APRIL HISTORIC NOTES
April 1, 1789 - The first full meeting of the United States
House of Representatives convened in New York City, then consisting only of
Manhattan. It was not until 1898 that what are now the five boroughs were
joined much to the dissatisfaction of some, especially in Brooklyn.
April 2, 1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon
possibly arrived in what is now called Florida. Some believe he actually landed
in the Bahamas. He had been searching for the Fountain of Youth. He named what
he found "Florida" which means "flowery." Some think it was
named that as it was found in the Easter season. de Leon had founded the
first settlement in Puerto Rico in 1508 and was the first Governor.
April 3, 1775 - the Colonial Assembly of New York held its
last session.
April 3, 1860 - The Pony Express mail service began. In those
"olden" days it often took less time for riders to get mail from New
York City to Boston than it does today!
April 4, 1928 - Maya Angelou, the poet and author, was born.
In 1971 she won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. She has written six-series
autobiographies. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights movement, working with
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
April 4, 1968 - The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was
assassinated in Memphis, TN. He had led the Civil Rights movement, transforming
the country. His birthday, January 15th, is now a national holiday.
April 7, 1867 - Abolitionist Frederick Douglass and an
African-American delegation met with President Andrew
Johnson at the White
House.
April 8, 1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th
home run. He broke Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs. Aaron was born on April
5, 1934.
April 9, 1833 - The first free public library in the United
States opened in New Hampshire.
April 10, 1880 - Francis Perkins was born. She was the first
woman to hold a cabinet position in the United States government, having been
appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as Secretary of Labor. Today, we
have our third female Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
April 11, 1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil
Rights Act into law.
April 12, 1945 - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died.
Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President and went on to win the next election
as President.
April 16, 1778 - a British Delegation sailed for New York to
offer terms of peace. They were not accepted and the American Revolution
did not end until 1783 when terms of peace were signed in London. New York City
was occupied from 1776 to 1783. At that time NYC consisted only of Manhattan.
What are now the other boroughs did not join with Manhattan until 1898.
April 19, 1775 - African-American and White militiamen fought
side-by-side in the Battle at Lexington and Concord against the British. This
was a seminal moment in what came to be called "The American
Revolution." Paul Revere, of course, was a major player in this
battle with his ride to tell people the British were coming on the 18th of
April.
Editor's Note: I am very
happy to report that the Revere house survived the multiple snow storms in
Boston with only little damage. It was built in the 17th century. It
handled, so to speak, the storms better than newer houses.
I have visited his
Revere's home in Boston many times. It is a tiny seventeenth
century building with a huge fireplace and low-beamed ceilings. Some
example of his work as a silversmith are on display at The Metropolitan Museum
of Art and worth a visit to see them and the American Wing galleries.
Both his home and the Met are well worth a Google or Bing and a visit.
April 21, 1789 - John Adams took the oath of office as the
first Vice President of the United States. He later became the second
President. His son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth President. John
and Abigail Adams were the first to live in the White House and Abigail hung
the laundry in the Blue Room. She preferred Massachusetts to D.C. which was
largely still swamp land.
April 21, 1926 - Queen Elizabeth II of England was born.
In 2012 she celebrated 60 years on the throne.
Editor's Note: My late
grandfather stood in the streets of London to see some Royal processions, a
story handed down to me, including Queen Victoria's carriage during her
Jubilee, her funeral cortege and the Coronation of her son, Edward VII as well
as serving on a jury in Old Bailey Court House.
April 22, 1964 - The second New York World's Fair opened in
Queens.
April 23, 1564 - William Shakespeare was born. There is still
debate over whether he wrote the plays he is credited with writing. Recently a
portrait has been tentatively identified as a young Shakespeare. By the way,
his name has been spelled a multitude of ways over the centuries.
April 24, 1800 - The Library of Congress was established. Some
of the books came from Thomas Jefferson's personal library.
April 30, 1789 - George Washington was sworn as the first
President of the United States on the site of the present Federal Hall on Wall
Street. Each year there is a re-enactment which is open to the public. He did
not want to be President, saying he was going to be facing "an ocean of
difficulties." Martha Washington did not want him to be President
and didn't arrive until the next month. They lived in a house on Cherry Street
in Lower Manhattan. When Washington arrived in Manhattan, there were fireworks
and large crowds and a few women fainted from excitement - sort of like at a
pop concert today!
April 30, 1803 - The United States bought the Louisiana
Territory from France during the administration of President Thomas Jefferson.
This was very controversial, with some questioning whether this was
constitutional.
April 30, 1865 - The Freedmen's Bureau was established to
assist those who had been enslaved with education, health care and employment
assistance during Reconstruction. It had been initiated by President Abraham
Lincoln and a law passed by Congress the month before. It existed from 1865 to
1872 as part of the United States Department of War (now the Defense
Department).
April 30, 1939 - The first New York City World's Fair opened.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia presided at the
opening.
compiled by Phyllis Barr
in 2015 from on-line and old-fashioned sources such as books!
Historically yours and Happy
Spring!
Phyllis