April Important dates in History

April 1 Battle of Okinawa one of the most brutal battles in world history. It was also the last major land battle of WWII.

April 3, 1860 – In the American West, the Pony Express service began as the first rider departed St. Joseph, Missouri.

April 4, 1949 – Twelve nations signed the treaty creating NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The nations united for common military defense against the threat of expansion by Soviet Russia into Western Europe.

April 6, 1917 – Following a vote by Congress approving a declaration of war, the U.S. entered World War I in Europe.

April 8, 1913 – The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, requiring direct popular election of U.S. senators.

April 10, 1942 -The Bataan Death March began. Some 76,000 Allied POWs, including 12,000 Americans, were forced to walk 60 miles under a blazing sun without food or water to the POW camp, resulting in over 5,000 American deaths.

April 10, 1945 – The Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald was liberated by U.S. troops.

April 12, 1861 – The American Civil War began as Confederate troops under the command of General Pierre Beauregard opened fire at 4:30 a.m. on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.

April 14, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded while watching a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater in Washington. 

April 18, 1775 – The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes 

April 21, 1918 – During World War I, the Red Baron (Manfred von Richtofen) was shot down and killed during the Battle of the Somme.

April 24, 1800 – The Library of Congress was established in Washington, D.C.

April 30, 1789 – George Washington became the first U.S. President as he was administered the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall at the corner of Wall and Broad Streets in New York City.