Jen and Jon Johnson

On April 26, 1986, the world’s worst nuclear accident occurred at the
Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire sent
radioactivity into the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died instantly.

On April 24, 1800 John Adams approves $5,000 to purchase “such books as may
be necessary for the use of Congress,” thus establishing the Library of
Congress.  Today it has over 17 million books.

On April 23, 1564 & 1616, Historians believe William Shakespeare was born on
this day in 1564, the same day he died in 1616.  Shakespeare is most famous
as a playwright and poet.

On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the
disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the
communist government of Fidel Castro.

On April 16, 1947, in Texas City’s port on Galveston Bay, a fire aboard the
freighter Grandcamp ignites ammonium nitrate, causing a massive blast that
destroys much of the city & takes nearly 600 lives.

On April 12, 1861, the American Civil War begins when Confederate soldiers
fire on Union soldiers at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.  The
war would last until April of 1865 and end slavery.

On April 11, 1945, the American Third Army liberates the Buchenwald
concentration camp, near Weimar, Germany, a camp that is judged 2nd only to
Auschwitz in its treatment of prisoners.

On April 10, 1933, FDR establishes the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a
federally funded program that put many Americans to work during the Great
Depression on projects w/ environmental benefits.