451day.year
Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
In 451, Attila the Hun’s forces captured the city of Metz in Gaul, slaughtering most of its inhabitants and burning the settlement to the ground.
Attila the Hun’s siege of Metz in 451 AD was a pivotal moment in his campaign across Roman Gaul. His formidable cavalry and infantry overwhelmed the city’s walls and defenses. Once inside, his forces enacted a brutal sack, killing most of the inhabitants and setting fire to buildings. The devastation of Metz struck fear into neighboring provinces and demonstrated the weakening grip of the Western Roman Empire. This event solidified Attila’s reputation as the scourge of Europe. The fall of Metz also disrupted local administration and trade routes, contributing to the broader decline of Roman authority in the region.
451
Attila the Hun
Metz
France
1767day.year
End of Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767).
On April 7, 1767, the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767) officially ended, with Burmese forces withdrawing after sacking Ayutthaya.
The protracted conflict saw the Burmese Konbaung dynasty launch invasions into Siam, culminating in the capture and razing of Ayutthaya, the Siamese capital. After years of siege warfare, supply shortages, and political upheaval, Burmese forces agreed to withdraw following diplomatic negotiations. The war’s devastation led to the fall of Ayutthaya and a period of Siamese fragmentation. This downfall paved the way for the establishment of the Thonburi Kingdom under King Taksin, who would reunify Siamese territories. The conclusion of hostilities reshaped power dynamics in Mainland Southeast Asia. The war’s legacy influenced Siamese state formation and Burmese-Siamese relations for decades.
1767
Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767)
1790day.year
Russo-Turkish war (1787–1792): Greek privateer Lambros Katsonis loses three of his ships in the Battle of Andros.
In 1790 during the Russo-Turkish War, Greek privateer Lambros Katsonis suffered a defeat at the Battle of Andros and lost three of his ships.
In April 1790, Greek naval commander Lambros Katsonis engaged Ottoman forces in the Aegean Sea as part of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792. Katsonis, backed by Russian support, had disrupted Ottoman shipping and raided coastal towns. On this day, his fleet encountered Ottoman vessels near the island of Andros. The ensuing battle proved costly as Katsonis lost three of his ships, weakening his privateer fleet. Despite this setback, he continued to harass Ottoman supply lines in subsequent years. The battle exemplified the broader naval struggle between Russia and the Ottoman Empire for control of the Black Sea and Mediterranean trade routes. Katsonis’s daring raids had significant political and military implications, stirring Greek hopes for liberation under foreign patronage.
1790
Russo-Turkish war (1787–1792)
Lambros Katsonis
Battle of Andros
1862day.year
American Civil War: The Union's Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
On April 7, 1862, Union forces defeated the Confederate Army of Mississippi at the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War.
One of the bloodiest early battles of the American Civil War, Shiloh raged on April 6 and 7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. On the second day, the Army of the Tennessee under General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Ohio led by General Don Carlos Buell launched a counteroffensive against Confederate forces commanded by Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard. After fierce fighting, Union troops repelled the attackers and secured strategic ground near Pittsburg Landing. The Confederate Army of Mississippi suffered heavy casualties and was forced to retreat. The Union victory opened the way for deeper incursions into the Confederate heartland. Despite Union success, the battle’s carnage shocked both North and South, demonstrating the war’s brutal nature. Shiloh’s outcome underscored the importance of coordination between Union armies and the value of fortified supply lines.
1862
American Civil War
Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Ohio
defeat
Army of Mississippi
Shiloh, Tennessee
1939day.year
Benito Mussolini invades Albania.
Later in 1939, Italy invaded Albania, initiating a swift military occupation.
On April 7, 1939, Italian forces crossed into Albania with overwhelming air and ground power. The Albanian army was quickly overwhelmed, and resistance collapsed within days. Italian troops seized key cities and declared Albania a full Italian territory. King Zog’s government went into exile in Greece. The occupation tightened Italy’s grip in the Balkans and further demonstrated Axis expansionism on the eve of World War II.
1939
Benito Mussolini
invades Albania
1943day.year
The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches.
In 1943, German forces executed 1,100 Jews from Terebovlia in a mass shooting at Plebanivka, Ukraine.
As part of the Holocaust in Ukraine, Nazi units gathered Jewish residents of Terebovlia and forced them to march to Plebanivka. Men, women, and children were shot and buried in mass graves. Local collaborators aided the SS in rounding up victims. Witnesses reported the victims were ordered to undress before execution. This atrocity exemplified the systematic genocide carried out across Eastern Europe. It remains a somber reminder of the horrors inflicted on Jewish communities during World War II.
1943
The Holocaust in Ukraine
Terebovlia
1944day.year
In the Fragheto massacre, soldiers belonging to the German 356th Infantry Division kill 30 Italian civilians and 15 partisans near Casteldelci in central-northern Italy.
