On April 30th, 1789 the first president of the United States was officially inaugurated. George Washington was sworn in around noon, outside of the Federal Hall building in New York City. Despite his term beginning on March 4th, Congress did not ratify his Electoral College votes until April 6th. This was due to a lack of quorum in the Congress, the minimum number of representatives and senators was not met to allow an official meeting to occur. On the afternoon of the fourteenth, Washington received word of his victory; after which, he spent many a day traveling to New York, warmly greeted by hundreds of proud American citizens. Once he arrived, he was sworn in by John Langdon, the original president pro tempore of the Senate.
1926: Cloris Leachman was born, an American actress and comedienne whose career spanned more than seven decades, dying January 27, 2021. Raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Leachman attended Northwestern University and began appearing in local plays. She studied under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in New York City, making her professional debut in 1948. In film, she appeared in Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show as the jaded wife of a closeted schoolteacher. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations.
Sixteen years later, the notorious dictator of Germany, Adolf Hitler shot himself in the head. Just two days earlier, he was informed about the death of Benito Mussolini -an Axis Power ally who had assisted Hitler in their war efforts. As the Soviet Red Army surrounded the city of Berlin, Hitler’s paranoia grew substantially. His mental health was rapidly on the decline; he married Eva Braun, longtime companion, just a day before his death; he accidentally put down his dog, while testing out the intensity of a cyanide capsule. Once the Red Army were within two blocks away from the Reich Chancellery, Hitler and his newly-wedded wife committed suicide. This brought an end to the reign of one of mankind’s most powerful and evil dictators.
On this day in 1975, South Vietnam officially surrendered to North Vietnam troops. Upon the capture of Saigon, the United States underwent a massive evacuation of government personnel and high ranking members of of the ARVN and other South Vietnamese, fearing capture by the communists. A majority of evacuees were lifted via helicopter to multiple aircraft carriers along the coast. After nearly twenty years of fighting, the Vietnam War officially came to end. In 2021, the War on terror broke this conflict’s record for being the longest war in American history. Over the past forty-six years, Vietnam has celebrated “Reunification Day” each April 30th; this is in honor of the end to the Vietnam war.
On April 29th 1992, the Los Angeles Riots broke out in response to the acquittals of four police officers responsible for the murder of Rodney King. Over the course of the next few days, mass looting, violence, and destruction occurred throughout the streets of Los Angeles. A truck driver by the name of Reginald Denny was among the many victims of rioters’ harm. Broadcasted on live television for millions to watch, Denny was forcibly removed from his truck and savagely beaten by his culprits. Another man by the name of Fidel Lopez, a Guatemalan immigrant, was robbed and brutally attacked by multiple rioters. Fortunately, both men survived their attacks and lived for many years. Koreatown, a predominantly-Korean neighborhood was blocked off on one end by law enforcement. The other end, entering the neighborhood, was left unprotected. Therefore, business owners were forced to defend their livelihoods themselves. Unfortunately,
2009: The first case of the swine flu was recorded in the U.S.A, and despite its name there is no link between humans getting the virus from pigs. The CDC noted that this differed greatly from typical seasonal influenza epidemics, during which about 70% to 90% of deaths are estimated to occur in people 65 years and older. By the end of May, the flu had infected people in all 50 states. As of June 16, the total number of confirmed cases was 27,272 and on June 25, the CDC said there were over one million cases, most of which had not been reported or diagnosed.
Writers: Micah Borrelli & Lucas Hydock
Miners Pub 