This Day In History

On April 19, 1897, the American Osteopathic Association was formed. Osteopathy is an alternative medical practice that focuses on the manipulation of muscle tissue and bones.

On April 18, 1923, the Yankees played their first game in “The House that Ruth Built.”

On April 17, 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano became the first European to see New York harbor.

On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act. The act freed over 3,100 people enslaved in the US capital nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation would free all enslaved people in the US.

On March 26, 1827, legendary composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna, Austria. One of the most well-known figures in Western music, his compositions are among the most performed in the classical music genre.

On March 22, 1963, the Beatles released their first full-length album, “Please Please Me.”

On January 14, 1973, Elvis performed the first live worldwide broadcast concert – Aloha from Hawaii.

Singer, songwriter, and actress Édith Giovanna Gassion, better known as Édith Piaf was born on December 19, 1915, in Belleville, Paris, France. She was France’s most popular singer in the 1940s, earning worldwide acclaim for her signature song “La Vie en Rose.”

Film star Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. was born on April 20, 1893, in Burchard, Nebraska. Best known as a silent film star, he appeared in nearly 200 films, most notably Safety Last.

Daniel Chester French was born on April 20, 1850, in Exeter, New Hampshire. French made over 100 statues, memorials, sculptures and reliefs during his career, most notably the statue at the center of the Lincoln Memorial and the Concord Minuteman.

On April 20, 1987, the USPS issued the set of eight Special Occasions stamps, the first “special” stamp booklet.

On April 20, 1987, the second Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened. It was rebuilt following a 1980 accident. Considered a symbol of Florida, it’s also the longest cable-stayed concrete bridge in the world.