I’m not really a history buff, but looking at events that happened in April just happened to pique my interest. First, starting on April 18 was the famous “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” warning of the upcoming battles of Lexington and Concord the next day. But, you might not know there were two other riders as well, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott. Prescott finished the ride because Revere actually was captured by the British. And he never really said “the British are coming!” Most colonists considered themselves British.

On April 12, 1861, the Civil War started at Fort Sumter. There were no casualties during this war, but on April 14, at the Union surrender ceremonies, two casualties did occur. It happened when the Union was allowed to have a 100-gun salute to the US Flag and the artillery cartridges that were stacked near one of the cannons accidentally went off, killing Private Daniel Hough and Edward Galloway.

April 25, 1898 was the start of the Spanish American War … but was it? The U.S. declared war retroactively stating the war started on April 21. Why? The US Navy had already begun a blockade of Cuba on April 21 so any action that happened after that could be considered acts of war. Guess they had to make sure history didn’t reflect badly on the leadership for prematurely taking action and ensuring their actions were legally justified under international law.

42 years later, on April 30, 1945, Hitler died of suicide. Just 40 hours before he committed suicide, he married Eva Braun. They were planning a double suicide, so I guess it was important they were married. They used cyanide but to make sure it would work, they tested it first on his dog, Blondi! Guess it doesn’t pay to be man’s best friend, if that man was Hitler!

Jumping to more current history, the start of the Battle of Bagdad on April 1, 2003. Some of us remember this well, some were there. I wasn’t but I was surprised how fast Bagdad did fall … I think it surprised the military as well. Initially, the 3rd Infantry thought they were conducting a “high risk probe,” not a full-scale assault. The “Shock and Awe” that started on March 19 had a profound effect on the Iraq troops so many wanted to disengage rather than fight. Not that there wasn’t considerable fighting happening, just now it was “urban warfare,” something some military historians say they weren’t expecting. Now the engagements were on narrow streets with civilians mixed with military targets.

Last, on April 10, 2010, the US Navy expanded its anti-piracy efforts. At that time, there were thousands of piracy events happening, especially around Africa. I think most of us became aware of the problem with the Movie Capt. Phillips, starring Tom Hanks. Pirates took the ship Maersk Alabama in 2009, and Navy Seals came in saving the day. Piracy, while fewer incidents, continue today. 

Guess I am more interested in history than I thought!