STILL THE LARGEST MARITIME DISASTER

The sinking of the Sultana | Horror

The steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near
Memphis, killing 1,700 passengers including many discharged
Union soldiers. The accident is still considered the largest
maritime disaster in U.S. history in terms of lives lost.

The Sultana was launched from Cincinnati in 1863. The boat
was 260 feet long and had an authorized capacity of 376
passengers and crew.

It was considered one of the most modern vessels of its era
and was soon employed to carry troops and supplies along
the lower Mississippi River.        

        
On April 25, 1865, the Sultana left
New Orleans
with 100
passengers. It stopped at Vicksburg, Mississippi, for repair
of a leaky boiler.

R. G. Taylor, the boilermaker on the ship, advised Captain J.
Cass Mason that two sheets on the boiler had to be replaced,
but Mason ordered Taylor to simply patch the plates until the
ship reached St. Louis.

   
    
    
   
The Sultana Disaster — Hillsdale County Historical Society
The only known photograph of the Sultana taken on the last
day of its fateful voyage in Helena, Arkansas on April 27,
1865.


Today In History: 27th March 1865 Explosion of SS Sultana in Mississippi  River - Samoa Global News

The Sultana Disaster - April 27, 1865 | A refreshing oasis of excellence in  the often toxic cesspool that is the internet

Image:

The Sultana Disaster
Model of Sultana by artist & Lincoln Shrine docent Ken Jolly.

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,DEATH,Explosion,HISTORY,Maritime Disaster and have No Comments

CIVIL WAR LEADER BORN ON THIS DAY

Ulysses S. Grant in St. Louis 1854-1860 (U.S. National Park Service)

General Ulysses S. Grant, between 1860 and 1870 : r/ColorizedHistory

Ulysses S. Grant - People at The Fort - Fort Vancouver - Pacific NW History  and Historical Sites
Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885)

Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War leader and 18th president of the
United States, was born on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant,
Ohio.

The son of a tanner, Grant showed little enthusiasm for joining
his father’s business, so the elder Grant enrolled his son at
West Point in 1839.

Though Grant later admitted he had no interest in the military
apart from honing his equestrian skills, he graduated in 1843
and went on to serve in the
Mexican-American War, though
he opposed it on moral grounds. He then left his beloved wife
and children again to fulfill a tour of duty in California and
Oregon.

Bookmark] Discovering the Promise of Asia and America in Grant's Visit to  Japan | JAPAN Forward

posted by Bob Karm in BIRTHDAY,Civil war,Currency,HISTORY,MILITARY,President and have No Comments

VACCINE TRIALS BEGAN ON THIS DAY IN 1954

This Week in History - Polio Vaccine Trials - The official blog of  Newspapers.com
Polio vaccine trials begin | April 26, 1954 | HISTORY


On April 26, 1954, the Salk polio vaccine field trials, involving
1.8 million children, began at the Franklin Sherman Elementary
School in McLean, Virginia.

Children in the United States, Canada and Finland participated
in the trials, which used for the first time the now-standard
double-blind method, whereby neither the patient nor attending
doctor knew if the inoculation was the vaccine or a placebo.

One year later, on April 12, 1955, researchers announced the
vaccine was safe and effective and it quickly became a standard
part of
childhood immunizations in America.

In 1954, polio vaccine trials began. Here's a photo of elementary school  students waiting in line to receive the vaccine. : r/OldSchoolCool

4 stories about Pitt's vaccine legacy, 68 years after the first public polio  shots | University of Pittsburgh


Jonas Salk holding bottles of culture he        
used to develop the polio vaccine.

Today, polio has been eliminated throughout
much of the world due to the vaccine; but,
there is still no cure for the disease and it
persists in a small number of countries in
Africa and Asia.

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,HISTORY,Test,Trial,Vaccine and have No Comments

A LAUGH FROM THE RETRO BLOG ~

posted by Bob Karm in HISTORY and have No Comments

THE NEWS THAT MADE HISTORY

Today in History – April 12: Firsts in Space, Civil War Shots, and a Global  Health Scare - World History Edu

ed danahue 2               File:Associated Press logo.svg - Wikimedia Commons           
ED DANAHUE

STAR OF THE WEEK: Lucille Ball | Backlots

YOUNG LUCILLE BALL *BEFORE LUCY* AUTOGRAPHED REPRINT 8X10 COLOR PHOTO  SIGNED | eBay

The Best I Love Lucy Episodes

Lucille Ball At 19 Was Incredibly Gorgeous
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989)

Death of "comic genius" Lucille Ball... - RareNewspapers.com

20 Perfect Lucille Ball Quotes To Inspire Your Inner Comedy Queen For 'I  Love Lucy' Day | YourTango

posted by Bob Karm in Assassin,Bombing,Civil war,Comedian,Comedy Actor,DEATH,HISTORY,Nuclear accident,Same-Sex,TV series and have No Comments