnam]] over the next 12 months in a gradual policy of "Vietnamization", putting more responsibility on the Army of the Repbulic of Viet Nam (ARVN). At the same time, Nixon was expanding the bombing of [[North Vietnam]] and had carried the war into [[Cambodia]]. <ref>Mark Clodfelter, ''The Limits of Air Power: The American Bombing of North Vietnam'' (University of Nebraska Press, 1989) p147</ref>
*'''Born: '''[[Marietta Slomka]], German television newscaster for the ZDF network; in [[Köln]], [[West Germany]]
*'''Died: '''[[Benny Benjamin]], 43, American jazz drummer who later became the recording studio drummer of [[Motown]]'s R & B hits, died of a stroke after years of battling drug and alcohol addiction. Benjamin would be posthumously inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]
==[[April 21]], 1969 (Monday)==
*All 44 people on-board an [[Indian Airlines]] flight from [[Agartala]] to [[Calcutta]] were killed as the Fokker F-27 airplane flew through severe thunderstorms during its brief flight in the airspace of [[Bangladesh|East Pakistan]]. The plane went down near the city of [[Khulna]]. <ref>"All 44 aboard IA plane die in crash", ''The Indian Express'' (Madras), April 23, 1969, p1</ref> <ref>"Storm Downs Plane In Pakistan; 44 Die", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 23, 1969, p1</ref>
*The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 6 to 3, that state-mandated waiting periods for receiving welfare benefits were unconstitutional because the rules in 40 of the 50 states (usually mandating a one-year wait before receiving [[Aid to Families with Dependent Children]] or AFDC). Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., wrote for the majority that the laws effectively prevented impoverished families from moving away from their state of residence, an impairment of the right of American citizens "to travel throughout the length and breadth of our land". Attorneys supporting the residency requirements forecast that the ruling would make more than 100,000 additional people eligible for assistance and would boost welfare expenses an additional $125 million per year. <ref>"Waiting Period For Welfare Ruled Invalid", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 22, 1969, p1</ref>
*[[Chase, British Columbia]], was incorporated as Canada's newest municipality, after having started in 1908 as a subdivision of land developed by the Adams River Lumber Company. <ref>[http://chasebc.ca/home/historic-chase/| "Historic Chase"] chasebc.com</ref>
*'''Born: '''[[Toby Stephens]], English stage, television and film actor; in [[Fitzrovia]], [[London]]
==[[April 22]], 1969 (Tuesday)==
*[[Robin Knox-Johnston]] became the first person to sail around the world alone and without taking on additional supplies or even approaching land. Knox-Johnston sailed his yacht, the ''Suhaili'', into [[Falmouth, Cornwall]] 312 days after his June 14, 1968 departure on the [[Sunday Times Golden Globe Race]]. <ref>"Sailor's heroic welcome", ''The Guardian'' (Manchester), April 23, 1969, p1</ref> By the time he returned to the cheers of thousands of onlookers at Falmouth and even more watching him on live television, Knox-Johnston had traveled (55,788 km). <ref>Robin Knox-Johnston, ''A World of My Own: The First Ever Non-stop Solo Round the World Voyage'' (Cassell & Company, 1969)</ref> <ref>"Round World Non-Stop— Lone Sailor Is Home", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', April 23, 1969, p1</ref> Up until he was sighted by a British tanker near the Azores on April 5, Knox-Johnston had not been seen or heard from for since November 20. <ref>"Thousands cheer returning sailor", ''Ottawa Citizen'', April 23, 1969, p1</ref>
[[File:Clinton at Georgetown 1967.jpg|150px|thumb|left|Future President Clinton]]
*[[Bill Clinton]], a 22-year old American [[Rhodes Scholar]] at the [[University of Oxford]] and future [[President of the United States]], received an induction notice from Draft Board Number 26 in [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]], directing him to return to the U.S. to begin military service; Clinton's friend, Cliff Jackson, would make a note of the date on his own calendar and recall Clinton asking him advice. <ref>Meredith L. Oakley, ''On the Make: The Rise of Bill Clinton'' (Regnery Publishing, 1994) pp69-70</ref> Because the letter had arrived late, Clinton would get a postponement of his reporting date, and would avoid induction by signing and agreement to enroll in the Army [[ROTC]] program at the [[University of Arkansas]] in 1970, although he would renege on that commitment. James MacGregor Burns and Georgia J. Sorenson, ''Dead Center: Clinton-Gore Leadership and the Perils of Moderation'' (Simon and Schuster, 1999) pp49-50
*[[Umuahia]], the capital city of the breakaway [[Republic of Biafra]] for 18 months after the fall of [[Enugu]], [[Operation Leopard (1969)|was recaptured by Nigerian Army troops]] of the [[1st Division (Nigeria)|First Nigerian Army Division]], commanded by Colonel [[Mohammed Shuwa]]. <ref>"Biafran Key City Captured", ''Fort Lauderdale (FL) News'', April 23, 1969, p1</ref> <ref>"Umuahia falls but war goes on 'inch by inch'", by John O'Callaghan, ''The Guardian'', April 23, 1969, p1</ref> The [[Nigerian Civil War]], however, would continue for another nine months.
