This Day In History, April 17th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on April 17th.
In order to discover a western path to the East Indies, Christopher Columbus enters a contract with Spain in 1492.
1861: The Virginia State Convention decides to join the Confederacy and separate from the Union, making it the ninth state to do so.
In an effort to topple Fidel Castro's government, a group of Cuban exiles launched the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 with support from the United States.
1970: Apollo 13 returns to Earth safely following the mission's abortion due to an explosion in one of its oxygen tanks. Apollo 13 was a NASA lunar landing mission.
1982: Queen Elizabeth II formally revokes British legislative control over Canada by signing the Canada Constitution Act into law, ensuring the country's complete independence.
April 17th, 1492: Christopher Columbus signs a contract with Spain to find a western route to the East Indies.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain gave Christopher Columbus a contract on April 17, 1492, directing him to locate a western path to the East Indies. Before successfully persuading the Spanish monarchs to back him, Columbus had been seeking funds for his projected expedition for several years and had encountered multiple rejections. Columbus received a lot of power and privileges under the terms of the agreement, commonly known as the Capitulations of Santa Fe, including the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and the ability to rule any new territory. The expedition would eventually bring Columbus to the Caribbean islands, which he termed the "West Indies," and it would then be possible for Europe to colonize the Americas.
1861: The Virginia State Convention votes to secede from the United States, becoming the eighth state to do so, and joining the Confederacy.
The Virginia State Convention voted on whether to split from the Union and join the Confederate States of America on April 17, 1861. Since February, the convention had been gathering to discuss Virginia's stance on the escalating disputes between the North and South on matters like slavery and state's rights. After lengthy discussion, the conference narrowly decided to secede, with 88 delegates voting in favor and 55 voting against. Virginia, the eighth state to leave the Union, joined the Confederacy, which was a major setback for the Union cause since it gave the Confederacy access to crucial resources and tactical advantages.
1961: A group of Cuban exiles, backed by the United States, launches the Bay of Pigs invasion in an attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.
A group of Cuban exiles began an invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961, with American training and assistance. The invasion's goal was to topple Fidel Castro's administration, which had allied Cuba with the Soviet Union after seizing power in a revolution in 1959. The invasion was a colossal disaster since the exiles and their US-supplied armaments were easily defeated by the Cuban military, which was supported by Soviet weapons. For the US, which had anticipated to quickly and easily remove Castro and install a pro-US administration in Cuba, the invasion was a massive humiliation.The Bay of Pigs invasion had far-reaching effects, strengthening Castro's hold on power and escalating hostilities between the US and Cuba as well as the US and the USSR.
1970: Apollo 13, a NASA mission to land on the moon, returns to Earth safely after an explosion in one of its oxygen tanks caused the mission to be aborted.
The Apollo 13 spacecraft, which was on a mission to land on the moon, successfully landed back on Earth on April 17, 1970, ending the mission due to an explosion in one of its oxygen tanks. On April 13, while the spaceship was approximately 200,000 miles from Earth, an explosion damaged the service module and resulted in an oxygen and electrical power outage. Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise made up the crew, and they collaborated with ground control to improvise answers to the many issues they encountered, such as a lack of oxygen and the need to save power. Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise made up the crew, and they collaborated with ground control to improvise answers to the many issues they encountered, such as a lack of oxygen and the need to save power.
1982: Queen Elizabeth II signs the Canada Constitution Act into law, officially ending British legislative authority over Canada and establishing the country as a fully independent nation.
Queen Elizabeth II signed the Canada Constitution Act into law on April 17, 1982, thereby ending British legislative control over the country and establishing Canada as a fully independent state. The 1982 Constitution Act, often known as the Constitution Act, was the result of a protracted constitutional reform process that had been going on in Canada for several decades. It also featured the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guaranteed a variety of civil freedoms and human rights safeguards for Canadians, and it transferred the authority to modify Canada's constitution from the British Parliament to the Canadian Parliament. The Constitution Act marked the country's transformation from a former British colony to a fully independent and sovereign nation, and it was a crucial turning point in Canadian history.