On this day in history - Today, April, 6

Today in History

• 1896 The first modern Olympic Games are opened in Athens

  241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the First Olympiad. The event took place over 1500 years

• 1909 Robert Peary allegedly becomes the first person to reach the North Pole

  Peary's claim has never been verified and is widely contested. The first undisputed journey to the N

• 1924 A team of aviators begins the first round-the-world flight in history

  Four aircraft left Seattle on a westbound route around the globe. 157 days later, two of them reache

• 1965 The first commercial communications satellite is launched

  Intelsat I, also known as Early Bird, facilitated the first live TV broadcast of a spacecraft splash

• 1994 The Rwandan genocide begins

  The assassination of Rwandan President, Juvénal Habyarimana, and Burundian President, Cyprien Ntarya