| Year | Event
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| 1204 | The Christian Crusaders stormed and took Constantinople, the first capture of Constantinople in history, and sacked it with unparalleled horrors. Untold treasures of gold, silver, and holy relics were plundered during the subsequent pillage and rape. Literary classics, great and wonderful works of art and treasures untold were either destroyed or carried away. Tombs were robbed. Women were outraged. Churches were desecrated.
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| 1861 | On this day, the Union garrison at Fort Sumter surrendered. The next day, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion. The American "War Between the States", a.k.a., "The Civil War", begins.
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| 1865 | President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. The president died the following morning.
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| 1914 | President Wilson sends U.S. fleet to Tampico, Mexico, to enforce salute to flag and following ultimatum to Mexico, troops occupy Vera Cruz customs house. (from The Modern World by Williams & Waller)
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| 1999 | Today's Example of a Most Interesting Government Purchase (announced in the CBD). From the National Park Service: "COURTHOUSE/JAIL WING REHABILITATION, PHASE 2, FORT SMITH NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, SEBASTIAN COUNTY, ARKANSAS", AMT $2,010,900.00 TO Crawford Construction Co., P.O. Box 779, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72902-0779. This was just for Phase 2 -- on 14 Jan. 2000 they were awarded another $893,500. for Phase 3!! [Apparently, crude, log buildings are very expensive. I wonder how much the original cost and how they could have afforded it?]
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| 2000 | The DOW falls 618 points, the largest drop in one day, ever. The NASDAQ suffered its largest point drop ever (355.49, 9.67%). For the week ending April 14, the NASDAQ fell 25.3%.
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