Thoughts: Titanic anniversary, Lincoln's death, another tragedy

Good afternoon all. My early class was cancelled today, allowing me to "sleep in" until 12:00. It's great being young isn't it? Anyway, for the first time since starting this blog we will talk about world news. Yesterday was April 15th. Not only was it tax day, but it was the anniversary of a couple of tragedies, and unfortunately, now a new one. On April 15th, 1912, the Titanic met her doom on route to New York City from England. Nearly two and a half hours after striking an iceberg, the Titanic, along with 1500, perished into the sea. For those of you who know me personally, the Titanic story has been an obsession of mine ever since I was six years old. The famous Titanic film, made in 1997, depicted the disaster in a way that grips your soul. I can remember all the attention the movie received in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the sinking. April 15 is just a reminder of how precious this life can be.

For  American history buffs, April 15th also rings a bell. On this day, in 1865, Abraham Lincoln was pronounced dead. Many of you know the events leading up to this tragedy, so I will not hold a history lecture today. Instead, we will honor one of the most influential presidents in this country's history. Unfortunately, Lincoln would not be the last president to be shot and killed.

Lastly, a current event that made its way onto the news around 8 PM or so eastern time, was the sinking of a South Korean passenger ship on route to a nearby island. The vessel was holding 450 passengers, mainly high school students. When I woke up this morning, or afternoon since it was 12:00PM, I immediately checked the news. It occurred to me last night while this ship was sinking, that it occurred exactly 102 years to the day that the Titanic sank. The reports this morning from Fox News stated that over 300 people remain missing, and as many as four are dead. I have yet to come across a report stating exactly what happened to the ship, allowing it to list so severely. We will stay tuned for more information on another tragedy that occurred on April 15th.