This Day in History: April


2: April 9, 1865: Robert E. Lee Surrenders
Award-winning professor Gary Gallagher reveals some astounding details about Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union Army. Look at the factors that went into making the decision of surrender, the fallout for the Confederates after the surrender, and the ramifications this one day had on the future of American democracy.

3: April 18, 1906: The Great San Francisco Earthquake
Starting in the twilight hours of the morning, a devastating earthquake in 1906 launched fires in San Francisco that raged for three days, killed thousands, and tore through 28,000 buildings. Esteemed history professor Patrick N. Allitt takes you through how San Francisco gained the title “The Capital of the American West” and what the the great San Francisco earthquake ultimately took away.


5: April 23, 1564: William Shakespeare Is Born
Get to know Shakespeare like never before as you travel 450 years in the past to understand what it was like to see his plays in his time. English Professor Marc C. Connor takes you through a typical stage performance, highlighting everything from the mixed-classes of the typical audience to the bare-bone, dimly lit sets, giving you insights into what and how Shakespeare wrote.

6: April 24, 1479 BC: Queen Hatshepsut Seizes Power
Follow a truly fascinating tale of the king who was a woman as you delve into the story of Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt for 22 years and then was erased from history. Follow an Egyptologist as he sorts through history, hieroglyphs, and hearsay to bring you the story of this amazing figure.