Author Archives: Linda

April 14 is Ex-Spouse Day
International Moment of Laughter Day
Look up at the Sky Day; also Reach as High as You Can Day
National Pecan Day

On April 14, 1775 – The first abolition society in North America was established. The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.

In April 1846, the Donner Party of pioneers departed from Springfield, Illinois, for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship, cannibalism, and survival.

The first Pony Express rider reached Sacramento, California on April 13, 1860.

April 14, 1865 – US President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln died the next day.

On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family were attacked in his home by Lewis Powell.

1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (sank morning of April 15th). Titanic had an estimated 2,224 people on board; more than 1500 of them died. In accordance with existing practice, Titanic’s lifeboat system was designed to ferry passengers to nearby rescue vessels, not to hold everyone on board simultaneously.

The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck was first published by the Viking Press on April 14, 1939. The title is from the lyrics of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

Steinbeck was attempting to shame those who caused the Great Depression and those who oppressed the working class.

April 14, 2010 – The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland shut down air traffic around Europe for a week, due to its ash cloud.

National Licorice Day
National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
Big Wind Day

Russian Cosmonaut Day, marking the day of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight in 1961. He was the first human to journey into outer space.

From Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts. New York, Bell Publishing Company, 1981

King Charles VII, who was assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. No one knows why he was called VII when there was no I, II, III, etc. Almost 300 years passed before there was a Charles VIII (1448-57)
He was born c 1130; died 12 April 1167.

In the United Kingdom, King Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Following his death the monarchy was abolished and the Commonwealth of England was established as a republic. The monarchy was restored to Charles’s son Charles II in 1660.
King Charles II, byname The Merry Monarch, king of Great Britain and Ireland, was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.

King Charles III is the current monarch of the United Kingdom. He was coronated May 6, 2023.

1606 – The Union Flag was adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships.

Birthday of Henry Clay (1777), American statesman known as the “Great Compromiser”. Henry Clay served in Congress and as Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams.

Texan envoys signed Treaty of Annexation with the United States on April 12, 1844.

Fort Sumter Day is the anniversary of the bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861 which started the American Civil War

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945; Vice-President Harry Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President. FDR died at Warm Springs, Georgia at age 63 of a massive cerebral hemorrhage (stroke).

On this day in 1955, the polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, was declared safe and effective.

1961 – The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1).

April 11 is the 102nd day of the year.

National Cheese Fondue Day
Eight Track Tape Day
Barbershop Quartet Day
National Submarine Day

From Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts. New York, Bell Publishing Company, 1981

William of Orange faced an insoluble legal dilemma when he sought the crown of England in 1689 after the flight of James II.
Only Parliament could declare William king but only the king could summon Parliament.
A hurriedly gathered convention got around the dilemma by simultaneously offering William the crown and declaring itself a Parliament.
William was crowned April 11, 1689 along with Mary, his wife.

April 11, 1814 – Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Elba.

President McKinley asked for Spanish-American War declaration on April 11, 1898.

In 1921 Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.

Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. Its three man crew were James A. Lovell, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr. It was the seventh manned Moon mission in the Apollo program. The lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank in the service module (SM) failed two days into the mission. The crew instead looped around the Moon, and returned safely to Earth on April 17.

The Apple I was created on April 11, 1976. The Apple I went on sale in July 1976 at a price of US$666.66. As of 2013, sixty-three Apple I computers have been confirmed to exist. Only six have been verified to be in working condition.

1985 – Scientists in Hawaii measured the distance between the earth and moon within one inch.

1986 – Kellogg’s stopped giving tours of its breakfast-food plant. The reason for the end of the 80-year tradition was said to be that company secrets were at risk due to spies from other cereal companies.

April 8 is All is Ours Day May be viewed as a time to appreciate the beauty of nature that we can all enjoy or to count the blessings in your own life.

Buddha’s birthday is celebrated in Hawaii, Japan, and Korea.——what year? Somewhere between 563 BC to 483 BC.

Born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal. Siddhārtha lived in luxury; his father kept trouble and hard work far from him. A seer predicted that if Siddhārtha stayed inside his palace his whole life, then he would become a great king. However, if he left the palace, then he would become a great religious leader. The king did not want his son to become a religious leader. He kept Siddhartha in the palace for his whole childhood.

When he was older, his father found a woman for Siddhārtha to marry at the age of 16. He married the woman named Yashodhara, and they had a son, Rahula. Although Gautama had everything he could want, he still was not happy. He wanted to learn the meaning of his existence.

He got out of the castle against his father’s orders. He saw the “Four Passing Sights”: an old crippled man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man with no home. Right then, Gautama knew that nothing can stop people from being born, becoming old, getting sick, and dying. He decided to give up his worldly life. He would not keep his wives, his children, his wealth, or his palace. He would become a holy man with no home. He would look for the answer to the problem of birth, old age, sickness, and death. He left his home in the middle of a dark and stormy night.

On this day in 1093, the new Winchester Cathedral was dedicated by Walkelin, the first Norman bishop of Winchester. It is the burial site of various early kings of England, bishops, and other notables including (in 1817) author, Jane Austen.

On April 8, 1820 – The Venus de Milo was discovered on the Aegean island of Melos. It is currently on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

1869- American Museum of Natural History opens in New York City. It is the largest museum dedicated to Natural History in the world.

1904 – Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York, is renamed Times Square after The New York Times.

1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, became law.

