On this day in history.

[scifan57]

Here's the front page of the April 10th edition of the Evening Star, from Washington D.C..

 

[giradman]

After looking at the surrender painting (by L.M.D. Guillavue, ca. 1893) (and not sure 'how' realistic the characterization may be, especially of Lee & Grant) - but added to the same pic are the names of the two Confederates and the many more Union officers who were present (Source) - of the other Northern officers besides Grant, Ely Parker is standing nearby (arrow below) - he was a Seneca Indian chief & lawyer from New York state. Abraham Lincoln's son (the only one to live to adulthood) was also there. Dave
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[J. A.]

April 12, 1606:
The Union Flag, representing the union between England and Scotland, is used on English and Scottish ships.

Union Jack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[scifan57]

April 12, 1861;

The Civil War begins.
American Civil War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

April 12, 1861;

The Civil War begins.
American Civil War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Well, coming on late for the day, you beat me to the draw -

The Civil War started in Charleston harbor w/ the bombardment of Ft. Sumter (first paragraph below from another source - link at end) - below a map of the area and an aerial view of the fort, which can be visited by boat - also a couple of my own pics from a trip back in 2002 (we go to Kiawah Island & Charleston probably every couple of years, just a 5 hr. drive) when we stay in a small hotel just off the Cooper River and slightly north of Broad Street (walking distance to the Battery) and Sumter could be viewed from our room which faced the river.

Amazingly, no one was killed during the day & a half bombardment, but several Union soldiers did die after the surrender during the firing of a salute. Federal Major Robert Anderson had moved his men from Ft. Moultrie on Sullivan's Island (which can also be visited) to Sumter; General P.G.T. Beauregard was in charge of the Confederates and had actually been a cadet student at West Point where one of his artillery professors was Major Anderson - Dave

The bloodiest four years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Bay. During the next 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort. On April 13, U.S. Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Two days later, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to quell the Southern “insurrection” (Source).

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[scifan57]

Here's a map drawn at the time of the siege.

 

[scifan57]

April 13, 1861;

After a heavy 33 hour bombardment, Fort Sumter surrenders to the Confederates. The first action of the Civil War ends in victory for the Confederates.

Here is a photograph of what the interior of the fort looked like after the surrender.

 

[giradman]

April 13, 1861;

After a heavy 33 hour bombardment, Fort Sumter surrenders to the Confederates. The first action of the Civil War ends in victory for the Confederates.

Here is a photograph of what the interior of the fort looked like after the surrender.
View attachment 71047

The bombardment came from many directions, including the Battery at the tip of the Charleston peninsula, about 2 miles away - must have been a site. Thanks for the pic - below one from the water of the fort's outside at the end of the Civil War, and another now after the restoration - the black buildings include the museum, restrooms, and administrative offices.

For those going to Charleston, a boat ride to Ft. Sumter is highly recommended - the National Park guides are always excellent - might also want to include a visit to Ft. Moultrie, important in both the Revolutionary & Civil Wars. Dave
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[giradman]

Lincoln Shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in 1865!

Titanic Hits an Iceberg and Sinks in 1912!

Boy, April is turning out to be a month of important events - beginning quotes below from the website This Day in History (links at end of each) - Dave

On this day in 1865, John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, fatally shoots President Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War (Choice).

Just before midnight in the North Atlantic, the RMS Titanic fails to divert its course from an iceberg, ruptures its hull, and begins to sink. Four days earlier, the Titanic, one of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners ever built, departed Southampton, England, on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. While leaving port, the massive ship came within a couple of feet of the steamer New York but passed safely by, causing a general sigh of relief from the passengers massed on the ship’s decks (Source).

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[J. A.]

April 14, 2003:
The Human Genome Project, an international scientific research project, intended to identify the DNA sequence of the human genome within 15 years, is completed 2 years earlier than planned.
Human Genome Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

April 14, 2003:
The Human Genome Project, an international scientific research project, intended to identify the DNA sequence of the human genome within 15 years, is completed 2 years earlier than planned.
Human Genome Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When I was in medical school, one of my closest friends was getting his PhD in genetics so I had a special interest in the area (1968-71), so completion of the human genome was an amazing accomplishment. Subsequently, comparison of the genomes of our closest living relatives on the planet, i.e. Bonobos & Chimpanzees showed that we share 99% of our DNA; also fascinating was the discovery of the DNA of extinct Neanderthals, in which 99.7% of our DNA matched, supporting the concept that modern Homo sapiens & Homo neanderthalensis interbred - as quoted below (Source), modern humans likely have about 2% on Neanderthal DNA - life must have been interesting back then when these two human species existed together and interacted. Dave

Recent findings revealed that Neanderthals interbred with ancestors of modern humans when modern humans began spreading out of Africa perhaps about 40,000 to 80,000 years ago, although some research suggests the migration began earlier. About 1.5 to 2.1 percent of the DNA of anyone outside Africa is Neanderthal in origin.

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[giradman]

Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 - Honoring an Event in 1947!

Sorry, I was going to post this yesterday - Jackie Robinson debuted w/ the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, and is now honored each year by the Major Baseball League - below the first paragraph from his Wiki Article - earlier this week, PBS just aired a 2-part (2 hrs each) new documentary by the prolific Ken Burns which we watched - much on what Robinson meant both inside and outside baseball w/ Civil Rights issues well covered - highly recommended for both reasons. Dave

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American Major League Baseball(MLB) second baseman who became the first African American to play in the major leagues in the modern era.[1] Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers, by playing Robinson, heralded the end of racial segregation that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s.[2] Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.[

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[scifan57]

April 17, 1970;

The crew of Apollo 13 return safely to Earth after surviving the explosion of an oxygen tank in the Service Module.

The damage on the Service Module, photographed after the Command Module detached prior to re-entry.

Apollo 13 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

San Francisco Earthquake April 18, 1906!

With all of the earthquakes occurring recently in Japan & Ecuador, today 110 years ago, San Francisco was devastated similarly - a film titled San Francisco was made in 1936 w/ Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy - the best part are the special effects which were quite spectacular for the times - worth a watch if you have the chance. Dave

At 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco, California, killing hundreds of people as it topples numerous buildings. The quake was caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a segment about 275 miles long, and shock waves could be felt from southern Oregon down to Los Angeles..........(Source)

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[scifan57]

And what the earthquake didn't destroy or damage, the fire finished off.