On April 25, 1950, the Boston Celtics make Chuck Cooper, an
All-American forward from Duquesne University, the first
African American picked in NBA draft. With the selection,
the first pick in the second round, Cooper breaks the NBA’s
color barrier and changes the league for the better.

     
    
    
    
    
   
On April 20, 2008, then a 26-year-old Danica Patrick (42) won 
the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan,
making her the first female winner in IndyCar racing history.

NASCAR

SPRINT CUP

The mountain lodge is located on the south side of Mount
Hood in Clackamas County, Oregon, about 60 miles east
of Portland.

Roosevelt at the podium, dedicating Timberline Lodge.

Timberline Lodge was dedicated September 28, 1937, by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (above).

He dedicated the lodge, saying, "I am here to dedicate the
Timberline Lodge and I do so in the words of the bronze
tablet directly in front of me on the coping of this wonderful
building: ‘Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood National Forest
dedicated September 28, 1937, by the President of the United
States as a monument to the skill and faithful performance of
workers on the rolls of the Works Progress Administration.”

Most work was complete at the time of the dedication. After
some interior details were finished, the lodge opened to the
public February 4, 1938.

Dedication panel, Timberline Lodge, Timberline Trail, Government Camp, Clackamas County.

On Thursday, April 18, 2024 a fire broke out at the lodge requiring multiple fire agencies to respond.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Multiple fire agencies responded to
a three-alarm fire at the historic Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood Thursday night.

According to Clackamas Fire, employees at the lodge called
firefighters at about 9:30 to report that a fire was burning in
the lodge’s attic.

Firefighters said that they had gotten a good handle on the fire
and were doing everything they could to preserve the historic
building.

Firefighters from Hoodland Fire, Gresham Fire, Estacada, and
Portland also responded. Timberline is closed at this time.

     
      DAVID MELENDY

    
Seung-Hui Cho, the student gunman.

Injured occupants are carried out of Norris Hall at Virginia
Tech.

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, at age 28, became the first
African American player in Major League Baseball’s modern
era when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete
for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson broke the color barrier
in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years.

Exactly 50 years later, in 1997, Robinson’s groundbreaking
career was honored and his uniform number, 42, was retired
from Major League Baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig in
a ceremony attended by over 50,000 fans at New York City’s
Shea Stadium. Robinson’s was the first-ever number retired
by all teams in the league.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson
(January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972)