Guest Author - Beth Green

Every state has as contributed something to United States history and the Midwestern states are no exception. Here is a list of some noteworthy dates and events that occurred in April, either in the Midwest region, or by people with ties to the Midwest. This is by no means a comprehensive list.

The Pony Express service began in St. Joseph, Missouri on April 3, 1860.

Also on April 3 in St. Joseph, in the year 1882, outlaw Jesse James was killed in his home in St. Joseph by Robert Ford, a member of the James Gang.

On April 3, 1887, the first woman mayor in the United States was elected in Argonia, Kansas. Her name was Susanna M. Salter.

The Marshall Plan to stop the spread of Communism was signed by President Harry Truman on April 3, 1948.

Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.

The Civil War Battle of Shiloh occurred on April 6, 1862 in Shiloh, Tennessee

The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. It was started by J. Sterling Morton, editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper.

Vice President Harry S Truman from Independence, Missouri became President of the United Stated on April 12, 1945 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Georgia.

President Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, was shot on April 14, 1865 at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln died the next morning.

Near midnight on April 14, 1912, the ocean liner Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. Margaret Tobin Brown of Hannibal, Missouri was one of the 700 passengers who were rescued. She became known as “the Unsinkable Molly Brown” because of her heroic efforts during the tragedy.

Another Hannibal native, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as literary icon Mark Twain, died on April 21, 1910.

World heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who was born in Louisville Kentucky as Cassius Clay, had his title taken away from him on April 30, 1967 after he refused to be inducted into the military.

This is not a complete listing of events from the Midwest USA that have occurred in April. If you know of something that should be on the list, please send me an email.