This Week in History: May 12-16, 2008

Space, and Cowboys and, pioneers, Oh my! This weeks installment of TWIH is guaranteed to make you smile, laugh, cringe a bit (Ooh,  the Donner party) and perhaps make you cry as we remember the Virginia Tech shooting done this week, last year. Yet we all know the cathartic power of emotional upheaval, so if you’re ready to start this sentimental soirée we can begin…

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY:

April 12, 1961: Yuri Gagarin was the first human to travel into outer space in the Vostok 3JA-2.
Are you a space enthusiast?  I’m more of a stare at the big dipper kind of girl, but even I was swept away by the tales of mankind’s attempts to leave earth behind.  If this interests you at all, check out To a Distant Day: The Rocket Pioneers by Chris Gainor. 

April 13, 1866: American Outlaw Butch Cassidy was born.
There is no greater American hero than the cowboy. Good or bad, history has immortalized them in film and fiction. Curious as to what a modern day cowboy is busy doing? If so, than check out the Nebraska Cowboy Trail by Keith Terry and see if you have what it takes to well….. not follow in the footsteps of Butch Cassidy.  Maybe try The Lone Ranger?

April 14, 1846: The Donner Party of pioneers departs from Springfield, Illinois for California on their infamous year long journey.
Sustainable agriculture has been a huge issue in our modern day. The decline of family farms, rural communities and even the onslaught of Global Warming have resulted in adverse poverty all over the world. So by taking a look at the Donner Party, and their unfortunate demise, let’s see how we can avoid all manners of desperate acts by checking out Crisis and Opportunity by John E. Ikerd.

April 15, 1912: “God himself couldn’t sink this ship.”  Or could he….The RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg.
Read about another tragic arctic experience with Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to Antarctic. The journey that ended with the death of him and his entire crew has many similar themes as the Titanic; such as unfortunate circumstance, or faulty planning? Find out more when you check out  Pilgrims on the Ice, by T.H. Baughman

April 16, 2007: Last year Seung- Hui Cho killed 32 people in deadliest shooting by a single gunman in all of U.S. History.
There is no link to the University of Nebraska Press for this event, all that we ask is a simple recognition for the lives lost, and the lives changed. To read a transcript of Professor Nikki Giovanni moving speech “We are Virginia Tech” then click here.

That’s it for today bloggers, we’ll see you next week for reviews, a little Tuesday Trivia, some Linking in Lincoln, and another escape into the past with This Week in History!!