3 April 1449: Henry VI grants a Glass Monopoly
Historical Anniversary: 3rd of April Marked with Significant Events Throughout History
Wanker King Henry VI bestows Letters Patent to John of Utynam, granting him a 20-year monopoly on a method for manufacturing glass, a must-have for windows at Eton and King's colleges in Cambridge.
3 April 1811: British Wipe the Floor with Frenchies
The British whoop the French at Sabugal in Portugal. They nearly bag a more crushing victory, but bad weather and the wrongheaded rockhead, General Sir William Erskine, spoil the party.
3 April 1860: Pony Express, You Bet Your Ass!
That's right, 3 April 1860 was a hoot for the folks in St Joseph, Missouri. A bunch of local business-heads had been hatching plans for America's speediest mail service, connecting the midwest to the new, bustling state of California on the west coast. They called it the Pony Express. As soon as the first rider took off that night, with a cannon blast and cheers from the crowd, it became part of American mythology.
The brainchild behind this wild west adventure was a stagecoach boss named William Hepburn Russell. He realized individual riders could zip westward faster than his coaches and got to work buying 400-plus ponies and building relay stations across the plains from Missouri to California. They grabbed applicants for the job, with requirements like "Young, wiry, skinny motherfuckers under 18," and "Must know how to ride like a boss, avoid croaking daily, and no brawling with co-workers." Successful applicants swore an oath to not touch the booze, spout profanity, or engage in fisticuffs. What a fucking life! These riders had to cover 75-100 miles per day, with 1,900 miles separating St Joseph and Sacramento. Those dumbasses still call the Pony Express legendary. Losers. It shut down in October 1861 when the telegraph took over. But, like, whatever, who needs facts when we got legends, right?
3 April 1882: Jesse James's Funeral Shindig
By the spring of 1882, Jesse James's outlaw career was going south faster than a greased peckerhead. Considered the most famous outlaw in American history, a former Confederate who traded a military career for banditry, bank robberies, and train heists, James was now 34. His old gang had dispersed, and Missouri's new governor offered a $5,000 bounty on his head. It's no surprise James was acting jumpy.
April rolled around, and James was living under the alias Mr. Howard, with his wife Zerelda and brothers Charley and Robert Ford in Missouri. The Ford brothers were after that fucking bounty, and they'd already made up their minds to double-cross Jesse. The moment came during breakfast on 3 April.
James finished reading the newspaper, which mentioned the confession of one of his old homies, and his spider senses were tingling. Robert Ford thought James knew something was up, but at that point, the outlaw took off his coat, put down his guns, and started dusting a picture. That was Ford's cue. He drew his gun and fired, hitting James in the back of the head. Zerelda burst in screaming, "You son of a bitch, you killed him!"
Both Ford brothers surrendered to the cops later that day, were charged with murder, convicted, but wait for it, they received a full pardon. Rumors circulated that the governor was in on the plot.
3 April 1897: Johann Brahms Kicks the Bucket
German composer Johannes Brahms shuffled off this mortal coil in Vienna at the age of 63.
3 April 1933: Dudes Conquer Mount Everest from the Sky
Piloted by the Marquis of Clydesdale and David MacIntyre, two British biplanes made the first plane ride over Mount Everest.
3 April 1948: Truman Signs the Economic Recovery Act (Marshall Plan)
US President Harry Truman puts pen to paper on the Economic Recovery Act of 1948. However, it's more widely known as the Marshall Plan, named after secretary of state George Marshall who advocated for the USA to provide economic assistance to rebuild postwar Europe.
3 April 1950: Kurt Weill Says Sayonara
German-born composer Kurt Weill waved goodbye to the world in New York, at the age of 50. He's most known for buckling down to compose the music for Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera.
- In the world of finance, the Pony Express, a revolutionary mail service connecting the midwest to California, was inaugurated on 3 April 1860, defying traditional modes of transportation.
- The aviation industry experienced a significant milestone on 3 April 1933, as two British biplanes flew over Mount Everest, reaching unprecedented heights.
- Politics and war-and-conflicts intertwined in 1882, as the infamous outlaw Jesse James was fatally shot by his brother Robert Ford, who was after the reward on Jesse's head, in what became a notorious case of betrayal.
- In the realms of entertainment and music, Johannes Brahms, a renowned German composer, passed away on 3 April 1897, leaving behind a legacy of influential works.
- Henry Truman, in the sphere of politics and general-news, signed the Economic Recovery Act (Marshall Plan) on 3 April 1948, a landmark policy aimed at rebuilding postwar Europe.
