April 6

1862 - The Battle of Shiloh began (ended April 7):  U.S. Civil War. The Confederates attacked Union forces in Tennessee.

This was one of the greatest battles of the Civil War (also known as the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing), with over 13,000 Union and 10,000 Confederate casualties.

In case you wonder who won the battle, I will give you one hint: General Grant commanded the Union forces...That should be all you need to know.

648 B.C. - The earliest total solar eclipse was chronicled by the Greeks.

All the ancients, particularly the Sumerians and Babylonians (greatest of the ancient astronomers) surely saw eclipses prior to this time, but they either weren’t recorded or have been lost to history...Taking note, and the remains of such notation is what makes this event important - it is what makes it 'HISTORY.'

610 - Lailat-ul Qadar:  The night the Koran descended to earth.

Did it happen?  Depends on your beliefs...But regardless of what one believes there is no denying Islam is one of the worlds most powerful religions - one that has been marching forward - physically, if not progressively - for 1,400 years.

1199 - Richard the Lion-Hearted died at age 32.

Richard was by no means another Alexander the Great, but his story and accomplishments in such a short lifespan are amazing - and possibly only eclipsed in the Western world by the 'Great Macedonian' and Hernan Cortes.

1722 - Peter the Great put an end to the Russian tradition of taxing men with beards.

In our time and country its impossible to understand the uproar this event caused.  It's also impossible to understand the semi-barbarians Peter was trying to drag into the modern age.

1830 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith in New York.

Otherwise know as the Mormon Church...The fastest growing religious sect in the world.

1909 - Robert Peary and Matthew Henson became the first to reach the North Pole.

There has always been debate about Peary being the 'first,' and it’s quite certain there were plenty of Eskimos (maybe even Vikings) up there before this time...But it’s a stupid argument, and Peary is acknowledged as the first because those who came before him had no idea where they were or didn't know enough to report it.

1916 - The German Parliament approved unrestricted submarine warfare:  WWI.

Exactly one year later this decision played a large role in the U.S.'s decision to enter the war, because of German attacks on American merchant ships.

1917 - The U.S. Congress approved a declaration of war against Germany, entering WWI.

President Wilson finally relented on his vow to keep America out of the war...Why he waited so long is debatable, but the American entry spelled doom for the Axis Powers.

1963 - The United States and Britain signed an agreement under which the Americans would sell 'Polaris A-3 Missiles' to the British.

Britain is one of only three allies I would trust with any piece of American armament...The others are Australia and Israel.

1992 - Ethnic warfare erupted in Bosnia-Herzegovina after the European Community recognized the former Yugoslav republic as an independent state.

Not that I encourage genocide of any kind, but why is it when the Serbs executed and slaughtered Muslims they were called 'ethnic cleansers,' but when the Muslims executed and slaughtered Serbs they were called 'freedom fighters?'

1994 - The Rwandan genocide began.

Under normal circumstances an event which led to the slaughter of over a million people would be a huge event.  But no one cared at the time, and no on cares in our time...A disgraceful reality - a reality which is Africa.

2000 - A private company mapping the human genetic blueprint announced it decoded all of the DNA pieces which make up the genetic pattern of a single human being.

An incredible discovery, with many great possibilities...And also many horrifically bizarre, Mengelian possibilities as well.