*According to a copyrighted story in the ''[[Houston Post]]'', surgeon Conrad D. Moore had performed the first total transplant of an entire human eye. Dr. Moore carried out the surgical procedure at [[Houston Methodist Hospital]], and attempted to connect the recipient's optic nerves to those from the donor eye in hopes of curing [[blindness]]. "We're hopeful of this man's having some uniting of his nerves, but we'll have to wait and see," Dr. Moore said, but noted that the results would not be known for three weeks while the recipient's right eye eyelids remained sewed shut. <ref>"First Eye Transplant Performed on Man", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 23, 1969, p1</ref> <ref>"Transplant Patient Hopeful Eye 'Works'", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 24, 1969, p1</ref> Four days later, Dr. Moore admitted under questioning by the Houston Ophthalmological Society that he had only made a [[corneal transplant]] of the front portion of the donor eye, rather than totally replacing it <ref>"Eye Operation To Be Reviewed", ''Albuquerque Journal'', April 30, 1969, pA-11</ref>. The patient, a photo shop owner in [[Conroe, Texas]], would be released on May 12, able to move the new eye but without having regained any sight. <ref>"New Eye Moves, But He Can't See", ''The Democrat and Chronicle'' (Rochester NY), May 13, 1969, p7A</ref> though he would later claim that he had partial sight in the right eye and could see bright flashing light <ref>"World's First Total Human Eye Transplant Sees Light", ''San Bernardino County (CA) Sun'', September 24, 1969, p7</ref> Dr. Moore would be expelled from the ophthalmological society on June 9 <ref>"Docs Oust Eye 'Pioneer'", ''Daily News'' (New York), June 11, 1969, p6</ref> and from the Harris County Medical Society on September 22. <ref>"Transplant Donor Suspended", ''The Evening Sun'' (Baltimore MD), September 23, 1969, p4</ref>
*[[John Lennon]] of [[The Beatles]] legally changed his name from "John Winston Lennon" to "John Oko Lennon" in honor of his new wife, [[Yoko Ono]] Lennon. Lennon told reporters, "Yoko changed her name for me; I've changed mine for her. It gives us nine [[O]]'s between us, which is good luck. <ref>Peter Brown and Steven S. Gaines, ''The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles'' (Penguin, 2002) p325</ref>
*'''Died: '''[[Husain Bey, Crown Prince of Tunisia|Husain Bey Gouta]], 76, the first and only Crown Prince of [[Tunisia]] after having been designated as the heir to the throne by King [[Muhammad VIII al-Amin]] when Tunisia became independent in 1956. After the abolition of the Tunisian monarchy in 1957, Husain Bey remained in Tunisia and was pretender to the throne from the last king's death in 1962 until his own death.
