On 15 April 1874, the first Impressionist exhibition opened in Paris, introducing a revolutionary artistic style led by Monet, Degas, Renoir and others

On 15 April 1755, Samuel Johnson published his influential Dictionary of the English Language in London, setting a lasting standard for English lexicography

On 14 April 1981, Space Shuttle Columbia returned to Earth after completing its groundbreaking first mission, orbiting the planet 37 times in just over two days

On 14 April 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg off Newfoundland and sank in the early hours of 15 April, killing over 1,500 people

On 14 April 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater and died the next day, just days after the Civil War's end

On 13 April 1868, British and Indian troops captured Magdala, ending the Abyssinian War, as Emperor Tewodros II committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner

In April 1250, the Seventh Crusade ended in failure as Louis IX of France was captured in Egypt following a crushing defeat at Fariskur.

On 13 April 1970, an oxygen tank explosion aboard Apollo 13 forced NASA to abandon the Moon landing and focus on rescuing the crew

On 11 April 1814, Napoléon Bonaparte abdicated unconditionally and was exiled to Elba, ending his rule over France—albeit briefly

In 1868, Japan abolished the Tokugawa Shogunate and restored imperial rule under Emperor Meiji, beginning a sweeping era of modernisation

On 11 April 1968, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act banning housing discrimination and expanding protections during a time of racial upheaval in the United States

On 10 April 1972, 72 nations, including the US and USSR, signed the Biological Weapons Convention banning the development and stockpiling of germ warfare agents

On 10 April 1815, Mount Tambora erupted catastrophically, killing around 71,000 people and causing a global volcanic winter

On 10 April 1516, Venice established the first Jewish ghetto, confining Jews to a walled area in Cannaregio with restricted movement

On 9 April 1869, the Hudson’s Bay Company ceded its vast territorial holdings to Canada, accelerating national growth

On 9 April 2003, Baghdad fell to US forces, signalling the end of the invasion phase and the downfall of Saddam Hussein's regime