This day, like any other day of the year, is marked with the events and actions of past humans. What makes history so special is the fact that it is one large story about how we have failed, overcome, and persevered to get to this day so that our descendants will carry the torch and tell of our triumphs and defeats. While I write this last blog about the events that occurred on April 2nd, keep that in mind and value history for it is the story of us and without it, life would not be the same on this planet.

The first major event to occur on this date is the Siege of Constantinople in 1453. This is a very important event in European history as the end of this siege marks the end of the Byzantine Empire and effectively the final nail in the coffin of Rome. Sultan Mehmed the Second, the leader of the Ottoman Empire begins the siege and on May 29th Constantinople falls to Ottoman hands. Constantinople is modern-day Istanbul, the capital of Turkey. The significance of this event is that this is the final fall of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern portion of the Roman Empire and as Rome was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium. This marks the destruction of Byzantium and Rome and the beginning of a new era.

The second major event that occurred on this day was that in 1917, Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany following the Zimmerman telegram. This is incredibly significant to not only us Americans but to world history as a whole because the American entrance into World War One might have been necessary for victory and with Woodrow Wilson being a part of the peace deal, he essentially created the League of Nations despite the fact that the United States would never be apart of it.

On this day in 1982, Argentina would send thousands of troops to seize the Falklands islands from Great Britain. In response, Great Britain would send a lot of forces to retake the island and this would culminate in the Falklands war. This war would cement Margaret Thatcher’s legacy as a strong leader in the minds of many and the war would end in Argentine defeat.

Finally, in 2020 on April second the U.S. Department of Labor reports a record 6.6million Americans file claims for unemployment due to the COVID pandemic and following lockdowns. All of us are currently living in the COVID pandemic and many of us haven’t realized how important COVID has been to world history. Every person in every country has been affected in some way because of the pandemic. In the United States, especially many of us know someone who has gotten sick, lost their job or even died because of COVID. Every day we live, every time we look at the news, we are observing history unfold in front of our eyes that in the future people will study and be stressed over for a test, some kid is going to fall asleep in class because of how boring the lecture is, or even YOU will tell your future kids and grandchildren about the history that you lived through. History not only shapes humans as a race, but it shapes us as individuals. People are shaped by what goes on around them and whether you have realized it or not but the people and events of today that you love or hate have left a lasting imprint on who you are as a person forever.

Cite: https://www.onthisday.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople