History is scattered with dates which are etched onto our memories due to events that have changed the world; some memorable for happy reasons but all too many that are painful to remember. The Twin Towers bombing in New York on September 9, 2001 changed modern life in the west for ever. Terrorism has always existed but the acts of terror meted out on that fateful day opened gave us a glimpse of what was to come. The following years we have experienced an increase in terrorist atrocities. The way people viewed life and freedom after 9/11 changed and the way that governments operate will never be the same again. Some dates, such as 9/11 and the day that John F Kennedy was assassinated remain so fresh in our memories that sometimes years later we can clearly remember what we were doing and where we were when the monumental news broke. For older people Pearl Harbour lives on in their memory. Whether the "on this day in history" was centuries ago, a month earlier or last year it may be long forgotten or as fresh as a daisy but above all worth remembering. April 15 is one of those days that is significant in history. On a personal level it is the day this writer's late father, and brother, was born. As a child there were often reminders of this day in history due to the loss of the Titanic. April 15, 1945, British troops enter the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen after negotiating a truce with the German commandant; 1986 the United States bombs Tripoli in retaliation for Libyan terrorist attacks on American targets; 1989, at least 93 football supporters were killed in Britain's worst-ever sporting disaster - all in all a busy day in history. |
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