- On 18 April 1980, Elmore City, Oklahoma, held the first dance in the town’s history. The Kevin Bacon film, which was loosely based on this, was…
- Footloose—Footloose is a 1984 American musical drama film about Ren, a Chicago teenager who moves to Bomont, a town with a ban on rock ‘n’ roll and dancing. Ren struggles to fit in and gets into trouble when he falls for Ariel Moore, the preacher’s daughter. To challenge the ban, Ren confronts prejudice and the town’s strict preacher through dance. The film was a box office success, grossing $80 million in North America. It was loosely based on real events in Elmore City, where a ban on public dancing existed before statehood. In the 1979-1980 school year, students lobbied for a school prom with dancing, facing opposition from church leaders. Ultimately, the town mayor supported the students, declaring the prom a non-public event, and the school board authorised it. The controversy gained national attention, inspiring songwriter/screenwriter Dean Pitchford to create the film.
Interior of dome, St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. Wikipedia - In Vatican City, the cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica was laid on this day in…
- 1506—Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, a renowned Italian Renaissance church designed by Bramante, Michelangelo and Maderno, is considered one of the holiest Catholic shrines and the largest church in the world by interior measure. Believed to be the burial site of Saint Peter, it was begun in 1506 and completed in 1615. The basilica, designed as a Latin cross with a prominent dome, serves as a major pilgrimage site and the church of the popes. Its construction involved several architects, including Michelangelo, who designed the iconic dome, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who designed the elliptical piazza in front of it.
- The publication, on 18 April 1938, of Action Comics #1 saw the debut of…
- Superman—Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. He is the archetypal superhero, fighting crime as a vigilante with extraordinary abilities and popularised the superhero genre.
Flag of Eswatini. Wikipedia - Today in 2018, King Mswati III announced that his country’s name would change to Eswatini. The name it changed from was…
- Swaziland—Eswatini, formerly Swaziland— is a landlocked country in Southern Africa bordered by South Africa and Mozambique. It has a lower-middle income economy, with agriculture and manufacturing as the main employment sectors. The country is an absolute monarchy ruled by King Mswati III since 1986 and faces significant health challenges, including high HIV/AIDS rates. Its capital is Phondvo, while Mbabane serves as the administrative centre.
- On 18 April 1942, Pierre Laval became Prime Minister of…
- Vichy France—Vichy France, established in 1940 under Marshal Philippe Pétain, governed the unoccupied zone of France after the Nazi German defeat. Initially collaborating with Germany, the regime shifted towards a corporatist state, emphasising “Work, family, fatherland”. However, after the Allied invasion of North Africa and the German occupation of the entire country, Vichy became increasingly subservient to Germany, ultimately collapsing with the Allied liberation in 1944. They were known as “Vichy France” as that city was the seat of their government.
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