This Day in History

[Amnorix]

Today...

[Amnorix]

April 24.

1800. President John Adams establishes the Library of Congress, signing legislation approving the expenditure of $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress." Much of the initial collection was lost in teh War of 1812 when DC was torched by the British. Now the oldest federal cultural institution in the US, it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the most books in the world. Through the United States Copyright Office, the Library of Congress receives a copy of every book, pamphlet, print, and piece of music registered in the US.

The holdings of the Library of Congress include over 32 million catalogued books and other print materials in 470 languages, more than 61 million manuscripts, the largest rare book collection in North America (including a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence), a Gutenberg Bible (only of only four perfect vellum copies known to exist), 1 million issues of worldwide newspapers spanning the last 300 years, over 6,000 comic book titles, and 2.7 million sound recordings. Nearly 22,000 new items arrive at the library each business day, though not all are saved permanently. The Library adds only about half, 10,000 items per day, to its collection. Rejected items are traded to other libraries around the world, donated to schools, federal agencies or other organizations in the US.

The complete collection fills 650 miles of shelves. If digitized as plain text, the collection is estimated to occupy 20 terabytes of data.

Any adult may obtain access to the library, but only members of Congress, the Supreme Court and other high governmental officials may take materials out of the library. The Library also serves as a library of last resort -- all libraries in the US may obtain materials from teh Library if not available elsewhere.


1898. The United States declares war on Spain. This is the Spanish-American War, which results (in the end) in the US obtaining Puerto Rico, the Phillipines, Guam, and temporary control of Cuba in exchange of $20 million. Spain meanwhile continues to shrivel as a power in the world, but has the benefit of shedding an expensive colonial "empire" that it really could no longer afford.

[Amnorix]

April 25

Quite a few second tier events of interest so I'll just skim through a few of the more noteworthy ones.

1792. A common bandit becomes the first person to be executed by guillotine.

1859. French and British engineers break ground on the Suez Canal, a massively impressive (and economically beneficial).

1862. Admiral David Farragut captures New Orleans. It remains in Union hands for the remainder of the war.

1901. New York becomes the first state to require license plates for automobiles.

1915. Teh ill-fated Battle of Gallipoli begins.

1939. DC Comics introduces its second comic book superhero -- Batman -- in Detective Comics #27.

1961. Robert Noyce obtains a patent for an integrated circuit.

[Amnorix]

April 26.

570. The date of birth of Muhammed, founder of Islam. (at least according to the Shi'a sect). He, uhh, has had some minor impact on world events since then.

1865. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders his army to Union General Tecumseh Sherman. Johnston commanded the last Confederate army of any size in the field. On this date, Union cavalry also corner and shoot John Wilkes Booth.

1933. The Gestapo is formed.

1956. The first container ship leaves Port Newark, New Jersey. A long road led to the standardization of container shipping, and "containerization" revolutionizes the logistics of shipping, allowing containers to move, unopened, from ship to truck to railroad on an international basis.

1986. Reactor Number 4 of the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine (then a member of the USSR) suffers a meltdown, and resulting fires send a plume of radioactive material over a large area. Large areas of the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are affected forcing the evacuation of 366,000 people. The reactor was completely destroyed as a result of the accident, and has since been encased in a concrete and lead sarcophagus to prevent further radiation contamination. As of 2007, substantial cracks in the sarcophagus resulted in the announcement of a new sarcophagus being built at a cost of $1.4 billion.

After a further accident (at Plant 2) in 1991, calls for the shutdown of the Chernobyl plant were heightened, and the last plant went offline in 2000. As of today, however, people continue to work at the plant until they are completely decommissioned, a process which is expected to take years. The "exclusion zone" around the plant (an area within about 18 miles in all directions, or 1,100 square miles) remains uninhabitable. Good news, however -- the Ukraine Ministry of Atomic Power now allows day tours of the Chernobyl plant.

http://www.ukrainianweb.com/chernobyl_ukraine.htm


Or you can read this fascinating account from a fellow in Michigan who posted about his trip there in 2006.

http://nikongear.com/Chernobyl/Chernobyl_1.php

[Lumpy]

April 26, 1991: The Andover Tornado

Damage from the Andover tornadoGround zero for the outbreak was this tornado, because it reached a powerful F-5 status, and caused the most damage and deaths of the outbreak. To people of the area, and to storm chasers, it is simply known as "the Andover tornado". This tornado is one of the most filmed of all time, because by 1991, video camcorders were very popular and easily obtainable by the general public. So the Andover tornado was filmed from many different angles and during a large portion of its life, and the incredible number of videos that were released shocked the nation. All of the video, plus the tornado's F-5 power and the extensive damage it caused, has made this tornado very highly studied and notorious.

It first produced extensive damage formed south of Clearwater, Kansas. It fluctuated between F2 and F3 intensity as it crossed I-35 and moved across the city of Haysville. Widespread damage was reported in Haysville, but there were no fatalities. On the east side of Haysville, the tornado became a solid F3 in strength and expanded to around 300 feet wide as it crossed I-35 (the Kansas Turnpike) and headed toward McConnell Air Force Base.

