History for April 8

History for April 8 - On-This-Day.com

Kofi Annan 1938 - United Nations secretary-general

• 1513 - Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
• 1913 - The Seventeenth amendment was ratified, requiring direct election of senators.
• 1935 - The Works Progress Administration was approved by the U.S. Congress.
• 1952 - U.S. President Truman seized steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike.
• 1974 - Hank Aaron hits 715th home run breaking Babe Ruth's record.
• 1986 - Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, CA.
• 2001 - Microsoft Corp. released Internet Explorer 6.0.