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Today in History, April 6th

On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I. Plus the first modern Olympics and the Battle of Shiloh.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 2 min read Sources checked

Published April 6, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

April 6 is best known as the day in 1917 when the United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I. The date also saw the first modern Olympic Games open in Athens in 1896 and the opening of the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee in 1862.

The big story: The United States Enters World War I (1917)

When war broke out in Europe in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson promised that the United States would stay neutral. Germany’s submarines made that harder every year. A U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in May 1915, killing 128 Americans among nearly 1,200 dead. Early in 1917, Germany announced it would again sink ships without warning in its war zone. The United States cut diplomatic ties, and by late March more American merchant ships had gone down. On April 2, Wilson went before Congress and asked for war. The Senate voted 82 to 6 for a declaration, and on April 6, 1917, the House agreed, 373 to 50. The country was not ready to fight right away. The first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops landed in France that June, mainly to train. By the armistice of November 11, 1918, more than 2 million Americans had served in Western Europe, and about 50,000 had died.

More events on April 6

Year	What happened
1199	King Richard I of England, the Lionheart, died at Châlus in Aquitaine after being mortally wounded in battle.
1830	Joseph Smith organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fayette, New York.
1862	Union and Confederate armies clashed at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.
1868	Japan’s Emperor Meiji issued the Charter Oath, a statement of goals for the Meiji Restoration.
1896	The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece.
1909	Robert Peary’s expedition records said he reached the North Pole on this day. Later analysis has cast doubt on the claim.
1947	The Tony Awards for Broadway theater were presented for the first time.
1974	ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo,” Sweden’s first win.
2009	An earthquake near L’Aquila in central Italy killed more than 300 people.
2026	The Artemis II astronauts set a record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth as they swung around the far side of the Moon.

Born on April 6

1892: Lowell Thomas, American broadcaster and journalist who reported on T.E. Lawrence, “Lawrence of Arabia.”
1927: Gerry Mulligan, American jazz baritone saxophonist and a leader of “cool” jazz.
1937: Merle Haggard, American country singer-songwriter of “Mama Tried” and “Okie From Muskogee.”