As we make our foray into April, I can’t help but think, “Where did the first quarter of this year go?” I can’t believe that the first part of this year is now, well, history. Before another month flies by, let’s take a look at what happened…

This Week in History

March 30, 1870: Texas was readmitted to the Union.
Interested in the Civil-War-era history of the rebel state of Texas? If so, you won’t want to miss Texas, the Dark Corner of the Confederacy by B. P. Gallaway. The book contains forty documents dating from the eve of the Civil War to the collapse of the Confederacy, by civilians as well as soldiers in all parts Texas, making up a lively and informative collection.

March 31, 1927: Migrant American farm worker leader Cesar Chavez was born.
Those seeking information on current challenges in the American farm community should pick up a copy of John Ikerd’s Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture. Ikerd, one of the most eloquent and influential proponents of sustainable agriculture, describes what sustainable agriculture is, why it began, and how it can succeed.

April 1, 1987: President Ronald Reagan declared AIDS “public health enemy number one.”
For a straightforward assessment of the effect of AIDS on young people, read Children, Adolescents, and AIDS edited by Jeffrey m. Seibert and Roberta A. Olson. A report of the American Psychological Association task force on pediatric AIDS, this pioneer work to addresses a wide range of medical, psychological, social, legal, and ethical issues confronting young patients and their families.

April 2, 1968: The hit sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered in Washington, D.C.
Don’t miss the great selections in the new and similarly-named UNP series, “Outward Odyssey: A People’s History of Spaceflight.” Click here for a list of titles in the series.

April 3, 1924: Actor Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska.
Want to read about all of the other interesting people, places, and happenings of the great state of Nebraska? If you answered “yes,” you’ll want to grab a copy of Nebraska Moments, New Edition by Donald R. Hickey, Susan A. Wunder, and John R. Wunder, an updated edition of Hickey’s classic account of defining Nebraska moments. It showcases the triumph, tragedy, comedy, and accomplishments that could have happened nowhere else and that reveal the rich culture and history under the state’s deceptively quiet surface.

April 4, 1887: Susanna Medora Salter of Argonia, Kansas became the first woman elected mayor of a town in the U.S.
Following in Salter’s footsteps nearly a century later, Helen Boosalis became mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska’s capital city. In August of this year, UNP will publish Mayor Helen Boosalis: My Mother’s Life in Politics, an autobiography of Mayor Boosalis penned by her daughter, Beth Boosalis Davis. You won’t want to miss this intriguing life story of one of the most notable women in 20th-century American politics.

That brings this week’s TWIH to its conclusion. Join us again on Monday for reviews and other news. Enjoy your weekend, bloggers!