In History, Today on April 4

Francis Drake is knighted by Queen Elizabeth I aboard the Golden Hind in Deptford, England, after his successful circumnavigation of the globe.

Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates as Emperor of the French and is exiled to the island of Elba.

The United States Congress adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for each new state.

William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States, dies of pneumonia, becoming the first U.S. president to die in office, just 31 days after his inauguration.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established by 12 Western nations as a collective defense pact against potential aggression from the Soviet Union.

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, leading to nationwide riots and a period of mourning.

Microsoft is founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico, marking the beginning of one of the world's largest technology companies.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is executed after being deposed in a military coup led by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

The Angolan government and UNITA rebels signed a peace agreement, ending the Angolan Civil War that had lasted for 27 years.

The United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on four Sudanese individuals for their role in the Darfur conflict, marking the first time the UN took such action in the conflict.

NATO leaders invited Albania and Croatia to join the alliance during the Bucharest Summit, marking a significant expansion of the organization.

North Korea launched a long-range rocket, which it claimed was a satellite launch, but was widely condemned as a test of ballistic missile technology.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Arms Trade Treaty, regulating the international trade in conventional arms, with the aim of reducing illegal arms trafficking.

A chemical attack occurred in Khan Shaykhun, Syria, killing at least 89 people and leading to international condemnation and U.S. missile strikes on a Syrian airbase.

The YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, was attacked by a shooter who wounded three people before taking her own life.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a global milestone as the number of confirmed cases surpassed 1 million worldwide, highlighting the rapid spread of the virus.