arc during WWII.
On July 29, 1836, the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) officially opened to the public. Before the plans were made for the Arc de Triomphe, there was a proposal for a different structure in that location. Architect Charles Ribart wanted to build a three-level elephant-shaped building with a spiral staircase and furniture that folded into the walls. However, the French government denied his request.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, Cape Province, South Africa. The son of a local chief, Mandela spent much of his childhood herding cattle and was enrolled in a local Methodist school at the age of seven. He went on to attend a Methodist high school and college, where he enjoyed playing sports, particularly long-distance running and boxing.
Nurse and social reformer Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
On April 20, 1918, the Red Baron shot down his 80th plane, a record for World War I.
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to travel into space.
On April 1, 1700, pranksters in England popularized the annual tradition of playing jokes on each other on April Fools’ Day.
On October 7, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union and United Kingdom.
On September 28, 1990, the USPS released two joint-issue stamps commemorating the 1986 compact of free association with Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
On September 8, 1954, eight nations signed the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, creating the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).