April 14th. Perhaps THE day in history most crowded with awful things. Special to the Guide.

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Call it a Songwriting Challenge. Because you're not going to believe all that happened on this date.

April 14th. Forget Tax Day. You Won't Believe All that's Happened on THIS Day

By Larry Wines

Exactly 150 years ago, on this day in 1865, the least regarded member of a famous family of American actors shot President Abraham Lincoln. It was a silent ambush during the closing night performance of the comedy "Our American Cousin" in Ford's theater in Washington, D.C. Lincoln would die the following morning, April 15th. And his death isn't the only tragedy that began on an April 14th and ended early the next day. (Wait for it.)

The Lincoln assassination also introduced Americans to the unacceptable idea that an inconsequential nobody could change history by killing a very important president. That same unacceptable idea, sadly, would plague us again.

Back to April 14th. In 1912, while on her maiden voyage, the largest and most luxurious ship ever built (to that time), the RMS Titanic, struck an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland at 11:40 pm, ship time. Two hours and 40 minutes later, on the morning of April 15th, she sank into the strangely calm, smooth-as-glass, icy waters of the North Atlantic. Over 1500 men, women, and children lost their lives because the ship had been built and put into service with a grossly insufficient number of lifeboats, making it one of the most arrogant acts of hubris ever. The sinking is also regarded as the end of "The Gilded Age," because some of the most pampered, insulated, privileged and influential people in the world froze and drowned along with nearly everyone from Third Class, who had pretty much always known a hard life filled with sudden and tragic death.

Eight years later, in 1920, an April 14th tornado outbreak tore things to pieces in Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. In all, it left 219 people dead, hundreds more injured, many seriously, and millions of dollars in damage at a time when a million dollars was a LOT of money.

Fifteen years after that, April 14th, 1935 brought the worst sandstorm of "The Dust Bowl" of 1931-1939, the Great Depression of 1929-1940, and all of American history. That April 14th would become known as "Black Sunday" across much of the United States because the daytime sky over the plains and Midwest was literally black.

Though the U.S. wasn't yet in it, Europe was in the throes of World War II on April 14th, 1941, when the first massive Nazi roundup of Jews took 3,600 people from Paris, France to the concentration camps as the first major step in the horror of the Holocaust.

Twenty-eight years after that, on April 14th, 1969, a powerful tornado caused an estimated 660 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries in what was then East Pakistan and is now Bangladesh.

Thirty years later, Sydney, Australia was struck by "a gigantic and severe" hailstorm on April 14th, 1999. An estimated 500,000 tons of hail fell. Insurers were hit with 1.7 billion dollars in claims, monetarily the costliest event in Australia's history. One fisherman died, but only 50 injuries were reported.

Five years ago, on April 14th, 2010 the region around Yushu, Qinghai, China, experienced six separate earthquakes plus related aftershocks, killing more than 2,700 men, women, and children. The largest was 6.9 on the Richter scale. In the town of Gyegu, 85% of all structures were destroyed, including 11 schools.

And one year ago, April 14th, 2014, over 200 school girls were abducted by terrorists in the north of Nigeria.

And you thought the 13th was always bad. Or maybe you were worried about the April 15th tax deadline tomorrow.

Perhaps the old Creedence Clearwater Revival song should be the anthem of April 14th:

"I see a bad moon a' rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today.

"Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise.

"I hear hurricanes a' blowing
I know the end is a' coming soon
I fear rivers overflowing
I hear the voice of raze and ruin.

"Well, don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise.

"Hope you have got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye.

"Well don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise.

"Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise."

Be careful out there.


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