A major U.S. airlift of South Vietnamese orphans begins with disaster when an Air Force cargo jet crashes shortly after departing from Tan Son Nhut airbase in Saigon. More than 138 passengers, mostly children, were killed. Operation Baby Lift was designed to bring 2,000 South Vietnamese orphans to the United States for adoption by American parents. Baby Lift lasted for 10 days and was carried out during the final, desperate phase of the war, as North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon. Although this first flight ended in tragedy, all subsequent flights were completed safely, and Baby Lift aircraft brought orphans across the Pacific until the mission's conclusion on April 14, only 16 days before the fall of Saigon and the end of the war.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Dr. King is assassinated, 1968
- American Revolution
- Washington begins march to New York, 1776
- Automotive
- Man who took NASCAR mainstream is born, 1933
- Civil War
- President Lincoln tours Richmond, 1865
- Cold War
- NATO pact signed, 1949
- Crime
- Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, 1968
- Disaster
- Dirigible crash kills 73, 1933
- General Interest
- President Harrison dies after one month in office, 1841
- Second Battle of the Somme ends, 1918
- NATO established, 1949
- Hollywood
- Ben-Hur wins 11 Academy Awards, 1960
- Literary
- Maya Angelou is born, 1928
- Music
- Muddy Waters is born, 1913
- Old West
- Yellowstone photographer William Jackson is born, 1843
- Presidential
- Harrison dies of pneumonia, 1841
- Lincoln dreams about a presidential assassination, 1865
- Sports
- Gretzky finishes season with 212 points, 1982
- Vietnam War
- Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks out against the war, 1967
- Operation Baby Lift aircraft crashes, 1975
- World War I
- Germans and Allies step up operations near Somme, 1918
- World War II
- Yamamoto Isoroku, Japan's mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack, is born, 1884
Apr 4, 1975:
Operation Baby Lift aircraft crashes
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This Week in History, Apr 4 - Apr 10
- Apr 04, 1967
- Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks out against the war
- Apr 04, 1975
- Operation Baby Lift aircraft crashes
- Apr 05, 1969
- Antiwar demonstrations held across United States
- Apr 05, 1972
- North Vietnamese launch second front of Nguyen Hue Offensive
- Apr 06, 1965
- U.S. ground combat troops to take offensive measures
- Apr 06, 1972
- U.S. forces respond to North Vietnamese offensive
- Apr 07, 1975
- North Vietnamese forces begin preparations for final offensive
- Apr 08, 1972
- North Vietnamese forces open a third front
- Apr 08, 1975
- Weyand reports to Congress
- Apr 09, 1969
- "Chicago Eight" plead not guilty
- Apr 10, 1970
- Poll reveals that public approval of Vietnam policy is down
- Apr 10, 1972
- B-52s begin bombing North Vietnam
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