- 1775 "Two if by Sea": Paul Revere and William Dawes ride from Boston to Lexington to warn leaders John Hancock and Sam Adams that the British are advancing by ship. The warning helped prepare the militia for the battles of Lexington and Concord.
- 1942 Four months after the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, sixteen B-25 land-based bomber aircraft commanded by LCOL Jimmy Doolittle launch from the deck of aircraft carrier USS Hornet, fly 650 miles to Tokyo, and drop bombs on military targets -- shocking the Japanese. Some of the bombs were used to 'return' Japanese 'friendship' medals that had been awarded by the Japanese government to U.S. servicemen before the war.
- 1943 The architect of the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Isoroku Yamamoto, is killed during his morale-boosting tour of forward areas when eighteen P-38 aircraft from Guadalcanal fly 430 miles to intercept him and his six Zero aircraft escort.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Today in History: April 18
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