==[[April 23]], 1969 (Wednesday)==
*Six days after convicting [[Sirhan Sirhan]] of first-degree murder for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the same 12-person Los Angeles jury completed its deliberations of which of the two penalties to impose as a sentence, and at 11:35 in the morning, announced that they had selected the death penalty, execution in the [[gas chamber]] at California's [[San Quentin State Prison]]. Sirhan, who showed no emotion upon hearing the sentence, reportedly told his defense attorney "Even Jesus Christ couldn't have saved me." <ref>"Tearless Sirhan Condemned To Death in Gas Chamber", ''Journal Herald'' (Dayton, O.), April 24, 1969, p1</ref> Sirhan, however, would be saved from execution three years later by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on [[June 1972|June 29, 1972]] in ''[[Furman v. Georgia]]'', finding the death penalty as written to be unconstitutional. <ref>"U.S. Supreme Court Kills Death Penalty", ''Oakland Tribune'', June 29, 1972, p1</ref> Fifty years after Robert Kennedy's death, Sirhan would still be in prison, transferred in 2013 to the [[Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility]] in [[San Diego]]. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2w3BdCd "Who killed Bobby Kennedy? His son RFK Jr. doesn't believe it was Sirhan Sirhan", by Tom Jackman, ''Washington Post'', June 5, 2018</ref> Sirhan would be denied parole 15 times, the last time being on February 10, 2016. <ref>"Panel denies parole to Sirhan, assassin of Robert F. Kennedy", By Elliot Spagat, Associated Press, February 11, 2016</ref>
*Oregon serial killer [[Jerry Brudos|Jerome "Jerry" Brudos]] kidnapped and murdered his fifth and last victim, on the same day of the discovery of the body of a woman whom he had killed the day before. Over the course of a year, Brudos had abducted and strangled five women in northwest Oregon, all of whom were between the ages of 19 and 23, then mutilated their bodies. The body of Mrs. Janet Shanahan, 22, was found inside the trunk of her car, a 1951 Plymouth which had been stolen and abandoned in [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]], where she was a student at the University of Oregon. <ref>"Eugene Police Probe Murder Of UO Coed", ''Corvallis (OR) Gazette-Times'', April 24, 1969, p1</ref> The same day, Linda Salee, a 22 year old secretary, disappeared after driving to a shopping center in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]; her body would be found in the [[Long Tom River]] on May 10. <ref>"Secretary Slain, River Yields Body", ''The Capital Journal'' (Salem OR), May 12, 1969, p1</ref> Two days later, a search of the Long Tom River found the body of Karen Sprinker, 19, an Oregon State University student who had been missing since March 27. <ref>"Search continues for murder clues", ''Albany (OR) Democrat-Herald'', May 16, 1969, p2</ref> Jerry Brudos, an electrician, would be arrested on June 2 and would eventually be convicted of three murders; he would die in prison in 2006. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2BzrBUZ "The Fetish Killer"], by Katherine Ramsland, https://ift.tt/2vZSjAy>
*'''Born: '''[[Yelena Shushunova]], Soviet Russian gymnast, winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1988 and World Championship (1985, 1987) and World Cup Final gold medalist (1986); in [[Leningrad]]
==[[April 24]], 1969 (Thursday)==
*The first [[mortgage-backed security]] was issued for sale by the [[Government National Mortgage Association]], colloquially known as "[[Ginnie Mae]]". <ref>Neil Fligstein and Doug McAdam, ''A Theory of Fields'' (Oxford University Press, 2012)</ref>
[[File:Austin Maxi World Cup Rally (1969) (35432559664).jpg|150px|thumb|left|A 1969 Austin Maxi]]
*The recently formed [[British Leyland]] motor company launched its first new model, the [[Austin Maxi]], in [[Portugal]].