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

Birthday of Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Ford (1918), wife of Gerald Ford; first lady 1974-1977. Born Elizabeth Ann Bloomer in Chicago, Betty married Gerald Ford in 1948. They had four children: Michael Gerald Ford (born 1950), John Gardner Ford (nicknamed Jack; born 1952), Steven Meigs Ford (born 1956), and Susan Elizabeth Ford (born 1957). Betty Ford died of natural causes on July 8, 2011, three months after her 93rd birthday.

On April 8, 1943, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt , in an attempt to check inflation, froze wages and prices, prohibited workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and barred rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.

On April 8, 1952,U.S. President Harry Truman called for the seizure of all domestic steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike.

1959 One of the first modern programming languages was created – The Common Business-Oriented Language or COBOL was primarily designed by a woman, Grace Hopper. Also known as Amazing Grace, she is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field.

1974 Hammerin’ Hank Aaron hits 715th HR, breaking Babe Ruth’s record in Atlanta, Georgia.

April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 269 days remaining until the end of the year.

National Caramel Popcorn Day

Plan Your Epitaph Day

Sorry Charlie Day – It’s actually a day to reflect upon the rejections you have experienced in life and realize the world kept spinning despite them.

1199 – English King Richard I was killed by an arrow at the siege of the castle of Chaluz in France.

Scotland’s independence was confirmed with the Declaration of Arbroath on April 6, 1320. A letter in Latinwas submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland’s status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland’s right to use military action when unjustly attacked.

Birthday of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) (April 6, 1483), Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. Also anniversary of his death in 1520, on his 37th birthday. A sample of his work can be seen at Raphael Paintings.org

1606 – The Virginia Company of London was established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.

April 6, 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporated the American Fur Company.

Anniversary of the founding of the Latter Day Saint movement by Joseph Smith in 1830.

Birthday of Joseph Lincoln Steffens (April 6, 1866), American journalist, foremost figure among the muckrakers who exposed political and business corruption in the U.S. He preferred revolution over reforms and supported the Soviet Union.

On this date in 1893, cornerstone of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah was laid.

In 1896, President Benjamin Harrison (In office 1889-1893) at age 62 married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, the widowed 37-year-old niece and former secretary of his deceased wife at St Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church in New York City. Harrison’s two adult children, Russell, 41 years old at the time, and Mary (Mamie) McKee, 38, disapproved of the marriage and did not attend the wedding. Benjamin and Mary had one child together, Elizabeth (February 21, 1897 – December 26, 1955).

Anniversary of the formal opening of the first of the Modern Olympic games at Athens, Greece on April 6, 1896. 14 nations and 241 athletes competed in 43 events.

On April 6, 1909, the North Pole was reached by Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson.

New Beers Eve – In 1933, the Cullen-Harrison Act allowed production of beer to resume in the United States, with the caveat beer remain no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight. On April 7, the act became law, and beer production began – thus marking the imminent end of Prohibition. Upon signing the legislation, F. D. Roosevelt made his famous remark, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”

April 5 is:
Easter Sunday in 2026.

Caramel Day As early as the seventeenth century, American women were using caramelized sugar and water to make candies. It was a rather economical candy to produce. Around the year 1850, someone discovered that by adding milk and a fat product to the cooked sugar mixture that a soft, chewy candy would be produced. This candy very quickly became popular.

In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe on April 5, 1614.

Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, the leader of an alliance of Algonquian-speaking people living in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607. She was captured and held for ransom by the Colonists during hostilities in 1613. During her captivity, she was encouraged to convert to Christianity and was baptized under the name Rebecca. She married tobacco planter John Rolfe in April 1614 at age 17, and she bore their son Thomas Rolfe in January 1615. In 1616, the Rolfes traveled to London where Pocahontas was presented to English society as an example of the “civilized savage” in hopes of stimulating investment in the Jamestown settlement. She became something of a celebrity, was elegantly feted, and attended a masque at Whitehall Palace. In 1617, the Rolfes set sail for Virginia, but Pocahontas died at Gravesend in Kent, England, of unknown causes, aged 20 or 21.

On this day in 1621, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to England. The Mayflower made excellent time on her voyage back to England. The westerly winds that had buffeted her coming out pushed her along going home, and she arrived at the home port of Rotherhithe in London on May 6, 1621, less than half the time that it had taken her to sail to America.

April 5, 1722 – Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to land on Easter Island, landing there on Easter Sunday.

In 1792, U.S. President George Washington exercised his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power was used in the United States. The bill introduced a new plan for dividing seats in the House of Representatives that would have increased the amount of seats for northern states. Jefferson convinced Washington that the bill was unconstitutional. Washington exercised his veto power only one other time during his two terms in office. He vetoed an act that would have reduced the number of Cavalry units in the army.

Birthday of Joseph Lister (April 5, 1827), English physician, founder of aseptic surgery.

April 5, 1933 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed two executive orders: 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps, and 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.

1936 Tupelo, Mississippi virtually annihilated by a tornado, 216 Tupelo residents died. According to Wikipedia: The 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak was an outbreak of at least 12 tornadoes that struck the Southeastern United States from April 5–6, 1936. Approximately 454 people were killed by these tornadoes—419 by two tornadoes alone. This outbreak is the second deadliest ever recorded in US history. Notably, among the survivors were one-year-old Elvis Presley and his parents.

1972 The regular MLB season fails to open due to a player strike for the first time in history; 86 games were lost before the labor dispute settled.