Video: 'The Great War episode 8 War Without End' (Apr. 16, 1945, at 45:32)
(Monday, April 16, 1945, during World War II) — Six days before she died, Käthe Kollwitz, 77-year-old German printmaker and sculpto whose work offered an eloquent and often searing account of the human condition, and the tragedy of war, in the first half of the 20th century, composed her final letter today, writing “the accompanies me to the end.”
Video: 'The World at War Episode 21 - Nemesis - Germany (February - May 1945)' (Apr. 16, 1945, at 16:04)
(Monday, April 16, 1945, 4:00 a.m. Central Euroopean Summer Time; during the Battle of Berlin on the Eastern Front during World War II) — The final chapter in the destruction of Hitler’s Third Reich began today when the Soviets unleashed the brutal power of 20 armies, 6,300 tanks and 8,500 aircraft with the objective of crushing German resistance and capturing Berlin. Continue reading Soviet forces launch Battle of Berlin against Nazi Germany 80 years ago this hour (Apr 16 1945)
Video: 'Lost in the Fog of War: Battle of Ie Shima 1945'
(Monday, April 16, 1945, first waves of assault troops landed at 7:58 a.m. Japan Standard Time; during the Battle of Okinawa, part of the Pacific Theatre of World War II) — The 77th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army assaulted Ie Island (Ie Shima), a small island off the western end of the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa. Continue reading U.S. forces invade Japanese island of Ie Shima 80 years ago this hour (Apr 16 1945)
(Saturday, April 15, 1995) — “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for seven consecutive weeks (Apr. 15/22/29, May 6/13/20/27, 1995).
Video: 'Ray Kroc's First McDonald's Franchise Opens in Des Plaines, Illinois'
(Friday, April 15, 1955) — Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDonald’s restaurant today at 400 North Lee Avenue in Des Plaines, Illinois, near Chicago. Continue reading First franchised McDonald’s restaurant opens in Des Plaines, Illinois 70 years ago today (Apr 15 1955)
Video: 'FDR: A Presidency Revealed: Part 19' (Apr. 15, 1945, at 2:35)
(Sunday, April 15, 1945, 11:00 a.m. EWT; during World War II) — In the hedge-enclosed garden of his ancestral Hyde Park estate in New York, high above the eternal flow of the Hudson, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was laid at rest this morning in the presence of President Harry S. Truman and ranking officials of this country and representatives of other nations. Continue reading U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt buried at Hyde Park 80 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1945)
Video: ‘Andrew Johnson: The President Who Wasn’t Lincoln | 5-Minute Videos’
(Saturday, April 15, 1865, 10:00 a.m. local time; during the American Civil War) — Vice President Andrew Johnson, 56, was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States this morning, following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Continue reading Andrew Johnson sworn in as 17th president of the United States following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination 160 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1865)
Video: 'Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp — Footage from Liberation // Colorized & Restored'
(Sunday, April 15, 1945, afternoon Central European Summer Time; part of The Holocaust during World War II) — 60,000 (mostly sick) prisoners at the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle, were liberated today by British and Canadian troops. Continue reading Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen liberated 80 years ago today (Apr 15 1945)
Video: 'Ken.Burns.The.Civil.War.9of9.The.Better.Angels.Of.Our.Nature' (Lincoln dies at 17:53)
(Saturday, April 15, 1865, 7:22:10 a.m.; during the American Civil War) — U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, 56, died this morning at the Petersen House in Washington, nine hours after he was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. Continue reading U.S. President Abraham Lincoln dies, ‘now belongs to the ages’ 160 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1865)
Video: 'Ken.Burns.The.Civil.War.9of9.The.Better.Angels.Of.Our.Nature' (Lincoln assassination at 14:49; shot fired at 15:36)
(Good Friday, April 14, 1865, approximately 10:13 p.m.; during the American Civil War) — John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head near point blank range tonight after entering the presidential box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington during a performance of Our American Cousin. Continue reading U.S. President Abraham Lincoln mortally wounded at Ford’s Theatre 160 years ago this hour (Apr 14 1865)
