Happy Friday! Casey here!
I love April. It’s my birthday month and, here in New England, the unofficial start of 
Spring. April means the flowers are budding, the days are warmer and the snow (knock on wood) is behind us.
But it’s not all sunshine and flowers. No siree. April has a dark side.
Being a total history geek, I always marvel (and shudder) at the mayhem that has occurred during the month of April.
T.S. Elliot called April the cruelest month. Need proof?
- April 4, 1968 – assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
- April 12, 1861 – Start of US Civil War
- April 14, 1865 – the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (he died early morning on the 15th)
- April 15, 1912 – sinking of RMS Titanic
- April 15th – in the United States – Tax day
- April 18, 1906 – San Francisco earthquake
- April 19, 1775 – the shot heard ’round the world. Battle of Lexington & Concord starts the American Revolution. Okay, that was pretty good for us Americans.
- April 26, 1986 – Chernobyl disaster
- April 27, 1865, SS Sultana (riverboat) boiler explodes. Still considered to be the greatest maritime disaster in US history.
Also in April of years past – Columbine shootings, Oklahoma bombing, Waco, Virginia Tech shootings, BP oil spill, and Apollo 13. There were so many disasters, I had 
difficulty choosing what to include. Kinda scary.
So what is it with April? I have no idea. And I am sure, statistically, April is no different from other months in terms of bad things, however, it sure does seem like the worst events have occurred in April.
Here is what I take away from this. Life is short and you never know when the ride will be over. Savor the moments big and small and love your friends and family. So, while I make note of these dates, I still live my life, celebrate my birthday, and hope for many more to come.
Has anyone else noticed that April is the cruelest month? What is your cruelest month?
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Yikes! Crawling back under the covers is sounding better and better. I try not to think about past disasters or worry about future ones since as the saying goes, today has enough of its own troubles, but it does seem your list would indicate that April is historically significant. I find there are pros and cons to every month, but mostly I focus on the day, living it to the fullest as you said. I have no control over anything else:-)
Yes, I agree. There have been a lot of historically significant events in April.
At least the Ides of March are behind us! 🙂
Here is one good thing about April: you were born!!!
P.S. Love P.J.’s take on it: “April is historically significant.” 🙂
Aww thanks ZsuZsa 🙂
Casey, April was significant in historic happenings, especially your birth date, obviously. We need the past to do better in the future, any month of any year, right? I thought perhaps Steve Jobs was wrapped up in April, but he was born in February. It would be an adventure to figure out happenings in the month of February. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADY!
Thanks for the birthday wishes Gail! It’s still a week or two away.
Well Happy Birthday, Casey! 🙂 And thanks for making me paranoid. I think I might stay inside for the rest of the month. At least I’ll get my writing done. And that would be a good thing to happen in April, so maybe I could turn the tides.
As for all those disasters, people do get stir crazy after being inside all winter..maybe that has something to do with it.
I have no idea why so many major historic events have occured in April (and I only listed some of them, there is a much larger list out there on the old web).
Well now, that was depressing! And here it is my birthday month! And my anniversary month! I think Hitler’s birthday is in April as well.
Yes, Hitler was born in April and died in April. Mark Twain also died in April – on the 21sth, 1910. One thing I didn’t meantion in the post is that my husband’s birthday is three days after mine. And heaven help him if he forgets my birthday – muwhahaha!
Wow, lots of stuff has happened in April and yes, not really fun stuff. However, when I think ,of April I think of all the wonderful people who are in my life and were born this month. People like my grandma, cousin, countless friends and now I get to add one more person to the list, Casey! This month is also Earth day, Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s home run record of 714, Pocahantas and John Rolfe got married (aww), the Civil War ended, The Great Gatsby was published, the mustang was unveiled, and George Washington took office as the first president of the US. Lots of great things to celebrate in the month of April. And as you said, live life to the fullest, after all there are no promises.
Awesome facts Gail! And you know, a lot of my school friends have birthdays in April (I can name at least someone for each day!). And back to Katy’s comment – I am sure that has to do with being cooped all winter long – hubba, hubba!!
I like Gail’s list! 🙂 Huh. I didn’t realize what a dark history the month of spring had. April is a big birthday month in our house too. Happy birthday, Casey!
Thanks for the birthday wishes, Jill! We have so many friends with birthdays in April, that we have a giant party for all of us!! 🙂
How do you know so much stuff about April?
Because I am a total history nerd and I’m especially fascinated by all the historical events that have taken place during my birthday month. 🙂
One of my favorites is Paul Revere’s ride. Although he gets all the credit thanks to Longfellow, he wasn’t the only one to make the ride. William Dawes and Samuel Prescott always get forgotten by history!
See, total geek!!
You’re not a geek! You’re SMART!!
Ugh! Too. Much. Knowledge. Too. Geeky.