By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, from “Concord Hymn”
Patriots Day commemorates the events of April 19, 1775, that marked the start of the American Revolutionary War, especially the midnight rides of Paul Revere and others to warn of the approach of British troops, and the battles of Lexington and Concord. Today, Massachusetts and Maine celebrate Patriots Day as a legal holiday on the third Monday in April, with reenactments and other events.
Learn more about the first shots fired on Lexington Green to “the shot heard round the world” at Concord’s North Bridge by visiting the Minute Man National Park in Concord. The annual running of the Boston Marathon also takes place on this day. You may want to do your patriotic duty and check out the official Web site of the Boston Marathon, sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association.”
Died
King Henry VII of England–
Peter Apianus(astronomer)–
Mark Twain(American writer)–
Manfred von Richthofen(aviator, aka the Red Baron)–
Aldo Leopold(American environmentalist)–
Mary Doyle Keefe(model for Norman Rockwell’s 1943 painting of Rosie the Riveter)–
Prince(musician)–
Born
Charlotte Brontë(author)–
Anthony Quinn(actor)–
Elizabeth II(Queen of Great Britain)–
Charles Grodin(actor)–
Patti Lupone(actress and singer)–
Tony Danza(actor)–
Nicole Sullivan(actress)–
Events
John Adams sworn in as the first vice president of the U.S. –
Battle of San Jacinto, Texas –
David Dows, largest five-masted schooner of its time, launched –
The New York Giants and New York Yankees played an exhibition game to benefit survivors of the Titanic –
World record: 2,664-pound great white shark caught off southern coast of Australia –
50-lb. 8-oz. African pompano caught, Daytona Beach, Florida –
Ashes of Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, journeyed into space –
In a procedure billed as a first in the U.S., Stephanie Yarber, an infertile Alabama woman, received a transplanted ovary from her identical twin sister, Melanie Morgan –
Thirteen year old Morgan Pozgar won the LG National Texting Championship. She typed the message, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious. If you say it loud enough you’ll always sound precocious. in 15 seconds –
Chicago White Sox pitcher Phil Humber threw a perfect game –
Fireball exploded over Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, rattling homes from central California to Reno, Nevada. Experts believe it was caused by a meteoroid about the size of a minivan. –
Weather
A tornado in northern Illinois killed 52 people –
Tornadoes in Kansas –
A Dodger Stadium doubleheader was rained out for the third day in a row, after heavy rains continued to pour down on southern California. In the previous 26 years, only 12 games had been rained out at the stadium. –
Waterspout formed off Isle of Palms, South Carolina –
Half-dollar-size hail fell near Marion, South Carolina –
