Important Events From This day in History – 16 April

Today in History

• 2012 The trial of Anders Behring Breivik begins in Oslo

  The right-wing extremist had killed 77 people, mostly teenagers, in Oslo and at a youth camp on Utya island with a car bomb. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison after his mental health was called into question prior to the trial.

• 2003 Ten new member states are admitted to the European Union

  Poland, Cyprus, and the Czech Republic were among the countries admitted to the EU through the Treaty of Accession. Its original title is 99 words long.

• 1964 The Rolling Stones release their debut album

  The album The Rolling Stones, released in the United States with the added title “England’s Newest Hit Makers”, topped the UK charts for twelve weeks.

• 1917 Vladimir Lenin returns to Russia from exile

  Later that year, the communist revolutionary was elected President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (SFSR). He was the Soviet Union’s first Premier beginning in 1922.

• 1912 Harriet Quimby flies across the English Channel

  The U.S. aviator was the first woman who achieved this feat. She died at the age of 37 when her plane crashed in Massachusetts.