• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Historical

Historical

A Month at the Center of History

By Dan Balowon April 24, 2025
Share
Tweet
12

April 1945 might have been the pivotal month in all world history, considering all of the historical events and people who eventually ended up in books, articles, photos, and movies—likely thousands, both from a Judeo-Christian and a secular perspective. Looking day by day, this was April 1945, eighty years ago.

April 1 – Easter Sunday. The Battle of Okinawa, Japan began. It was the largest and deadliest battle in the Pacific theater during World War II. (About a quarter million people died.)

April 4 – Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany was liberated by US troops. It was part of the Buchenwald camp system.

April 7 – The US Navy sank the Japanese battleship Yamato. It’s the largest battleship ever built. Over 3,000 Japanese sailors perished.

April 8 – A train carrying 4,000 people to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany stopped next to an ammunition train right before it was bombed by Allied aircraft—over 3,500 were killed.

April 9 – The US Liberty ship SS Charles Henderson exploded in an Italian port, unloading its cargo of 500-pound bombs. Over 500 people were killed, and 1,800 were injured.

April 9 – German Lutheran minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged at the Flossenburg concentration camp in Bavaria. (Camp was liberated two weeks later.)

April 11 – US Army liberated Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany.

April 12 – Canadian forces liberated Westerbrook camp in the Netherlands. Ann Frank was held there August-September 1944 before being transferred to Bergen-Belsen. She died there in February 1945. (Bergen-Belsen was liberated April 15.)

April 12 – US President Franklin Roosevelt died.

April 13 – German guards herded over 1,000 prisoners into a barn near Buchenwald, locked the doors, and set it on fire, shooting anyone who tried to get out.

April 15 – British and Canadian troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

April 16 – The German transport ship MV Goya was torpedoed and sunk by a Russian submarine. It was carrying 7,000 wounded troops and civilians fleeing the advancing Russian army. Only 183 survived in one of the deadliest maritime disasters of all time.

April 17 – US and British troops located 1,000 tons of uranium ore stored in Germany. It was transported to the UK.

April 18 – American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Ernie Pyle was killed during the battle of Okinawa.

April 19 – The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel opened on Broadway. (Never underestimate the American desire to be entertained.)

April 20 – Soviet forces captured the headquarters of the German High Command near Berlin.

April 22 – Adolf Hitler admitted to those closest to him that the war was lost and that he would kill himself.

April 22 – Soviet and Polish forces liberated Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany.

April 22 – Prisoners revolted at the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia. All 600 were killed.

April 23 – Hermann Göring asked Adolph Hitler if he could assume control of the Third Reich. Hitler considered it treasonous and ordered his arrest.

April 24 – New US President Harry Truman was briefed on the status of the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb.

April 25 – US and Soviet forces met at the Elbe River, cutting Germany in two.

April 28 – Fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was executed by partisans.

April 29 – Adolf Hitler married his partner, Eva Braun.

April 29 – US Army liberated Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

April 29 – German forces in Italy surrendered.

April 29 – British RAF and US aircraft dropped thousands of tons of food into the German-occupied Netherlands as civilians were starving. Truck convoys followed with 1,000 tons of food per day.

April 30 – Stalag Luft I prisoner of war camp in Germany was liberated by Soviet forces. 9,000 American, British, and Canadian airmen were set free.

April 30 – Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun killed themselves. Karl Dönitz was made president of Germany.

April 30 – The Russian Army liberated the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany. This was the camp that held Dutch Christians Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie (The Hiding Place book and film). Betsie died in mid-December 1944, and Corrie was released because of a clerical error on December 31, a week before she would have been sent to the gas chambers.

___________ 

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4, NIV).

