This Day In History

On April 1, 1883, Lon Chaney was born Leonidas Frank Chaney in Colorado Springs, Colorado, beginning a life that would reshape character acting in early film. Known as the “Man of a Thousand Faces,” he built a career on transformation, using makeup, body language, and physical endurance to create some of the silent era’s most memorable roles.

On March 31, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), putting thousands of unemployed young men to work almost immediately. The program became one of the earliest and most visible efforts of the New Deal, addressing both economic hardship and environmental need with practical, measurable results.

On March 30, 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long used ether during surgery for the first time, allowing a patient to undergo a procedure without pain. That moment is now honored each year as National Doctors’ Day, recognizing both the event and the physicians who continue to apply medical science in practice.

On March 29, 1974, Mariner 10 became the first space probe to fly by Mercury. It would eventually send back over 2,700 photos, capturing nearly half of the planet’s surface.

On March 31, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), putting thousands of unemployed young men to work almost immediately. The program became one of the earliest and most visible efforts of the New Deal, addressing both economic hardship and environmental need with practical, measurable results.

On March 27, 1884, the first long-distance telephone call between New York and Boston proved that voices could travel hundreds of miles over a wire. That single connection helped shift the telephone from a local novelty into a system capable of linking entire regions.

On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk announced the first successful polio vaccine, offering hope against one of the most feared diseases of the 20th century. That moment now anchors National Science Appreciation Day, a modern observance that highlights how careful research and tested discoveries can change lives.

On March 25, 1931, civil rights leader, journalist, and suffragette Ida B. Wells died at the age of 68. Her life’s work—documenting injustice with facts and confronting violence with fearless reporting—left a detailed record of a nation struggling with race and equality.

Danish author Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in Odense, Funen, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway. Best known as an author of Fairy Tales, his birthday is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day.

On April 2, 1792, Congress passed the Coinage Act (also known as the Mint Act), which, among other things, created the United States Mint. The US Mint building in Philadelphia was the first federal building created under the Constitution.

President Woodrow Wilson addressed Congress on April 2, 1917, asking to declare war and join World War I. Despite Wilson’s desire to remain neutral, Germany had attacked several ships carrying US citizens, with no promise of stopping.

On April 2, 1940, the Committee for the Establishment of a National Diabetes Association was formed, paving the way for the creation of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Today it’s one of the top non-profit charity organizations in the country.