US and Soviet Troops Link-Up at Elbe
On April 25, 1945, American and Soviet troops met at the Elbe River, essentially cutting Germany in half. It was an important link-up in the final days of the war in Europe and has come to be known as Elbe Day.
World War II
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Founding of the U.S. Army Reserve
The forerunner of the US Army Reserve was established on April 23, 1908. It was the nation’s first federal reserve – providing fully-trained and prepared troops in times of need. Today, there are over 815,000 reservists across all the military branches.
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Birth of Percy Lavon Julian
Chemist Percy Lavon Julian was born on April 11, 1899, in Montgomery, Alabama. Julian was one of the first African Americans to receive a doctorate in chemistry, and the first to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. He owned more than 100 chemical patents and was a pioneer in chemical synthesis of drugs used in medicine.
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The Battle of Manila
The WWII Battle of Manila begins. It was the first and most violent urban fighting of the war in the Pacific, but the Allies were victorious.
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Happy Birthday Paul Newman
Actor, director, race car driver, and philanthropist Paul Leonard Newman was born on January 26, 1925, in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
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Birth of Oveta Culp Hobby
Oveta Culp Hobby was born on January 19, 1905, in Killeen, Texas.
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Flying Tigers First Combat
On December 20, 1941, the Flying Tigers engaged in their first battle.
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Happy Birthday Grenville Clark
Grenville Clark was born on November 5, 1882, in New York City.
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Buffalo Soldiers
On September 21, 1866, the 9th and 10th Cavalry units and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry units (later consolidated as the 24th and 25th Infantry) were formed. The units were comprised entirely of black soldiers – the first to serve in a peacetime army. They would come to be known as Buffalo Soldiers.