 

 

 

 

Leave a Comment
Category: Historical

Presidential Quotes on President’s Day

By Steve Laubeon February 19, 2024
Share
Tweet
16

Today is President’s Day in the U.S. Originally established in 1885 as a recognition of George Washington’s birthday (February 22), it was later expanded to include Abraham Lincoln and all other U.S. presidents. Some of the words of these leaders have stood the test of time. For example, from Abraham Lincoln: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” “And in …

Read morePresidential Quotes on President’s Day
Category: Craft, Historical, Inspiration, TheologyTag: Inspiration, Writing Craft

A Year in Review: A Look Back at 2023

By Steve Laubeon January 15, 2024
Share
Tweet
22

It is always a good idea to reflect on the previous year. As those who follow Jesus Christ, we are pressed because the lost world around us is being crushed by the enemy called sin. And yet we should still count our blessings (and as the hymn reads, “name them one by one”). The goodness of God remains unchanged despite attempts to proclaim otherwise. The following is an attempt to review some …

Read moreA Year in Review: A Look Back at 2023
Category: Agency, Awards, Career, Christian Writers Institute, Encouragement, Historical, Inspiration, Publishing News, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

National Constitution Week

By Steve Laubeon September 18, 2023
Share
Tweet
7

September 17-23 is National Constitution Week in the United States. Yesterday, September 17, was National Constitution Day. “It was officially enacted on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower from a congressional resolution petitioned by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The purpose of the observance week was to promote study and education about the constitution which was …

Read moreNational Constitution Week
Category: HistoricalTag: Constitution

It’s a Mad, Mad World

By Dan Balowon September 13, 2023
Share
Tweet
16

If you have been part of this blog community for any length of time, you are bound to run across a history lesson. Today is one of those days. Sixty-five years ago was quite a time in the United States. On September 12, 1958, the United States Supreme Court ordered the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, to integrate racially. It was one of many civil rights-related court and …

Read moreIt’s a Mad, Mad World
Category: Historical

Book Birthdays: 2023 Edition

By Dan Balowon March 9, 2023
Share
Tweet
11

Significant books are published every year. Here’s a personally curated list that I hope sparks some good memories and honors the works of the past. Crazy Love, by Francis Chan (2008) – 15 years Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller (2003) – 20 years The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel (1998) – 25 years A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers (1993) – 30 years Trusting God, by Jerry Bridges (1988) – 35 …

Read moreBook Birthdays: 2023 Edition
Category: Historical, The Publishing Life

President’s Day – 2023

By Steve Laubeon February 20, 2023
Share
Tweet
12

In the U.S., today is a national holiday, Presidents’ Day. Originally designed to be a celebration of Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays (February 22 and February 12 respectively), it has become a more general day to recognize our presidents. I find history to be fascinating, especially when learning or being reminded of tidbits from the past. Some are not pleasant. Did you know? John …

Read morePresident’s Day – 2023
Category: Historical

A Year in Review: A Look at 2022

By Steve Laubeon January 9, 2023
Share
Tweet
13

When we reflect on a prior year, it can be hard to recall highlights or lowlights. They sort of blend together. The constant barrage of wretched news media fills in the moments of silence and crowds out the goodness of God that should be readily apparent in our everyday lives. My attempt in this article is to focus only on our industry, our agency, and a couple of other good things we have going. …

Read moreA Year in Review: A Look at 2022
Category: Agency, Awards, Historical

7 Favorite Writer Destinations

By Bob Hostetleron October 26, 2022
Share
Tweet
22

I recently discovered online (is there any other way to discover things these days?) that there is a Writer’s Museum in Edinburgh. Say what? I have to go. After all, I’m a writer. Plus, it’s free, which is totally in my price range. Until I make that trip, however, I’ll have to reminisce about my favorite writerly destinations I’ve visited over the years—and I’ve had a lot of them. Years, that is. …

Read more7 Favorite Writer Destinations
Category: Historical, Inspiration, Personal

Project Gutenberg

By Dan Balowon December 1, 2021
Share
Tweet
8

Fifty years ago today, at the age of 24, Michael Stern Hart of Urbana, Illinois, founded Project Gutenberg. It was the world’s first digital library, using technology that would eventually help create the Internet. Michael invented ebooks. An interesting guy, his parents were both professors at the University of Illinois. He graduated from U of I in two years with a degree in Human-Machine …

Read moreProject Gutenberg
Category: Historical, Publishing History
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Next
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media