Birth of Charles Willson Peale
Artist Charles Willson Peale was born on April 15, 1741, in Chester, Province of Maryland. A prolific artist from the Revolutionary era, he painted more than 1,100 portraits, including several of George Washington.
Famous Americans
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Birth of Dean Acheson
Dean Gooderham Acheson was born on April 11, 1893, in Middletown, Connecticut. Serving in the state department for over a decade, he was influential in many of the United States’ World War II and post-war initiatives, including the Lend-Lease Act, Marshall Plan, and NATO.
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Union Wins Battle of Shiloh
On April 7, 1862, Ulysses S. Grant won the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. The bloodiest battle in US history up to that point, one in four soldiers was killed, wounded, or captured.
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Birth of Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was born on April 5, 1916, in San Diego, California. Appearing in over 60 films and numerous stage productions, he became one of Hollywood’s most beloved and respected actors, voted the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood.
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Birth of Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Poet, actor, author, teacher, and activist, Angelou became an influential voice of the 20th century.
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Birth of John Tyler
John Tyler was born on March 29, 1790, in Charles City County, Virginia. He was the first vice president to take the nation’s highest office following the death of a sitting president, setting the standard for Presidential succession.
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Birth of Nathaniel Currier
American lithographer Nathaniel Currier was born on March 27, 1813, in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He founded the Currier & Ives printing firm, which produced over 7,500 different images of sentimental scenes, sports, humor, and national events.
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Birth of Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier “Tennessee” Williams III was born on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi. One of the most successful playwrights of the 20th century, several of his works were adapted into films.
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Birth of Flannery O’Connor
Mary Flannery O’Connor was born on March 25, 1925, in Savannah, Georgia. In a career cut short by disease, she produced two novels and more than 30 short stories that have led some to consider her one of the greatest short story writers of the 20th century.
