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This Day In World History: April 18
In this article, EKO HOT BLOG has done a compilation of major events that took place on This Day In World History: April 18
History provides a clear illustration of how society, technology and government work locally, nationally and globally. Discover what happened on this day in History.
This Day In Nigeria History: April 18
2007: Federal government rejected an opposition call to postpone the presidential election following widespread abuses in state polls.
An 18-member coalition of the main opposition parties called for the indefinite postponement of the election and rejected the results of the regional poll and demanded the replacement of the official electoral commission.
About 50 people were killed in election-day violence amid widespread abuses across Africa’s most populous country and top oil producer.
A grouping of local election observers said the results announced in 10 of 36 states did not reflect the will of the people and should be rejected.
The European Union also criticised the conduct of the poll for state governors and said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should seriously consider re-running the election in several states.
2010: Gunmen abducted two (2) Germans who sought respite along a beach in the oil-rich and violent southern Niger Delta region.
Gunmen abducted two Germans who sought respite along a beach in Nigeria’s oil-rich and violent southern region, an area long targeted by kidnappers ranging from criminal gangs to armed militants, a private security official said Monday.
The official said the two men visited a beach Sunday along the Imo River in Abia state, near the oil-rich swamps and creeks of the Niger Delta. The two men had started walking back to their car where their driver waited when gunmen seized them, the official said.
Militants in the delta have targeted oil workers for kidnapping in the past during their campaign to bring more oil money to a region that suffered environmental damage and economic neglect over 50 years of production. However, criminal gangs increasingly target wealthy Nigerians and politicians for kidnappings, as well as foreigners who stumble into their path.
The two Germans kidnapped apparently traveled to the area, long known for its instability, without any guards.
2013: Fighting erupted between security forces and Boko Haram extremists in the fishing town of Baga, Borno State.
This Day In World History: April 18
1775: The midnight ride of Paul Revere
Paul Revere, a renowned silversmith, is better remembered as a folk hero of the American Revolution who this night in 1775 made a dramatic ride on horseback to warn Boston-area residents of an imminent attack by British troops.
1980: Zimbabwe achieved independence
Zimbabwe achieved independence from the United Kingdom.
1945: American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed in World War II
During the U.S. invasion of the Japanese island of Okinawa in World War II, American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed on nearby Ie Island by Japanese gunfire.
1942: The Doolittle Raid, by U.S. Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle on Tokyo
U.S. Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle led 16 B-25 bombers on a spectacular surprise attack on Tokyo and other Japanese cities; the Doolittle Raid, as it became known, caused little damage but boosted Allied morale.
1906: San Francisco earthquake caused by slippage
San Francisco was rocked by an earthquake caused by slippage along the San Andreas Fault.
1857: American defence lawyer, Clarence Darrow who defended the Darwinian theory of evolution—was born.
American defense lawyer, public speaker, debater, and writer Clarence Darrow—among whose high-profile court appearances was the Scopes Trial, in which he defended a Tennessee high-school teacher who had broken a state law by presenting the Darwinian theory of evolution—was born.
1506: Pope Julius II laid the first stone of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
Pope Julius II laid the first stone of the new St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
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