Good morning, Whitewater.

Monday in town will be partly cloudy with a high of eighty. Sunrise is 6:05 AM and sunset 7:41 PM, for 13h 35m 47s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 87.8% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Library Board meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1906, an earthquake strikes San Francisco:

At 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco, California, killing hundreds of 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. Meanwhile, in the face of significant aftershocks, firefighters and U.S. troops fought desperately to control the ongoing fire, often dynamiting whole city blocks to create firewalls. On April 20, 20,000 refugees trapped by the massive fire were evacuated from the foot of Van Ness Avenue onto the USS Chicago.

By April 23, most fires were extinguished, and authorities commenced the task of rebuilding the devastated metropolis. It was estimated that some 3,000 people died as a result of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and the devastating fires it inflicted upon the city. Almost 30,000 buildings were destroyed, including most of the city’s homes and nearly all the central business district.

On 4.18.1818, Wisconsin formally becomes part of a larger territory:

1818 – Wisconsin Becomes Part of Michigan Territory

On this date, the land encompassing current-day Wisconsin was made part of the Michigan Territory, representing one step in Wisconsin’s path to statehood. Wisconsin was a part of the Northwest Territory from July 13, 1787-May 11, 1800; the Indiana Territory from May 1800-February 3, 1809; and the Illinois Territory from February 3, 1809-April 18, 1818. The Territory of Wisconsin was formed July 4, 1836.

JigZone‘s puzzle of the day is of a green thorntail:

Good morning, Whitewater.

Sunday in town will be mostly sunny with a high of seventy-eight. Sunrise is 6:07 AM and sunset 7:40 PM, for 13h 33m 05s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 81% of its visible disk illuminated.

Friday’s FW poll asked whether a flight attending who used an evacuation slide to leave her plane was using a clever way to avoid congestion or undertook an impermissible use of emergency equipment. A majority of respondents (85.71%) chose impermissible use of emergency equipment.

On this day in 1964, Ford Motor Company unveils the car that saves the company:

The Ford Mustang, a two-seat, mid-engine sports car, is officially unveiled by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, on April 17, 1964. That same day, the new car also debuted in Ford showrooms across America and almost 22,000 Mustangs were immediately snapped up by buyers. Named for a World War II fighter plane, the Mustang was the first of a type of vehicle that came to be known as a “pony car.” Ford sold more than 400,000 Mustangs within its first year of production, far exceeding sales expectations.

On April 17, 1897, Thornton Wilder is born:

1897 – Thornton Wilder Born
On this date Thornton Wilder was born in Madison. A renowned author and playwright, he taught at the University of Chicago from 1930 to 1937. His plays Our Town (1938) and The Skin of our Teeth (1942) won Pulitzer Prizes and have been performed countless times by school and amateur theatrical companies in the decades since.You can read a 1928 article about his Wisconsin roots in our Wisconsin Local History & Biographies collection. [Source: Thornton Wilder Society]

Good morning, Whitewater.

Saturday in town will be warm and sunny, with a high of seventy-six.  Sunrise is 6:09 AM and sunset 7:39 PM, for 13h 30m 20s of daytime.   The moon is a waning gibbous with 72.5% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1972, Apollo 16 departs for the moon:

From Cape Canaveral, Florida, Apollo 16, the fifth of six U.S. lunar landing missions, is successfully launched on its 238,000-mile journey to the moon. On April 20, astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke descended to the lunar surface from Apollo 16, which remained in orbit around the moon with a third astronaut, Thomas K. Mattingly, in command. Young and Duke remained on the moon for nearly three days, and spent more than 20 hours exploring the surface of Earth’s only satellite. The two astronauts used the Lunar Rover vehicle to collect more than 200 pounds of rock before returning to Apollo 16 on April 23. Four days later, the three astronauts returned to Earth, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

On this day in 1947, a new term enters circulation:

Multimillionaire and financier Bernard Baruch, in a speech given during the unveiling of his portrait in the South Carolina House of Representatives, coins the term “Cold War” to describe relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. The phrase stuck, and for over 40 years it was a mainstay in the language of American diplomacy.

