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ON 8 MAY 1945, the commanders of the three branches of the German armed forces prepare to sign an instrument of surrender at the headquarters of the Soviet military administration in Berlin, ending hostilities in the European theatre during the Second World War. Their surrender was formally accepted by Georgy Zhukov, who represented the Red Army, and Arthur William Tedder, the deputy supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. The terms had been prepared the year before by the European Advisory Commission. They were developed further at the Yalta Conference, in February 1945.
Adolf Hitler killed himself on 30 April. His successor as president of Germany, Karl Dönitz, authorised Alfred Jodl, the chief of operations staff at the Wehrmacht high command, to negotiate terms with Dwight D Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the AEF. On Dönitz’s orders, German military commanders began sign
This Week in History: April 10-16, 2017
for human events ever resemble those of preceding times.”
Machiavelli
April 10
1790 – Captain Robert Gray is the first American to circumnavigate the globe. He repeats his trek in 1793. Gray died in 1806 at the age of 51.
1849 – Walter Hunt patents the safety pin. He sells the rights for $100. Hunt patents many inventions including the fountain pen, streetcar bell, street sweeper, and nail-making machine.
1865 – General Robert E. Lee issues his last order at Appomattox Court House, General Order #9, praising his soldiers and ordering them to return home.
1866 – The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by philanthropist and diplomat Henry Bergh.