1704 – 1st successful US newspaper (Boston);
1883 – 120 days of count down to the great Krakatau eruption;
1889 – 1 day after Charles Spencer Chaplin’s birth;
1912 – two days after Titanic disaster;
1937 – Daffy Duck, Elmer J Fudd & Petunia Pig, debut;
1961 – Bay of Pigs invasion;
1970 – Apollo 13 limps back safely with severe damage
(http://www.historyorb.com/events/april/17)