[goofywife]

1930: Gandhi ends Salt March

Mahatma Gandhi and his followers, in protest of the salt tax levied by the British Empire, ended their Salt March today at the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, some 240 miles from their starting point in Sabarmati.

"Mahatma Gandhi manufactured salt from sea water here this morning, thereby breaking the British law establishing a monopoly on salt manufacture," reported the Syracuse Herald on April 6, 1930. "At Dandi last night they prepared for the first definite act of civil disobedience. As the first step, they waded into the waters of the tidal marshes and filled pots with salt water. These were placed in the sun for evaporation of the water, and the residue of salt will be removed for sale."

NOTE: Gandhi is said to have stood in the water with a handful of mud and salt and declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." The march led to other acts of civil disobedience across India; however, Indian independence was not achieved until 17 years later.

1993: Blast occurs at Russian nuclear plant

Today, an explosion rocked a Russian nuclear weapons complex in the Siberian town of Tomsk-7. The explosion was blamed on a rise in pressure in an underground tank, which began when nitric acid was added as a cleanser. "Troops scooped up contaminated Siberian soil today after a tank holding radioactive waste exploded in what the government is calling the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster," informed The Capital on April 7, 1993.

1970: California patrol officers are killed

Four California Highway Patrol officers were killed today in what is considered one of the worst officer killings in CHP history. "The four highway patrolmen were killed after they stopped a car whose occupants were reported to have brandished guns at motorists on a freeway. After the shootout, the two gunmen fled separately on foot," explained the Progress-Bulletin on April 6, 1970. NOTE: One gunman was captured and later convicted on four counts of murder, while the other committed suicide before police could arrest him.

1917: U.S. declares war on Germany

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a declaration of war against Imperial Germany today, signaling the beginning of American involvement in World War I. On April 2, Wilson had called a special session of Congress asking them to approve the war. The vote in the Senate was 82 to 6, and the House of Representatives voted 373 to 50 in favor of war. "Some pacifism developed, but there was no question as to the ultimate outcome -- a hearty support of President Wilson's passage of the resolution," The Frederick Post reported on April 6, 1917. NOTE: The declaration of war came after Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, attacking and sinking several American ships.

1909: Explorer first to reach North Pole

Robert Peary, an Arctic explorer, became the first recorded person to reach the North Pole today. "From the bleak coast of Labrador Commander Peary today flashed the news that he has attained his goal in the Far North, while at the same moment, in Denmark, Dr. Frederick Cook was being dined and lionized by royalty for the same achievement," reported The Modesto Herald on September 9, 1909. NOTE: Although Peary was later credited with being the first to reach the pole, some still doubt his accomplishment.

1896: First modern Olympics open

The Olympic Games were revived today, opening in Athens, Greece after being banned for more than 1,500 years by Roman Emperor Theodosius I. "The exhibition and recognition of physical excellence in action is the one permanent characteristic common to the old athletics and the new. The essential influence of the purely physical part may be much the same, but the conditions and associations are all changed," explained The New York Times on April 26, 1896.

** I added the news paper byline. Let me know if you think its too much..