*[[Rashid Karami]] resigned as [[Prime Minister of Lebanon]] after two days of rioting in the city of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]. <ref>"Lebanese Premier Quits Post", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 25, 1969, p2</ref>
*After [[Iraq]] had announced that it closed the [[Shatt al-Arab]] waterway to neighboring [[Iran]], the Shah of Iran responded with [[Joint Operation Arvand]], sending his navy's warships to escort an Iranian tanker down the river to the Persian Gulf and daring the Iraqis to attempt an attack. Faced with the superiority of the Iranian military, the Iraqis "had no choice but to remain immobile"; the two nations would agree to share control of the Shatt-al-Arab in 1975. <ref>Sadegh Shajari, ''Chain Reaction and Chaos: Toward Modern Persia'' (University Press of America, 2014) p117</ref>
*In [[Taiwan]], the government-controlled [[CPC Corporation|China Petroleum Company]] launched the new China Petrochemical Development Company (CPDC) "to promote national development of the petroleum industries, and to free Taiwan from reliance on foreign commerce and control over prices and raw material supplies." <ref>Agnes Syu, ''From Economic Miracle to Privatization Success: Initial Stages of the Privatization Process in Two SOEs on Taiwan'' (University Press of America, 1995) p122</ref>
*[[British Airtours|BEA Airtours]] was founded by [[British European Airways]] as a charter airline. Operations would begin on March 6, 1970, from [[Gatwick Airport]] with a single [[De Havilland Comet 4B]] flying vacation groups to [[La Palma] in the [[Canary Islands]]. Now called British Airtours, the company continues to operate for [[British Airways]]. <ref>Charles Woodley, ''The History of British European Airways'' (Casemate Publishers, 2006) p131</ref>
==[[April 25]], 1969 (Friday)==
*The [[Treaty of Tlatelolco]], a nuclear non-proliferation agreement among the signatory nations to ban nuclear weapons from Latin America and in the Caribbean, went into effect after [[Barbados]] became the 11th nation to ratify the pact. <ref>"A-Ban Pact Effective", ''Ottawa Journal'', April 28, 1969, p28</ref> The treaty had been signed in Mexico on February 14, 1967.
*'''Born: '''[[Renée Zellweger]], Oscar-winning American film actress and winner of three Golden Globes; in [[Katy, Texas]]
*'''Died:''' ''Generalleutnant'' [[Vollrath Lübbe]], 75, German tank commander during World War II and prisoner-of-war in the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1955
==[[April 26]], 1969 (Saturday)==
*[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] won English soccer football's [[1969 FA Cup Final|FA Cup]], beating [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]], 1 to 0 at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 spectators. With the win, Man City qualified for, and would go on to win, the [[1970 European Cup Winners' Cup Final|1970 European Cup Winners' Cup]].
*At the National Black Economic Development Conference in Detroit, militant leader [[James Forman]] delivered what he called "The Black Manifesto", encouraging African-American militants to disrupt services in white Christian churches and Jewish synagogues until the religious institutions agreed to pay $500 million in reparations for the injustices done to the black race. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2ByVQLE "Will Seize Churches, Black Unit Boasts"], ''Pittsburgh Press'', April 28, 1969, p44</ref> <ref>"'$500 Million Or We'll Seize The Churches!'", ''Akron Beacon Journal'', April 28, 1969, p1</ref>
*'''Died: '''[[Morihei Ueshiba]], 85, Japanese martial artist who created [[aikido]]
==[[April 27]], 1969 (Sunday)==
[[File:Rene barrientos.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Bolivian President Barrientos]]
*General [[René Barrientos]], the [[President of Bolivia]] since 1964, was killed in a helicopter crash while making a farm tour of rural Bolivia. The next day, a reporter for the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' would begin the obituary for the late president with the words, "The law of averages caught up with Bolivian Rene Barrientos on Sunday." Reporter Don Bohning would note that Barrientos had survived 21 aircraft accidents, 11 of them serious, but that "He perished in the 22nd." <ref>"The Fatal 22nd Accident", by Don Bohning, ''Miami Herald'', reprinted in ''Des Moines Tribune'', April 28, 1969, p3</ref> Part of the copter's landing gear became tangled in high tension electrical wires near the small town of [[Arque Municipality|Arque]] after taking off from a parking lot, killing the President, his aide Leo Orellana, and the pilot. <ref>"Bolivia Chief Dies in Crash", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 28, 1969, p1</ref> Vice President [[Luis Adolfo Siles Salinas|Luis Adolfo Siles]] was sworn into office but would be overthrown in a military coup five months later.
