April 8: On this day in world history …. briefly

Interesting historic snippets and facts taken from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London.

April 8, 2018

South Coast Herald 1 minute read

1904: Britain and France sign the Entente Cordiale, a mutual recognition of each other’s colonial interests with particular regard to France’s in Morocco and Britain’s in Egypt.

1925: The Australian government and the British Colonial Office offer low-interest loans to encourage 500 000 Britons to emigrate to Australia.

1950: Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, who retired at only 29 suffering from schizophrenia dies at the age of 60.

1953: British colonial administrators in Kenya sentenced Jomo Kenyatta and five others to seven years’ hard labour. Kenyatta was alleged to be the leader of the secret terror organisation known as the ‘Mau Mau’.

1962: Cuban leader Fidel Castro offers to ransom prisoners held since the invasion of the Bay of Pigs on April 19, 1961.

1973: Spanish painter Pablo Picasso died at the age of 91 at his chateau at Mougins after suffering a heart attack.

1977: ‘The Damned’ play New York to become the first punk band to go on stage in the USA.

1989: It is revealed that more than 40 Soviet submariners died after a nuclear-powered ‘Mike’ class submarine refused assistance from nearby Western merchant ships when it caught fire.