April 8

1271 – Using a forged letter purportedly from their Grand Master, Sultan Al-Malik Baibars of Egypt fools the crusader Knights Hospitallers at the Krak des Chevaliers fortress castle in Syria into surrendering after a short siege.

1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, is dedicated.

1820 – The Venus de Milo statue is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.

1832 –  The U.S. 6th Infantry regiment is deploy into Illinois from St. Louis, Missouri to engage the Sauk tribe led by Chief Black Hawk who invaded from indian territory in Iowa.

1865 – At Appomattox Station, Virginia, Union cavalry under General Custer seize critical supplies needed by Confederate troops, also blocking General Lee’s line of march to the west.
General Lee receives a reply from General Grant about surrender terms and replies that he wishes to meet Grant in the morning of the next day.

1895 – In the case of Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court rules unapportioned income tax imposed by the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act of 1894, to be unconstitutional. This ruling provided the impetus for the 16th amendment and the current income tax scheme.

1913 – The 17th Amendment to the Constitution, changing election of Senators by state legislatures to a direct popular vote, becomes law when the legislature of the state of Connecticut votes to ratify it.

1924 –Kemal Atatürk abolishes Sharia law courts in Turkey.

1943 – President Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.

1952 – President Truman ‘nationalizes’ all domestic steel mills several hours before steelworkers plan on going out on strike. The Supreme Court rules in the case of Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer that the seizure is unconstitutional and the steelworkers strike until late July.

1959 – The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank to provide financial services for central American and Caribbean nations.

1993 – The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-56.

2005 – A solar eclipse occurs, visible over areas of the Pacific Ocean and Latin American countries of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.

2013 – The Islamic State of Iraq enters the Syrian Civil War, merging with the Al-Nusra Front under the name Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham.