On This Day - What Happened on April 10 (2024)

1938

Anschluss approved in Austria

In a controlled plebiscite in Austria this day in 1938, soon after Adolf Hitler's invasion of the country, 99.7 percent of Austrians approved the Anschluss (German: “Union”)—the political unification of Austria and Germany.

© Marschalek/United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Max von Sydow

Swedish actor

born

April 10, 1929
Lund, Sweden

died

March 8, 2020 (aged 90)

© 1965 Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

2019

Astronomers released the first-ever image of a black hole, which is in the centre of the massive galaxy M87. Learn more about black holes

Event Horizon Telescope collaboration et al.

2001

The Netherlands passed a bill permitting euthanasia, the first such national law in the world. Take our quiz about European history

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

1998

The Good Friday Agreement was signed, calling for devolved government in Northern Ireland; the accord was ratified by Ireland and Northern Ireland the following month.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

1988

After taking a decade to build, the Seto Great Bridge, spanning the Inland Sea in Japan, was opened to traffic. Take our quiz about bridges

Orion Press, Tokyo

1986

Halley's Comet reached the perigee (point nearest Earth) of its most recent passage near the planet. From celestial bodies to satellites, navigate the “outer limits” in our space science quiz

NASA/National Space Science Data Center

1973

Pakistan adopted its third constitution, shifting the role of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto from president to prime minister. Test your knowledge of notable prime ministers

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

1972

The development, production, and stockpiling of biological weapons were outlawed by the Biological Weapons Convention, signed by more than 150 countries. Take our quiz about weapons and warfare

1957

The courtroom classic 12 Angry Men was released in the United States; it starred Henry Fonda as a juror who tries to convince the others that the accused murderer may be innocent. How much do you know about movies?

© United Artists Corporation

1932

Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, who was known for his iconic roles in such films as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born. Test your knowledge of cinema

AF Archive/Alamy

1925

American author F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, which became a literary classic. Can you match these authors to their novels?

Public Domain

1925

The first government led by French premier Édouard Herriot, a Radical Party leader who had been put into office by the left-wing coalition Cartel des Gauches, fell. How much do you know about French history?

H. Roger-Viollet

1919

Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, a champion of agrarianism who fought in guerrilla actions during and after the Mexican Revolution (1910–20), was ambushed and fatally shot. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Latin America

Archivo Casasola

1912

The RMS Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage, which ended in tragedy several days later when the luxury liner struck an iceberg and sank. How much do you know about the Titanic?

The Bettmann Archive

1872

People in Nebraska celebrated the first Arbor Day, planting more than one million trees; other U.S. states and countries later observed the holiday. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about trees

© Jose Luis Pelaez Inc—DigitalVision/Getty Images

1866

1849

The safety pin was patented by Walter Hunt in the United States; he later sold his rights to the fastener for just $400. Take our quiz about inventors and inventions

1633

Bananas went on sale for the first time in London. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about bananas

AdstockRF

1583

Hugo Grotius, the Dutch jurist and scholar whose legal masterpiece, De Jure Belli ac Pacis (1625; On the Law of War and Peace), was one of the first great contributions to modern international law, was born.

Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam