Today is Saturday, April 12, 2014. We have 263 days left in the year! In 1861, the Civil War begins at Fort Sumter, South Carolina! This forever changed the discourse of the United States and has an indirect effect upon you and I today! In 1865, at Mobile, Alabama the Union Army takes the streets of this beautiful city, even though the war had ended three days prior. In 1955, polio vaccine is approved. Birthdays on this day: Henry Clay, born in 1777, Senator and candidate for President 5 times. A bed built for the White House for his term sits at Rosedown Plantation at St. Francisville, La. My distant relatives, the Barrow family bought it when he lost an election. In 1874, William B. Bankhead, future Speaker of US House, was born. He was a Southern Gentleman from Jasper, Alabama. At 1940 Democratic Convention- Louisiana cast its votes for him to become Vice Presidential Nominee. Henry Wallace was selected over Bankhead. 1945, the 32nd President, Franklin D. Roosevelt dies at Warm Springs, Ga. He had been the longest Chief Executive. An example of his power- my Father, Charlie Nash of DeRidder, La. was the head cook at the old DeRidder Army Air Base Fire Department. His Fire Chief, R. Glen Welborn, sent him uptown to the Post Office to retrieve the days mail for Fire Dept. When walking up the steps of that now famous building on West First Street, Dad received word of FDRs passing. He said, Oh no, what do we do now? Someone reminded him that Harry Truman, the new 3 month VIce Pres. would now be in charge. My Dad said, I forgot we even needed a VP- as Roosevelt had been in office so long!. Our country was effected indirectly by the left handed Missouri leader. He was fair but oh, he was the hand that approved the Atomic Bomb- needed to defeat Japan, but look where we are across the world today with nuclear threats everywhere! Yes, April 12th has been a day in history for America- 1861 and 1945!
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 11:30:40 +0000