1. 1947: Jackie Robinson’s First Major League Game.
PHOTO: keranews
PHOTO: pinterest
On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson made history when he was in the starting lineup of the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African American to play in the Major League. Prior to that it was unfortunately a white-only league, all African Americans played in a league specifically made for them. The MLB had been segregated for the previous 50 years so it was a major change to how things would be done in the future. Robinson did so well in his debut season that he recieved the Rookie of The Year Award in 1947. Robinson went on to become a member of the Baseball hall Of Fame in 1962, which was the first year that he would be eligible to receive nominations. On April 15, 1997, MLB commissioner Bud Selig honored Robinson by retiring his #42 jersey in front of 50,000 people at Shea Stadium In New York. This was the first time that every team in baseball would retire the number 42 to honor Robinson and his achievements.
2. 1912: The Titanic Sinks to the bottom of the ocean
The RMS Titanic in 1912 .
PHOTO:royalhistsoc
Computer rendering of what the titanic looked like when sinking.
PHOTO: ultimatetitanic
On this day, the massive 883 foot long ship known as the Titanic sinks to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean roughly 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland Canada. The ship was on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic when it literally ran into trouble. The navigators on board failed to see two massive icebergs under the water and the Titanic started taking on a lot of water. Its been reported that the ship was taking on water for almost two hours before the crew was aware of what was happening. The Titanic was said to be “unsinkable” due to its construction using different hull compartments, according to the ship builder as many as 4 of those compartments could be full of water and the mighty Titanic would still stay afloat. Unluckily for all the 2200 passengers on board, the icebergs apparently ruptured more than five of those hull compartments which caused the ship to start sinking at one end. At one point the ship was completely vertical before it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Because the ship was thought to be unsinkable there wasn’t nearly enough life rafts and other life saving equipment. Of the 2,200 passengers on board there were less than 700 survivors.
3. 2013: Boston Marathon Bombing
PHOTO: telegraph
Photo taken right after the first bombing
PHOTO: Bostonglobe
Today was the unfortunate day back in 2013 when two pressure cooker bombs were placed near the finish line of the Boston Marathon that went off, killing three people and leaving countless others with severe injuries. It was reported that more than a dozen people required amputations due to severe trauma caused by the explosions. The Bombs apparently went off within seconds of each other so it almost appeared to be one giant blast versus two smaller. As many as 23,000 people started the marathon but by around 3 pm just under 6,000 remained in the 26 mile race. The two bombs were placed in backpacks and just set along the road where the runners would be crossing the finish line. An eight year old by was unfortunately one of the casualties as well as a 26 and 29 year old females. Police arrested Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the bombing and although it took a couple years in court, Tsarnaev received the death penalty for his crimes that sad day back in 2013.