Throwback Thursday brings us back today to many April 10ths through the ages. Some of these days are of substantial importance. Others… not so much.
We’ll start with the less-than-important, though some dear friends may disagree. April 10, 1916 marked the creation of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America in New York City. The organization began with 35 charter members who signed the original bylaws, and today represents about 27,000 professionals. Five of the seven current PGA golf properties are in Florida, along with its headquarters.
In 1872, the first American Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska with the planting of an estimated one million trees; and on April 10, 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was released. It was first published in Scribner’s, received mixed reviews, and sold only 20,000 copies. It wouldn’t become a staple of curriculum until its revival during World War II.
April 10 also marked the 1970 announcement by Paul McCartney that he would be leaving The Beatles following a set of business disagreements with his bandmates.
Speaking of the British… April 10th also has special meaning to early U.S. history. It was the date that the Virginia Company of London was established in 1606, established by royal charter by James I with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America. The Company would make landfall just over one year later at the southern edge of the Chesapeake Bay, and would then establish the Jamestown Settlement about 40 miles upstream.