Baruch had served as an advisor to presidents on economic and foreign policy issues since the days of Woodrow Wilson. In 1919, he was one of the U.S. advisers at the Paris Peace Conference that ended World War I. During the 1930s, he frequently advised Franklin D. Roosevelt and members of Congress on international finance and issues of neutrality. After World War II, he remained a trusted adviser to the new administration of Harry S. Truman. His speech in April 1947, however, was given in a completely different context. A portrait of the native South Carolinian was to be hung in the state’s House of Representatives, and Baruch was invited for its unveiling.

Most guests expected that he would give a brief talk, but Baruch instead launched into a scorching attack on the industrial labor problems in the country. It was only through “unity” between labor and management, he declared, that the United States could hope to play its role as the major force by which “the world can renew itself physically or spiritually.” He called for longer workweeks, no-strike pledges from unions, and no-layoff pledges from management. It was imperative that American business and industry pull itself together, Baruch warned. “Let us not be deceived-we are today in the midst of a cold war. Our enemies are to be found abroad and at home. Let us never forget this: Our unrest is the heart of their success. The peace of the world is the hope and the goal of our political system; it is the despair and defeat of those who stand against us. We can depend only on ourselves.”

On this day in 1944, a capital ship enters service:

1944 – USS Wisconsin Commissioned
On this date the USS Wisconsin battleship was put into active duty for service during World War II. The ship, decommissioned in 1948, was recommissioned in 1951 for service in the Korean War. [Source: United States Navy]

Good morning, Whitewater.

The work week ends with sunny skies and a high of sixty-seven.  Sunrise is 6:10 AM and sunset 7:38 AM, for 13h 27m 35s of daytime.  The moon is a waxing gibbous with 63% of its visible disk illuminated.

On 4.15.1783, peace with Great Britain draws closer:

On this day in 1783, the Continental Congress of the United States officially ratifies the preliminary peace treaty with Great Britain that was signed in November 1782. The congressional move brings the nascent nation one step closer to the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.

Five months later, on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed by representatives of the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France, officially bringing an end to the Revolutionary War. It also formalized Great Britain’s recognition of America’s independence.

The treaty established the Mississippi River as the western boundary of the new United States; allowed U.S. fishermen to troll the waters off Newfoundland, Canada; recognized the legitimacy of pre-war debts owed by Americans and Britons; and promised to reunite American Loyalists with property seized from them during the war. The American and Britons were satisfied with the agreement. However, western Indians who had allied themselves to Britain discovered that their land had been handed over by the British to the Americans without consultation or compensation. As they had neither lost their battles nor negotiated a treaty with the Americans, they continued to fight until 1795. Spain assisted southern Indians as they fought to protect their land from encroaching Georgians.

North of the Ohio Valley, the British maintained their forts at Niagara and Detroit, despite their promise to withdraw in the Treaty of Paris. They argued that Americans had breached the treaty by failing to return Loyalist property and pay British creditors as promised. American willingness to trade with revolutionary France further angered the British, and increased their promises of British aid to aggrieved Indians. The British only retreated from the Northwest Territory following the negotiation of the controversial Jay treat with Britain, which was ratified in 1795.

On this day in 1987, it’s a no-hitter for the Brewers:

1987 – Brewer’s First No-Hitter Game

On this date Juan Nieves recorded the Brewers first no-hitter, making him the first Puerto Rican-born pitcher to accomplish this feat in the Major Leauge. [Source: Milwaukee Brewers Timeline]

A Google a Day asks a question about an animal:

As a testament to its adaptability in urban areas, what kind of animal strolled into a popular sandwich shop in the Chicago Loop area in the spring of 2007?

Good morning, Whitewater.

Thursday in town will be sunny with a high of sixty-two. Sunrise is 6:12 AM and sunset 7:37 PM, for 13h 24m 48s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 53.1% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1865, Pres. Lincoln is shot:

1865 – (Civil War) Lincoln Assassinated
On the evening of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Although no Wisconsin troops were on hand, former Wisconsin governor Leonard Farwell was in the theater and rushed to warn Vice President Andrew Johnson of an impending attack.

On 4.14.1953, the Braves begin playing in Milwaukee:

1953 – Milwaukee Braves Debut
On this date the Milwaukee Braves made their official debut in Milwaukee, at the newly constructed County Stadium. They defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, in 10 innings. Bill Bruton hit the game-winning home run. [Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online]

A Google a Day asks about a novel and a historical event:

What Tom Wolfe novel is named after a 1497 ritual that Savonarola led involving mirrors?