On 27 April 1865, early in the morning on this day, America’s worst steamship disaster occurred. The Sultana, heavily overloaded with an estimated 2,300 passengers, exploded in the Mississippi River, just north of Memphis, Tennesee en route to Cairo, Illinois. Most of the passengers were Union soldiers who had been prisoners of war and were eagerly returning to their homes. Although there was never an accurate accounting of the dead, estimates range from 1,450 to nearly 2,000. Cause of the explosion was not determined, but the little-known event is unparalleled in US history.
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On 28 April 1994, Northwestern University announced that the so-called biological clock, that gene governing the daily cycle of waking and sleeping called the circadian rhythm, had been found in mice. Never before pinpointed in a mammal, the biological clock gene was found on mouse chromosome 5.
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International Sculpture Day is a day to appreciate sculpture and its contribution to a vital society.
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On 28 April 1789, the most famous of all naval mutinies occurred on board HMS Bounty. Captain of the Bounty was Lieutenant William Bligh, an able seaman and a mean-tempered disciplinarian. The ship, with a load of breadfruit tree plants from Tahiti, was bound for Jamaica. Fletcher Christian, leader of the mutiny, put Bligh and 18 of his loyal followers adrift in a 23-foot open boat.
Miraculously Bligh and all of his supporters survived a 47-day voyage of more than 3,600 miles, before landing on the island of Timor, June 14, 1789. In the meantime, Christian had put all of the remaining crew (excepting 8 men and himself) ashore at Tahiti, where he picked up 18 Tahitians (6 men and 12 women) and set sail again. Landing at Pitcairn Island in 1790 (probably uninhabited at the time), they burned the Bounty and remained undiscovered for 18 years, when an American whaler, the Topaz, called at the island (1808) and found only one member of the mutinous crew surviving. However, the little colony had thrived and, when counted by the British in 1856, numbered 194 persons.
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German industrialist Oskar Schindler was born 28 April 1908, at Svitavy, Moravia, Austria-Hungary (now Zwittau, Czech Republic). For his role in saving over 1,200 Jews during WWII, Schindler was declared a “Righteous Gentile” by Israel in 1962. Although financial opportunism initiated Schindler’s employment of Polish Jews in his enamel factory, by 1944 he embraced his part in saving many of them from execution. Despised by many of his countrymen for his actions during and following WWII, he died Oct 9, 1974, at Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was buried in Jerusalem, Israel— more than 500 Schindlerjuden were in attendance at his funeral. Schindler was later immortalized in the 1982 novel Schindler’s Ark and 1993 film Schindler’s List.
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Tearing down of the Berlin Wall began after several weeks of civil unrest in 1989. The East German government began to allow visitation across the border. Citizens on both sides of the wall began chipping souvenirs from the wall. The wall’s actual demotion began in 1990 and took two years, leading eventually to German reunification.
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On 29 April 1945, the Charlie Battery of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion liberated the concentration camp at Dachau, Germany. The 522nd, part of the legendary 442nd (Go for Broke) regimental combat team, was made up of nisei— second-generation Japanese Americans. Dachau was the first concentration camp opened in Germany, and more than 200,000 prisoners were housed there throughout the course of WWII. An estimated 35,000 people lost their lives in the camp, and more than 32,000 were liberated when the Americans arrived beginning on this date.
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On 29 April 1992, a jury in Simi Valley, California, failed to convict four Los Angeles police officers accused in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, providing the spark that set off rioting, looting and burning at South Central Los Angeles, California, and other areas across the country. The anger unleashed during and after the violence was attributed to widespread racism, lack of job opportunities and the resulting hopelessness of inner-city poverty.
The patent for the first zipper was filed on April 29, 1913 by Gideon Sundbach.
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On 30 April 1938. Warner Bros.’ “wascally wabbit” first appeared on screen in the theatrical short “Porky’s Hare Hunt,” directed by Ben “Bugs” Hardaway and released on this date. Chuck Jones and Tex Avery further developed him into the character we know now— in such cartoons as “A Wild Hare” (1940), in which Bugs asks, “What’s up, Doc?” for the first time and first kisses perennial foe Elmer Fudd. The rabbit’s noisy carrot munching was based on Clark Gable’s carrot chewing in the film It Happened One Night (1934).
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In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated Apr 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. This special day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics and jazz enthusiasts worldwide to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots, future and impact; raise awareness of the need for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding; and reinforce international cooperation and communication. UNESCO and United Nations missions, US embassies and government outposts around the world hosted special events for the first annual International Jazz Day on Apr 30, 2012. More than one billion people around the world were reached through 2013 International Jazz Day programs and media coverage. Cosponsored by the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz.
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The eve of May Day, which is the feast day of St. Walpurgis, the protectress against the magic arts. According to German legend, witches gather this night and celebrate their sabbath on the highest peak in the Harz Mountains. Celebrated particularly by university students in northern Europe.
(Also called Bealtaine, May Eve, Walpurgis Night, Cyntefyn, Roodmass and Cethsamhain.) It is also one of the “Greater Sabbats” during the Wiccan year, Beltane
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It was the Birth of the World Wide Web in 1993 when CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) put the World Wide Web software in the public domain. The internet revolution went global. Read more at https://home.cern/topics/birth-web.
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On 1 May 1971, Amtrak, the national rail service that combined the operations of 18 passenger railroads in the USA, went into service.
Beltane or Beltain is the Gaelic May Day festival.
On the first day of each month, the genealogy community is urged to back up their genealogy data and all computer data.
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Celebrate your Jewish heritage and that of your Jewish ancestors
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May 1 – Law Day in the US celebrates the role of law as it helped create the United States.
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On this special day the Hawaiian version of May Day leis are made, worn, given, displayed and entered in lei-making contests. One of the most popular Lei Day celebrations takes place at Honolulu at Kapiolani Park at Waikiki. Includes the states largest lei contest, the crowning of the Lei Day Queen, Hawaiian music, hula and flowers galore.
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The first day of May has been observed as a holiday since ancient times. Spring festivals, maypoles and maying are still common, but the political importance of May Day has grown since the 1880s, when it became a workers day.
NIn 140 countries, May 1 is observed as a workers holiday. When it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is observed as a holiday. Bermuda, Canada and the US are the only countries that observe Labor Day in September. The Bahamas observe Labor Day in June.
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May 1 – Mother Goose Day is a time to celebrate nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Read more…
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May 1 – National Mental Health Awareness Month is a time to focus on removing the stigma of mental illness and advocating for policies that will better the lives of patients and their families. Read more at https://www.nami.org/mentalhealthmonth.
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May 1 – National Military Appreciation Month includes a number of special days that encourage citizens to thank service members for their dedication and sacrifice. Read more at https://www.military.com/military-appreciation-month.
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May 1 – Photograph Month celebrates the many ways photos impact our lives, whether they are inspiring records of historic events or joyful records of family reunions.
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May 1 – School Principals’ Day is a time to highlight the work school leaders do to support teachers, students, and staff.
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