This Week in April History - Read More About It

A co-worker and I were talking about April 15th and how it was U.S. tax day - but so much more has happened on that day. Just take a look at these other April fifteenths in history. 

On April 15, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m. He had been assassinated the night before at Ford's Theater. It was a tragedy that had a great impact on our nation. For a fictional account of Lincoln's life try the classic book Lincoln: a novel by Gore Vidal. For a recent book on his cabinet try the award winning title Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Goodwin Kearns. And for a off-beat, but thoughtful title try Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. Vowell manages to make connections about the players in the plot that will astound you.

On April 15, 1912 in the early morning the RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner, sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. This sailing tragedy has managed to change shipping and passenger standards that are still in use today. For a fictional account of the adventure try The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. For an encompassing illustrated volume look at the title  Titanic: an Illustrated History by Donald Lynch.

 On a brighter note Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He was interested in the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work as a painter, sculptor, inventor and draftsman. His ideas and his body of work - which included "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa" - have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a leading light of the Italian Renaissance. Take a look at his brilliance in The Da Vinci Notebooks : a Dazzling Array of Da Vinci's Celebrated and Inspirational Inventions, Theories, and Observations. Or explore Ross King's non-fiction book Leonardo and the Last Supper.

Just a reminder that history is all around us. Find it at your library!