Did they know? These events seem to be the tip of the iceberg as far as what happened after. Part of the reason "history" is "history" is because we can see more clearly how some events affected other events. At any rate---
On April 20 in 1657, Jews were granted freedom of religion in New Amsterdam (later known as New York City). What would have happened to NYC, to the state, to the world, if Jews had not been given that freedom at that time and place?
The other April 20 event happened in 1861. Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia. Apparently he believed in doing all things "decently and in order". I never thought about his having to resign from the U.S. in order to fight against it. Must have been a really stressful decision for him. And how would things have come out if he hadn't done that?
Another in the list of "Things We'll Never Know"
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And...On this date, Edgar Allen Poe's story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, first appears in Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine. The tale is generally considered to be the first detective story.
ReplyDeleteThe story describes the extraordinary "analytical power" used by Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin to solve a series of murders in Paris. Like the later Sherlock Holmes stories, the tale is narrated by the detective's roommate.
Wow!