01-04-2025
Today in History: April 1, US forces invade Okinawa during World War II
In 1924, Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. (Hitler would serve just nine months of the sentence, during which time he completed the first volume of 'Mein Kampf.')
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In 1945, American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World War II. (US forces succeeded in capturing the Japanese island on June 22, after a battle in which more than 240,000 died, including as many as 150,000 Okinawan civilians.)
In 1946, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake centered near Alaska's Aleutian Islands triggered a tsunami that pounded the Hawaiian Islands with waves up to 55 feet tall, killing 159.
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In 1970, President Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and television beginning in January 1971.
In 1976, Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.
In 1984, singer Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father after Gaye intervened in an argument between his parents at their home.
In 1997, dubbed the 'April Fool's storm,' a powerful system dropped more than two feet of snow in Boston and as much as three feet in other parts of the state.
In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
In 2003, American troops raided a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, and rescued Army Private First Class Jessica Lynch, who had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed on March 23.
