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THE DAY IN HISTORY · APRIL 12

April 12 in history

What happened on April 12: 4 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 1812, 1864, 1927 and 1945, each linked to the map that shows it.

— Rawfolds Mill attack

11–12 Apr 1812 — About 150 croppers attack William Cartwright’s mill, where shearing frames threaten their trade. The defenders’ musket fire kills two of them; the Luddite rising crests and is broken.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

— Fort Pillow massacre

12 Apr 1864 — Confederate troops under Forrest massacre surrendering soldiers, most of them Black, after the fort has fallen — perhaps 200 dead. Named here soberly for what it was: the war’s racial hatred, armed. “Remember Fort Pillow” became the cry of Black regiments.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

— Shanghai massacre

12 Apr 1927 — Chiang turns on his communist allies: Green Gang enforcers and soldiers kill hundreds of unionists and militants in a morning, thousands in the weeks after, here and across the south. The First United Front dies in its victory. Remember the date — everything after 1927 follows from it.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE CHINA IN REVOLUTION MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

Franklin Roosevelt dies at Warm Springs. Harry Truman, president for minutes, is told for the first time about the atomic bomb.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE WW2 MAP →

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