In History, Today on April 7

Charles University in Prague, the first university in Central Europe, is founded by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia.

Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu in the Philippines during his circumnavigation of the globe.

Captain John Barry and the USS Lexington captured the British tender Edward, marking the first American naval victory during the Revolutionary War.

American pioneers establish the town of Marietta, Ohio, the first permanent settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory.

Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples, Italy.

The first long-distance public television broadcast is made from Washington, D.C., to New York City, displaying the image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is established by the United Nations to coordinate international health activities and to help governments improve health services.

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his "domino theory" speech during a news conference, explaining why the United States should continue to support French Indochina.

The Internet's symbolic birth date: the publication of RFC 1.

The Rwandan genocide begins, leading to the mass slaughter of Tutsi by Hutu extremists over the next 100 days.

Mars Odyssey was launched by NASA to search for evidence of past or present water and volcanic activity on Mars.

U.S. troops captured Baghdad, leading to the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck L'Aquila in central Italy, resulting in significant destruction and loss of life.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted from power following a violent uprising in the capital, Bishkek.

The United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack in Khan Shaykhun.

A suspected chemical attack occurred in Douma, Syria, leading to international condemnation and subsequent military responses from Western nations.