GMT

Today in History: April 7

30 Scholars' estimate for Jesus' crucifixion by Roman troops in Jerusalem [or April 3]

451 Attila the Hun plunders Metz in Northeastern France

1814 Granted sovereignty in the island of Elba and a pension from the French government, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates at Fontainebleau. He is allowed to keep the title of emperor.

1909 Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first men to reach the North Pole.

1924 Four planes leave Seattle on the first successful flight around the world.

1941 German forces invade Greece and Yugoslavia.

1980 US President Jimmy Carter breaks relations with Iran during hostage crisis

1983 Oldest human skeleton, aged 80,000 years, discovered in Egypt

2003 U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein's regime falls two days later.

2020 China ends its lockdown of Wuhan, the city at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic after 76 days as the country reports no new deaths for the 1st time

2021 UK COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 (Alpha) now the dominant variant in the US according to the CDC, as 108 million Americans have received at least one vaccine dose


Born on April 7

1928 James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.


JOTD
An American spy is in Soviet Russia, digging up information on a powerful Russian politician. He finds him in a bar, walks in dressed in Russian attire, pretending to be Russian. Everybody in the bar looks at him, but he keeps his cool. He orders a drink and walks to the politician...

"Greetings, comrade." says the spy, but before he could finish his sentence, the Russian says, "I think you are American spy."
The spy is alarmed, but being a skilled, trained, spy, he says, "That is not true! I am the proudest Soviet there is! I can sing the anthem more beautifully than any other man in the country!"
He then proceeds to sing the Soviet anthem, so melodically and beautifully, that everybody in the bar cheers.
"Very good, very good!" says the politician. "But I still think you are spy."
The man continues to keep his cool.
"I am a historian! I can tell you everything about this glorious country!"
He then spends about two hours recounting the Revolution, the Great Patriotic War, about how superior to the Russia is in terms of technology compared to America and makes a great argument about how communism is beneficial to society.
"Amazing! You are skilled!" says the politician.
The spy smirks.
"But I still think you American spy."
The spy is getting frustrated, but still unfazed.
He replies, "I am good drinker, a true Russian! Let us drink, and see who can come out top!"
The bar turns its attention to the politician and the spy, who are now in a drinking contest.
The bartender serves drink after drink of vodka.
After about an hour of drinking, the politician nearly passes out, unable to hold as much liquor as the spy, to a resounding cheer amongst the bar.
In the midst of the cheering, the Russian politician gets up, smiling, and in a slurred speech, repeats, "You are good, you are good... but I still think you are spy."
The American spy, piss drunk, loses his skill and gives up.
"Okay, you got me. I am an American. But what made you think that way, after all this time?"
The Russian politician replies, "There aren't many black people in Russia."