Important Events From This day in History – 1 April

Today in History

• 2001 The Netherlands becomes the first country to allow same-sex marriage

  Despite conservative opposition, gay and lesbian couples are now permitted to marry in many other countries.

• 2001 Slobodan Milošević is arrested

  The former Serbian President was arrested on corruption charges. Later, he was charged with war crimes committed during the Yugoslav wars by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

• 1976 Apple Inc. is founded

  Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded the computer company that has grown into a multinational corporation and whose most well-known product is the iPhone. The company’s global revenue was $156 billion in 2012.

• 1957 The BBC broadcasts the spaghetti tree hoax

  Panorama, a current affairs programme, aired a 3-minute film depicting a Swiss family harvesting spaghetti from a tree. Several viewers later contacted the BBC to find out where they could find and grow such a plant. The hoax is widely regarded as one of the best April Fools’ Day jokes ever perpetrated.

• 1939 General Franco proclaims victory in the Spanish civil war

  Spain was ruled by the dictator until he died in 1975. His regime was responsible for egregious violations of human rights, including the murder of numerous political opponents.