April 4

611

A Maya king from Calakmul conquers Palenque in southern Mexico. The war between city-states reshapes Mesoamerica.

1581

Queen Elizabeth I knights Francis Drake aboard the Golden Hind after he circumnavigates the globe.

1796

Georges Cuvier delivers the first paleontology lecture in history. Compares fossil elephant bones to living species and founds a new science.

1814

Napoleon abdicates for the first time. The man who conquered Europe surrenders at Fontainebleau.

1850

Los Angeles is officially incorporated as an American city, 69 years after its founding by Spanish settlers.

1865

Abraham Lincoln walks through the streets of Richmond, the Confederate capital, one day after it fell. Freed people surround him.

1887

Susanna Salter is elected mayor of Argonia, Kansas -- the first woman mayor in US history. She was placed on the ballot as a joke. She won by two-thirds.

1928

Maya Angelou is born. Poet, writer, activist. 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' would change American literature.

1949

The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington. NATO is born.

1958

The peace sign is displayed in public for the first time, at a march in London. Gerald Holtom designed it for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

1965

Robert Downey Jr. is born. Iron Man, Chaplin, Oppenheimer. Shares a birthday with Diana.

1968

Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis. He was 39. The country burns. Over 100 cities erupt in protest.

1973

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are dedicated in New York. The tallest buildings in the world at the time.

1974

Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's career home run record. Four days later he would break it forever.

1975

Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A company to make software for a computer almost nobody owns.

1979

Heath Ledger is born in Perth, Australia. Natasha Lyonne is born in New York. Two film legends, same day.

1982

El Chichon volcano in Chiapas erupts with full force. The blast lasts 7 hours. The ash column reaches 22 kilometers high. Nine villages disappear. The worst volcanic disaster in modern Mexican history. Joan Jett is number one in the US with 'I Love Rock n Roll'. Luis Miguel, just 11 years old, is number one in Mexico. And in Torreon, Coahuila, an Aries girl arrives in the world.

1983

Space Shuttle Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space.

1984

Winston Smith begins his secret diary in George Orwell's '1984'. The date Orwell chose: April 4.

1994

Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Netscape. Their browser would teach the world what the internet is.

1997

The quinceañera. Two weeks earlier, the Selena biopic starring Jennifer Lopez hit theaters. Space Shuttle Columbia launches into orbit. Puff Daddy tops the charts. Thalia just finished the Maria trilogy. Grupo Limite is the biggest thing in norteño music. And in San Pedro de las Colonias, Coahuila, a young woman celebrates with a waltz, new shoes, and the whole community.

2000

'Maria Maria' by Santana is number one in the United States. A Latin song about a strong woman, on top of the world. In Mexico, Vicente Fox just broke 71 years of PRI rule. And in Coahuila, a young woman becomes an adult. The world is opening up.

2002

Angola and UNITA rebels sign a peace deal, ending 27 years of civil war.

2003

Coalition forces capture Baghdad International Airport. The Iraq War dominates every screen. The Department of Homeland Security is weeks old. The border has been transformed since September 11. And still, in May, she crosses. She moves to Chandler, Arizona. Everything changes. Everything begins.

2007

'Beer in Mexico' by Kenny Chesney is number one in country. Ugly Betty with America Ferrera puts a Latina in primetime. Pasito Duranguense is the dance at every party and every quinceañera. She has been in Arizona for four years now. She is building a life.

2010

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes the Mexico-US border near Mexicali. Felt on both sides. In Arizona, SB 1070 will be signed in weeks -- the 'show me your papers' law that will terrorize Latino communities.

2012

'We Are Young' by fun. is number one. Jenni Rivera is at the peak of her career. SB 1070 reaches the Supreme Court in three weeks. At every traffic light in Arizona, being Latina is an act of courage. But she did not leave. She stayed.

2013

Roger Ebert dies. America's most famous film critic. 46 years reviewing movies. The first to win a Pulitzer for film criticism.

2022

Bad Bunny is the most-streamed artist on the planet. He sings only in Spanish. He does not apologize. Disney's 'Encanto' puts Spanish at the center of American pop culture. 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' premieres -- a film about an immigrant woman who discovers she contains multitudes. The world emerges from the pandemic. She is still here. Stronger.

2026

Today. Dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Selena Tribute at Crescent Ballroom. Cumbia, tejano, and everyone who loves her. La Noche de Diana.