On This Day for April 5 - Battle of Maipú, Colin Powell is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. April 05 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Colin Powell READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1818 Battle of Maipú READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2008: American actor Charlton Heston , who possessed a commanding screen presence and was best known for such films as The Ten Commandments (1956) and Planet of the Apes (1968), died in California. [Take our actors and acting quiz.] 2000: Mori Yoshiro of the Liberal-Democratic Party became prime minister of Japan, replacing Obuchi Keizo, who had suffered a stroke earlier in the month and subsequently died. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Japanese history.] 1994: American grunge rocker Kurt Cobain, leader of the band Nirvana , committed suicide. [Read our list of Seattle's 10 claims to fame.] 1984: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed Wilt Chamberlain as the all-time leading scorer in the National Basketball Association. [ See where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks on our list of the 10 best basketball players of all time.] 1951: Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death for espionage; two years later they became the first American civilians executed for that crime. [ Discover 10 famous names in the espionage game.] 1908: American actress Bette Davis—whose raw unbridled intensity kept her at the top of her profession for 50 years—was born. [Take our women in classic cinema quiz.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1973 Pharrell Williams American musician and producer 1916 Gregory Peck American actor 1588 Thomas Hobbes English philosopher 1908 Bette Davis American actress 1839 Robert Smalls American politician 1937 Colin Powell United States general and statesman SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help