U of A Opens, Famous Birthdays: April In Alabama History

MONTGOMERY, AL - The month of April is full of milestone dates in the history of Alabama. From sports feats to massive storms to famous birthdays, April includes some of the state's most significant dates in its 200 year history.

Continuing Patch's celebration of Alabama's bicentennial, we look at some of the important dates in Alabama history that occurred in the month of April:

April 5, 1856: Booker T. Washington, African-American educator, author and leader, is born near Hale’s Ford, Virginia. Born a slave, Washington worked his way through school and in 1881 was selected to head the newly established Normal School for Colored Teachers at Tuskegee, Alabama. He guided the development of the institution until his death in 1915.

April 8, 1974: Mobile native Hank Aaron smashes his 715th career home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth's record and becoming the all-time career home run leader. Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs.

April 9, 1931: The Scottsboro Boys, eight young black men ranging in age from 13 to 21, are sentenced to die for the alleged rape of two white women on a freight train between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Scottsboro, Alabama. The conviction by an all-white jury and the subsequent appeals were widely publicized and led to major protests around the world. Four of the men were freed in 1937, while the others endured lengthy prison sentences. The final prisoner was released in 1950.

April 12, 1887: Alabama businessman Henry DeBardeleben and his partners sell the first lots for the new city of Bessemer. The community was envisioned as a steelmaking center. Within a year, Bessemer had a population of 3,500 and boasted a large industrial complex.

April 18, 1931: The University of Alabama officially opens its doors. Fifty-two students were accepted that first day, but by the end of the session the student body had swelled to nearly one hundred. The faculty was made up of four men including the Reverend Alva Woods, who had been inaugurated president of the university on April 12, 1831.

April 24, 1922: Alabama’s first radio station, WSY, begins broadcasting. The station was started by Alabama Power Company to help keep in touch with line crews in isolated areas. In 1925 the station merged with Auburn’s WMAV to become WAPI.

April 27, 2011: One of the deadliest and most costly tornado outbreaks in history hits Alabama. In total, there were 29 confirmed tornadoes in Central Alabama on this day, and 62 confirmed tornadoes across the State of Alabama. In Alabama alone, 238 tornado-related deaths were confirmed by the Storm Prediction Center and the state's Emergency Management Agency.

April 28, 1936: Pulitzer Prize winner Harper Lee is born in Monreville, Ala. Lee's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, sold more than 2.5 million copies on its first day of release.