On April 29, 1997, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction went into force. The Convention prohibits member nations from creating and deploying chemical weapons and is overseen by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
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On April 28, 1994, Aldrich Ames, a former CIA official, pleaded guilty to passing US secrets to the USSR during the Cold War. Ames further confessed that he continued spying for Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Learn more about the case of Aldrich Ames from the FBI. Also read a CNN interview [...]
On April 28, 1952, a peace treaty between Japan and 48 nations took effect, formally ending World War II. Review the terms of the San Francisco Treaty.
On April 27, 1946, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East began its trials in Tokyo, Japan, ruling on the indictments of former Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and 27 associates. Learn more about the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
On April 27, 1861, US President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland and parts of several midwestern states during the American Civil War. Lincoln took this action to address draft riots and the threat of secession by Union states bordering the Confederacy. The President maintained his suspension even after it was [...]
On April 26, 1865, Sergeant Thomas P. Corbett was placed under technical arrest for killing John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln. Charges against Corbett were dropped by Secretary of War Stanton, and Corbett received a share of the reward money for Booth, which amounted to $1,653.85. Learn more about Thomas P. Corbett.
On April 26, 1970, the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) went into force, creating WIPO. WIPO is a United Nations agency that works to promote intellectual property rights in the international community. Today, 184 nations have signed the convention. Learn more about WIPO.
On April 25, 1792, highwayman Nicolas-Jacques Pelletier became the first person beheaded by the guillotine in France. Learn more about the history of the guillotine.
On April 24, 1800, US President John Adams approved $5,000 to fund the establishment of the US Library of Congress. Learn more about the history of the US Library of Congress.
On April 24, 1915, the German army used chlorine gas against Canadian troops at Ypres. Gas was later employed by British and French forces against the Germans. Learn more about early efforts by the Red Cross to ban chemical weapons and review the June 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of [...]
