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Other Notable Events for April 8

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Published in History & Quotes

On this date in history:

In 1913, 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted, requiring that U.S. senators be elected by the people.

In 1935, the U.S. Congress approved the Works Progress Administration, a central part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.

In 1952, U.S. President Harry Truman ordered government seizure of the steel industry to avoid a general strike.

In 1960, the U.S. Senate passed the landmark Civil Rights Bill.

In 1974, Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's longstanding career record. (Aaron played two more seasons, ending with 755 home runs, a total eventually surpassed by Barry Bonds, who had 762.)

In 1990, Ryan White, who put the face of a child on AIDS, died of complications from the ailment at age 18.

In 1992, former tennis great Arthur Ashe confirmed he had AIDS. He said he contracted the disease from a blood transfusion.

In 1993, Marian Anderson, the first African-American singer to appear at New York's Metropolitan Opera, died at age 91.

In 1994, Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, 27, was found dead in his Seattle home of after what authorities said was a self-inclicted a gunshot wound to the head. .

In 2005, about 250,000 mourners attended a 3-hour funeral mass for Pope John Paul II in Rome's St. Peter's Square while about 1 million others gathered nearby. Among those in attendance were U.S. President George W. Bush and about 100 other world leaders.

In 2011, with less than 2 hours to spare, U.S. President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders reached agreement on a federal budget, narrowly averting a government shutdown.

In 2012, a church in Makurdi, Nigeria collapsed during Easter mass, killing 22 people.

In 2013, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis appointed eight cardinals to look into ways of reforming the Roman Catholic Church.

In 2014, Connecticut (40-0) captured a ninth NCAA women's basketball title, routing Notre Dame 79-58, the day after the UConn men's team also won a national championship, its fourth. The school's teams also won both titles in 2004. (The UConn women (38-1) won their 10th national title -- again beating Notre Dame -- on April 7, 2015. The score was 63-53.)

 


Copyright 2015 by United Press International

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