Many people had advance warning before the tornado struck McConnell Air Force Base. The tornado struck the base school, hospital and housing at F2–F3 strength. It caused $62 million in damage on the base, narrowly missing a multi-billion dollar line of B-1 bombers. The damage path widened as the tornado intensified to F4 strength just east-northeast of the base.

By 6:35 p.m., the tornado had expanded to just over 600 yards wide and was producing F5 damage on the Fujita scale. It continued to move northeast toward the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park in Andover, Kansas; as it passed through, it obliterated the park and caused thirteen deaths. The tornado then veered north, missing Girl Scout Camp Seikooc, where summer camp training was being conducted as well as a troop campout.

The tornado then moved on to the northeast, passing just south of Towanda. Most of the damage in this area was rated at F2–F3 intensity, though these numbers may be skewed: the rural area's lack of significant structures makes it difficult to accurately gauge the amount of damage. The tornado continued northeast and reached El Dorado Lake just before 7 pm (CST). Video taken by local storm chasers shows that the tornado crossed over the lake and revealed a multiple vortex structure. Just after crossing over the lake to the northeast, the original circulations dissipated and a new, much weaker tornado formed. The Andover tornado had traveled for nearly 46 miles, and was on the ground for over an hour.

This was the last F5 tornado that was recorded in Kansas under the old Fujita scale rating system. The next tornado of that scale, an EF5, was reported 16 years later on May 4, 2007 in Greensburg in Kansas about 120 miles west of the path of the 1991 tornado. Since February 1, 2007, the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_An...ndover_tornado

[Amnorix]

April 27

1805. In the First Barbary Wars, United States Marines attack the city of Derna, Tripoli. ("the shores of Tripoli")

1813. United States troops capture Toronto, Canada (then called York)

1861. President Lincoln suspends habeas corpus as a result of the outbreak of Civil War. Presumably, BEP's great, great, grandfather is outraged.

1865. The greatest maritime disaster in United States history. The SS Sultana, a steamship paddlewheeler plying the Mississippi river, is lost when three of its four boilers explode near Memphis. A few days earlier, the Sultana had stopped at Vicksburg, Mississippi, where Union soldiers -- many recently released from Andersonville and Cahawba prisons -- are desperate to return home at the close of the Civil War. With a legal capacity of 376, the Sultana has approximtely 2,000 men on board, mostly soldiers who begged or bribed their way aboard. Many who survived the initial explosions died of hypothermia or drowning in the Mississippi, which was icy cold with the spring runoff. No precise numbers are possible, but there were 500 survivors and anywhere from 1,300 to 1,900 casualties as a result of the disaster.

[Amnorix]

April 28

1789. Mutiny on the Bounty! Captain William Bligh and 18 others are set adrift after a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian. The mutiny follows a five month stay at Tahiti, where Christian and other members of the crew became very enamored of life there (and the women there, according to most reports) and did not wish to return to England. Bligh and his crewmembers then navigated approximately 3,500 nautical miles to the Dutch East Indies, from which he returned to England and reported the mutiny. The English dispatched a ship to find the Bounty and bring the mutineers to justice. They arrived at Tahiti, found some mutineers and took them prisoner. Then, while searching for the other mutineers, that ship itself sank, and a number of crew and prisoners were forced to use launches to take a trip somewhat reminscent of Bligh's. The remaining mutineers, however, had taken the Bounty to Pitcairn Island, which had been lost on the Royal Navy's maps. They had seemingly kidnapped some polynesians (mostly for the women) and upon arrival burned the Bounty to prevent any chance of anyone leaving and to prevent it's being found by the British. While life started well on Pitcairn, eventually difficulties arose between the Britons and the Polynesians, resulting in the death of Christian. After his death, things were mostly peaceful for many years, though there were occassionally revolts by the women. In 1808, the American ship Topaz, found and visited the island and spoke with the natives. At that point, only one mutineer John Adams, nine women and some children remained. In 1814 a British ship found the island as well. In 1825, Adams was granted immunity for his mutiny. The capital of the Pitcairn Islands, Adamstown, is named for him. In 1856 the Pitcairn Islands were incorporated into the British Empire. Currently, the Pitcairn Islands are a British Overseas Territory with a population of about 50. Every year the islanders celebrate January 23rd in memory of the 1790 burning of the Bounty in what is now called Bounty Bay.

1945. Benito Mussolini and his mistress are executed by the Italian Resistance Movement.

1951. The Treaty of San Francisco goes into effect, ending the United States occupation of Japan which followed WWII.

[Amnorix]

April 29

1429. 17 year old Joan d'Arc arrives at Orleans, then under siege by the British who were at war with the French -- a war that history would come to know as the Hundred Years War. Claiming that she had had angelic visions since she was 12, a few months earlier she had reported to a local military commander and member of the nobility that France would soon suffer a devastating military defeat near Orleans. When this event came to pass, she was sent to the King for an audience. She arrived and upon learning that a relief expedition was being sent, asked to join it. She arrived at Orleans on this day, 1429. Upon arrival the local commander, Jean d'Orleans, basically ignored her. Against his orders and contrary to the cautious approach the French had taken, she rallied the townsmen and common soldiers to unlock the gates of the city and sortie against the besiegers. Her actions and inspiring leadership lead to victory, lifting the siege only nine days after her arrival.