German troops execute dozens of civilians and resistance fighters in the Fragheto massacre in Italy.
On April 7, 1944, elements of the German 356th Infantry Division carried out the Fragheto massacre near Casteldelci in central-northern Italy. Thirty Italian civilians and fifteen partisans were summarily executed in a reprisal against local resistance activity. The killings were part of a broader pattern of anti-partisan operations by occupying forces in the Italian Campaign. Eyewitness accounts describe the village being surrounded and residents forced from their homes. After the war, investigations documented the atrocity and identified several commanders involved. Today, the massacre is remembered as a grim reminder of civilian suffering under occupation.
1944
Fragheto massacre
356th Infantry Division
Casteldelci
1945day.year
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by United States Navy aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
The Japanese battleship Yamato, the largest ever built, is sunk by US aircraft during WWII’s Operation Ten-Go.
On April 7, 1945, during the final months of World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s battleship Yamato was sunk by waves of United States Navy aircraft. Yamato had set out in Operation Ten-Go on a one-way mission to attack the Allied fleet off Okinawa. Overwhelmed by superior American air power, the battleship was struck by multiple bombs and torpedoes and capsized. Nearly 3,000 crew members lost their lives in what became one of the largest single-ship naval losses in history. The sinking of Yamato symbolized the collapse of Japan’s naval capabilities. It also underscored the decisive role of air power in modern naval warfare.
1945
World War II
Imperial Japanese Navy
Yamato
United States Navy
Operation Ten-Go
1971day.year
Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization.
President Richard Nixon announced plans to accelerate Vietnamization, shifting combat roles to South Vietnamese forces in 1971.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon addressed the nation to announce a new phase of his Vietnamization policy.
He pledged to quicken the transfer of combat responsibilities from U.S. troops to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).
Nixon argued this strategy would allow for U.S. troop withdrawals while strengthening South Vietnam’s ability to defend itself.
The announcement came amid growing domestic opposition to the war and rising casualty figures.
Critics questioned whether the ARVN could effectively combat North Vietnamese forces on its own.
This policy shift marked a crucial moment in the protracted conflict and U.S. war strategy.
1971
Vietnam War
Richard Nixon
Vietnamization
1972day.year
Vietnam War: Communist forces overrun the South Vietnamese town of Loc Ninh.
Communist forces overran the South Vietnamese town of Loc Ninh during a major 1972 offensive.
In 1972, during the Easter Offensive of the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese and Vietcong units attacked Loc Ninh near the Cambodian border.
The town’s defenses quickly collapsed under heavy artillery and infantry assaults.
Capturing Loc Ninh gave communist forces a strategic gateway into South Vietnam’s central regions.
The fall of the town exposed weaknesses in South Vietnamese defenses despite recent U.S. support.
The battle underscored the escalating intensity of the conflict in 1972.
It set the stage for larger engagements later in the year, including the Battle of An Loc.
1972
Communist forces
overrun
Loc Ninh
1994day.year
Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda, and soldiers kill the civilian Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana.
On April 7, 1994, coordinated killings of Tutsis and moderate Hutus began in Kigali, marking the start of the Rwandan genocide.
The Rwandan genocide was fueled by deep ethnic tensions between Hutu and Tutsi communities. On April 6, the president’s plane was shot down, and the following day mass killings erupted in Kigali. Elite soldiers and militias targeted Tutsis and moderate Hutus, including Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, who was brutally murdered in her home. Roadblocks were set up across the city to identify and slaughter civilians. Within hours, thousands had been killed, and the violence spread rapidly to other regions. Over the next 100 days, an estimated 800,000 to 1 million people were slaughtered. The international community faced criticism for its slow response and failure to prevent the atrocities. The genocide left a profound legacy on Rwanda’s social fabric and international human rights policy.
1994
Rwandan genocide
Tutsis
Kigali
Agathe Uwilingiyimana
1995day.year
First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
During the First Chechen War in April 1995, Russian forces carried out a brutal massacre of civilians in the village of Samashki.
The First Chechen War erupted in 1994 as Chechen separatists fought for independence from Russia. On April 7, 1995, Russian paramilitary units entered the village of Samashki, alleging rebel support among villagers. Over two days, soldiers killed between 100 and 300 civilians, including women and children, while the village was shelled and looted. Eyewitnesses reported executions, rapes, and widespread destruction of homes. International human rights organizations condemned the atrocity as a war crime. The massacre deepened Chechen resistance and intensified global scrutiny of Russia’s conduct. Long-term peace remained elusive as tensions persisted into the Second Chechen War.
1995
First Chechen War
massacre
Samashki
Chechnya