APRIL 16TH,2001

"Harriet Quimby became the first person to fly across the English Channel"

Harriet Quimby first started as and actress and later developed a short career as a journalist. She became one of the first female screenwriters just before becoming interested in aviation. A year later she became the first woman to receive a pilot's license that led to her big debut. She became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. This not only got peoples attention but showed that you can do anything with a little hard work. Harriet Quimby left her mark on the world and is and inspiration to woman aviators everywhere.

"Most of Texas City, Tex., destroyed when French ship Grandcamp exploded."

Texas City, Texas was an industrial city made up of oil refineries, chemical plants, a cooper smelter, and factories making plastics and pipes. In April 1947, the city turned from industrial to extremely damaged. The damage was caused by the explosion of the French ship GrandCamp. GrandCamp was a nitrate-laden ship practically destroying the city. Fires and series of blasts spread through the city killing 500 people. This event will never be forgotten and will be a true part of America's history.

"Hockey great Wayne Gretzky announced his retirement."

Wayne Gretzky is a very famous hockey player. Gretzky is a 10-time scoring champion, 9-time regular season MVP, and scored 200 points or more in a season 4 times. Gretzky is also a record setter in the NHL and Stanley Cup for points, goals, and assists. He won 4 Stanley Cups with Edmonton and was later traded to the LA Kings. Gretzky played with the St.Louis Blues and his last team was the Rangers. In 1999 Gretzky retired at the age of 38 with 61 NHL scoring records in 20 seasons which showed what a great player he was. Gretzky became part owner of the Coyotes in 2000 which became the official sign that he was done with playing hockey. Gretzky is a role-model to many people and will always be considered one of the greats.

"THE VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTING"

The Virginia Tech shooting is considered one of the deadliest single shooting acts in American history. 23 year old Cho was a student at the school and armed himself with pistols and went on a shooting rampage throughout the university. Cho killed 32 people that fateful day and later killed himself. Cho went hall through hall killing not only students but professors while leaving a disturbing note before entering a classroom. This shooting showed that we need to not only amp up our security but make sure people are living in a civilized manner and not hiding secrets from the government and people.

Charlie Chaplin

Pope Benedict XVI

CITES:

• http://www.factmonster.com/dayinhistory?month=apr&day=16
• http://www.famousbirthdays.com/april16.html
• http://liambluett.com/tag/barry-nelson/
• http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harriet_Quimby_1.jpg
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_artificial_non-nuclear_explosions

Barry Nelson

CITES:

• http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_of_Virginia_Tech
• Slides 1,2,4,6,8,10,11,and 12 came from the haiku deck image search engine
• http://qwallpapers.net/field-flowers-image-golden-age-of-gaia.html