1770. James Cook arrives in Botany Bay, Australia

1945. Adolf Hitler marries his longtime mistress, Eva Braun and anoints navy commander Karl Doenitz as his successor.

1945. Dachau concentration camp is liberated.

1967. Boxing champion Muhammed Ali is stripped of his boxing title after refusing to join the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons).

1970. US and South Vietnamese forces enter Cambodia seeking Viet Cong.

1992. Not historically significant, really, but those of us who are old enough will remember the riots in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers alleged in assaulting Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 are killed and millions of dollars of property damage occurs.

2004. Oldsmobile builds its final car, ending 107 years of production.

[boogblaster]

April 29th 1980 I recived my 100th blow-job ....

[Amnorix]

April 30.

1492. Spain gives Christopher Columbus a commission of exploration.

1792. On the balcony of Federal Hall, on Wall Street, New York City, New York, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first President of the United States.

1803. America purchases the Louisiana Territory from the French, doubling the size of the young nation. The purchase price is about $15 million (consisting of a payment to France and forgiveness of debts), or about three cents per acre. The territory had a population of 97,000 pursuant ot the 1810 census. The area acquired represents 27% of the current landmass of the United States and all or part of 14 states (and two Canadian provinces).

The original document reflecting the agreement to purchase the Louisiana Territory was on display at the entrance hall of Barings Bank's headquarters in London until the bank's collapse in 1995. The bank had financed/mediated the purchase of the territory between FRance and America. The document is now in the possession fo ING Group, which acquired Barings after its failure.

1975. Saigon falls to Communist forces. The South Vietnamese President surrenders, formally ending the Vietnam War.



1945. The quality of the human race improves greatly as Adolf Hitler and his mistress, Eva Braun, commit suicide at the Fuhrerbunker.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

1945. The quality of the human race improves greatly as Adolph Hitler and his mistress, Eva Braun, commit suicide at the Fuhrerbunker.

Technically, she was Eva Hitler at that point. She and dear Adolf got hitched right before they committed suicide. She actually signed her name as "Eva Braun" and then scratched out the "Braun" and added "Hitler." Not too bright, Eva, which is one of the reasons Hitler liked her.

Oh, and Amno? Damn you for one. And two, wherever you are getting these misspelled Hitler's first name.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

April 30.

1492. Spain gives Christopher Columbus a commission of exploration.

1792. On the balcony of Federal Hall, on Wall Street, New York City, New York, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first President of the United States.

1803. America purchases the Louisiana Territory from the French, doubling the size of the young nation. The purchase price is about $15 million (consisting of a payment to France and forgiveness of debts), or about three cents per acre. The territory had a population of 97,000 pursuant ot the 1810 census. The area acquired represents 27% of the current landmass of the United States and all or part of 14 states (and two Canadian provinces).

The original document reflecting the agreement to purchase the Louisiana Territory was on display at the entrance hall of Barings Bank's headquarters in London until the bank's collapse in 1995. The bank had financed/mediated the purchase of the territory between FRance and America. The document is now in the possession fo ING Group, which acquired Barings after its failure.

1975. Saigon falls to Communist forces. The South Vietnamese President surrenders, formally ending the Vietnam War.



1945. The quality of the human race improves greatly as Adolph Hitler and his mistress, Eva Braun, commit suicide at the Fuhrerbunker.

That's a pretty big day.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Donger

Technically, she was Eva Hitler at that point. She and dear Adolf got hitched right before they committed suicide. She actually signed her name as "Eva Braun" and then scratched out the "Braun" and added "Hitler." Not too bright, Eva, which is one of the reasons Hitler liked her.

Yes, I noted the marriage in yesterday's post.

I'd forgotten about the scratch out. Hell of a honeymoon for poor Eva.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Donger

Technically, she was Eva Hitler at that point. She and dear Adolf got hitched right before they committed suicide. She actually signed her name as "Eva Braun" and then scratched out the "Braun" and added "Hitler." Not too bright, Eva, which is one of the reasons Hitler liked her.

Shouldn't she sign her wedding certificate with her maiden name? Otherwise, you can't tell who got married other than her first name.

Or was this the guest book or something? And did they have a lot of guests at their wedding? I would bet that it was a small affair.

Actually, the more I think about it, their wedding would have been kind of interesting.

Justice of the Peace: Do you take her for your lawfully wedded wife, until death do you part?

Hitler: Ja, ja, and on that topic we might want to hurry up.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Donger

Oh, and Amno? Damn you for one. And two, wherever you are getting these misspelled Hitler's first name.

I have no idea on the Adolph bit. WTF? I'm a bit young for alzheimers...

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

I have no idea on the Adolph bit. WTF? I'm a bit young for alzheimers...

It is spelled correctly in the preceding post, too.