ON THIS DAY~APR 21

 

      April 21, 2008 

 

KINDERGARTEN DAY

 A man named Friedrich Froebel actually invented kindergarten. Little Freddie was born on this day in 1782 in Germany. He grew up to become a teacher, author and toy maker.

Friedrich’s experience as an educator led him to the conclusion that playtime can be very instructive; an essential part of a child’s education. He founded the first kindergarten for this purpose in 1837 in Blankenburg, Germany.

This directed playtime led to his invention of a series of toys that were designed to stimulate learning. He called these toys, gifts. The mother of famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright gave her son some of these gifts ... in the form of maple wood blocks. Wright often spoke of the value the gifts had brought him throughout his life.

The first public kindergarten in the U.S. was started by Conrad Poppenhusen in College Point, Queens, New York in 1870.

 

 

-753  Rome Founded

According to tradition, on April 21, 753 B.C., Romulus and his twin brother, Remus, found Rome on the site where they were suckled by a she-wolf as orphaned infants. Actually, the Romulus and Remus myth originated sometime in the fourth century B.C., and the exact date of Rome's founding was set by the Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro in the first century B.C.

 

1918  Red Baron Killed In Action

In the skies over Vauz sur Somme, France, Manfred von Richthofen, the notorious German flying ace known as "The Red Baron," is killed by Allied fire.

 

1865  Lincoln’s Funeral Train Leaves D.C.

On this day in 1865, a train carrying the coffin of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln leaves Washington, D.C. on its way to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

The train carrying Lincoln’s body traveled through 180 cities and seven states on its way to Lincoln’s home state of Illinois. Scheduled stops for the special funeral train were published in newspapers. At each stop, Lincoln’s coffin was taken off the train, placed on an elaborately decorated horse-drawn hearse and led by solemn processions to a public building for viewing. In cities as large as Columbus, Ohio, and as small as Herkimer, New York, thousands of mourners flocked to pay tribute to the slain president. In Philadelphia, Lincoln’s body lay in state on in the east wing of Independence Hall, the same site where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Newspapers reported that people had to wait more than five hours to pass by the president’s coffin in some cities.

 

1930  Prisoners Left To Burn In Ohio Fire

The Ohio State Penitentiary was built in Columbus in 1834. Throughout its history, it had a poor reputation. A cholera epidemic swept through the facility in 1849, killing 121 convicts.

The prison, built to hold 1,500 people, was almost always overcrowded and notorious for its poor conditions. At the time of the 1930 fire, there were 4,300 prisoners living in the jail. Construction crews were working on an expansion and scaffolding was set up along one side of the building. On the night of April 21, a fire broke out on the scaffolding.

The cell block adjacent to the scaffolding housed 800 prisoners, most of whom were already locked in for the night. The inmates begged to be let out of their cells as smoke filled the cell block. However, most reports claim that the guards not only refused to unlock the cells, they continued to lock up other prisoners. Meanwhile, the fire spread to the roof, endangering the inmates on the prison’s upper level as well.

Finally, two prisoners forcibly took the keys from a guard and began their own rescue efforts. Approximately 50 inmates made it out of their cells before the heavy smoke stopped the impromptu evacuation. The roof then caved in on the upper cells. About 160 prisoners burned to death.

Although some guards did work to save the lives of their charges, the seemingly willful indifference displayed by other guards led to a general riot. Firefighters initially could not get access to the fire because angry prisoners were pelting them with rocks. By the time the fire was controlled, 320 people were dead and another 130 were seriously injured.

 

1945  Red Army Overruns German High Command as it Approaches The Capital

On this day in 1945, Soviet forces fighting south of Berlin, at Zossen, assault the headquarters of the German High Command. The only remaining opposing "force" to the Russian invasion of Berlin are the "battle groups" of Hitler Youth, teenagers with anti-tank guns, strategically placed in parks and suburban streets. In a battle at Eggersdorf, 70 of these Hitler teens strove to fight off a Russian assault with a mere three anti-tank guns. They were bulldozed by Russian tanks and infantry.

 

1956  Elvis Presley's First No. 1 Hit

"Heartbreak Hotel" hits the top of the Billboard charts on this day in 1956. The song was Elvis' first No. 1 hit.

 

1959  The largest fish ever hooked by a rod and reel was landed by Alf Dean. Ol’ Alf told the fellas down at the marina about the 16-foot, 10-inch white shark that weighed in at 2,664 pounds!  Dean made the historic catch in South Australia.

 

1963  The Beatles and The Rolling Stones met for the first time together, at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England. The Stones opened show.

 

1965  Intelligence Reveals North Vietnamese Units in South Vietnam

The Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency report a "most ominous" development: a regiment of the People's Army of Vietnam--the regular army of North Vietnam--division is now operating with the Viet Cong in South Vietnam.

 

1977  The Broadway musical, Annie, opened at the Alvin Theatre in New York City.

Andrea McArdle was a shining star in the title role. Annie continued on the Great White Way until January 2, 1983.

 

1980  Rosie Ruiz Fakes Boston Marathon Win

 

Born on this Day

1915  Anthony Quinn Academy Award-Winning Actor: Viva Zapata! [1952], Lust for Life [1956]; The Guns of Navarone, The Inheritance, The Old Man and the Sea, Zorba the Greek; died June 3, 2001

1926  Queen Elizabeth II (Elisabeth Mary)  Queen of the United Kingdom [1952- ]; eldest daughter of George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon; married Philip Mountbatten [1947]: four children: Charles [Prince of Wales], Anne, Andrew, Edward

1935  Charles Grodin  Actor: Clifford, Beethoven I & II, Midnight Run, Dave; director, host: The Charles Grodin Show

1936  Reg Fleming  Hockey: NHL: Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, NY Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres

1951  Tony Danza  Actor: Family Law, Who’s the Boss, Taxi, Angels in the Outfield, Baby Talk; TV talk show host: The Tony Danza Show [co-executive producer]

1958  Andie (Rosalie Anderson) MacDowell  Actress: Multiplicity, Unstrung Heroes, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Short Cuts, Groundhog Day, Green Card, sex lies and videotape, St. Elmo’s Fire, The Player, Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes