William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901)

On this day in history, April 20, 1898, President William McKinley
asked Congress to declare war on Spain.

The declaration requested by the 25th U.S. president was in
response to an ongoing conflict between Spain and Cuba, the
latter located less 100 miles off the coast of Florida, as that
island country struggled for independence from Spain.

The U.S. Office of the Historian said on April 20, Congress
passed a joint resolution that acknowledged Cuban
independence.

Congress also authorized McKinley to use whatever military
measures he deemed necessary to guarantee Cuba’s
independence, the U.S. Office of the Historian noted.

  
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 – 5 April 1964)

Gen. Douglas MacArthur delivered his farewell address to
Congress on this day in history, April 19, 1951, uttering the
famous line, "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

Eight days before the speech, MacArthur had been relieved
of his duties as general of the U.S. Army by President Harry
S. Truman — putting an end to his storied military career. 

President Harry S Truman (left) relieved General
Douglas MacArthur (right) as commander of
United Nations forces in Korea on April 11, 1951.
 

Charles Frazier Stanley
(September 25, 1932 – April 18, 2023)

Dr. Stanley founded and was president of In Touch Ministries,
which widely broadcasted his sermons through television and
radio. He also served two one-year terms as president of the
Southern Baptist Convention, from 1984 to 1986. He died
peacefully at his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Actress Patti LuPone sits down with the hosts of "The View"
on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)

Actress Patti LuPone (above) declared that she doesn’t know the difference between "our Christian Right and the Taliban" during
her appearance on "The View".  

On April 18, 1906, at 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close
to 8.0 on the Richter scale struck San Francisco, California, killing
an estimated 3,000 people as it topples numerous buildings.

The quake was caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a
segment about 275 miles long, and shock waves could be felt
from southern Oregon down to Los Angeles.

San Francisco’s brick buildings and wooden Victorian structures
were especially devastated. Fires immediately broke out and–
because broken water mains prevented firefighters from stopping
them–firestorms soon developed citywide. At 7 a.m., U.S. Army
troops from Fort Mason reported to the Hall of Justice, and San Francisco Mayor E.E. Schmitz called for the enforcement of a
dusk-to-dawn curfew and authorized soldiers to shoot to kill
anyone found looting.

Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz (1864 – 1928)