*[[French constitutional referendum, 1969|Voters in Metropolitan France rejected President de Gaulle's proposal to dramatically reform the government]], with 10,512,469 voting in favor, but 11,945,149 voting against. More than 80 percent of the registered voters cast ballots. The difference of almost 1.5 million votes meant that the roughly 750,000 yet-to-be-counted votes from France's overseas departments would make no difference in the outcome. "The threat which had helped him to win" in referenda in 1958, 1961, and 1962, an author would note later, "was no longer relevant", because by 1969, there were several reliable and capable candidates who could succeed de Gaulle. <ref>Philip Thody, ''The Fifth French Republic: Presidents, Politics and Personalities: A Study of French Political Culture'' (Routledge, 2002) p34</ref>
*'''Born:'''
**[[Cory Booker]], African-American politician and U.S. Senator for New Jersey since 2013, former mayor of [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]; in [[Washington, DC]]
**[[Michael Krasnow]], American author of the bestseller ''My Life as a Male Anorexic''; in [[Rochester, New York]] (died of [[anorexia nervosa]], 1997)
==[[April 28]], 1969 (Monday)==
[[File:Alain Poher 1969.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Acting French President Poher]]
*[[Charles de Gaulle]] resigned as president of [[France]] after suffering defeat in a [[French constitutional referendum, 1969|referendum the day before]], abiding by a pledge to step down if the voters showed no confidence in his plan, and bringing an end to 11 years in office. In a brief statement issued from his home in [[Colombey-les-Deux-Églises]], de Gaulle announced, "I am ceasing the exercise of my functions as President of the Republic. This decision takes effect at noon today." <ref>[https://ift.tt/2PtGJWI "GEN. DE GAULLE RESIGNS]— Vote Repudiates 10-Year Regime", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 28, 1969, p1</ref> "With a complete absence of formality," the Associated Press noted <ref>"Poher Now Paris Chief In Interim", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 29, 1969, p1</ref>, [[Alain Poher]], the President of the French Senate, was named as the Acting President of France by being delivered a letter from the French Constitutional Council advising him that a vacancy in the presidency existed and noting that the constitution authorized him to serve as the chief executive until elections could be held for a new President.
*[[Terence O'Neill]] resigned as [[Prime Minister of Northern Ireland]] after seven years in office and increasing civil rights violence between the UK nation's Protestant majority and Roman Catholic minority. O'Neill had previously advocated a gradual reform of Northern Ireland's political system. <ref>"O'Neill Out As Irish Premier", ''Akron (O.) Beacon Journal'', April 28, 1969, p1</ref>
==[[April 29]], 1969 (Tuesday)==
[[File:Richard Nixon and Duke Ellington 1969.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ellington and Nixon]]
*Bandleader [[Duke Ellington]] was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest civilian honor in the United States, by U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] at a [[White House]] celebration of Ellington's 70th birthday. <ref> [https://ift.tt/2wiV5Af "Duke Ellington still cooks — 33 years later"], ''Delta Democrat-Times'' (Greenville, Miss.), August 22, 2002 </ref>
==[[April 30]], 1969 (Wednesday)==
*The number of United States troops in [[South Vietnam]] reached its peak, with 543,482 American servicemen and women — more than half a million— in a nation of 19 million people. From May onward, the number of U.S. troops would gradually decline until the end of the [[Vietnam War]]. <ref>James H. Willbanks, ''Vietnam War: A Topical Exploration and Primary Source Collection'' (ABC-CLIO, 2017) p747</ref>
*[[Turi Widerøe]] of [[Norway]] became the worlds first woman pilot to be hired for a major western airline (women had been pilots for the Soviet carrier [[Aeroflot]] and for Bulgaria's [[Balkan Bulgarian Airlines|Balkan]] airline <ref>[https://ift.tt/2vZSkV8 "1970s: Turi Widerøe Takes the World by Storm"], ''SAS Scandinavian Traveler'' magazine (June 2016) </ref> Certified as a copilot on a [[Scandinavian Airlines]] [[Convair 440 Metropolitan|Convair 440]] <ref>"First woman pilot— Turi brushes aside male complaints", ''Arizona Republic'' (Phoenix), May 26, 1969, p25</ref> Widerøe took the controls of the for the first time on May 8. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2ByVTqO "Female shortage in the cockpit"], ''Dagens Næringsliv'', May 27, 2007 (Norwegian)</ref>
==References==
[[Category:April|1969]]
[[Category:1969|*1969-04]]
[[Category:Months in the 1960s|*1969-04]]
https://ift.tt/2OV97zN
