Thursday Thirteen #955

Things that happened (mostly) in Virginia on April 16 -

1. 1780: The General Assembly relocates. On April 16, the Virginia legislature formally moved from Williamsburg to Richmond, shifting the political center of the Commonwealth inland during the Revolutionary War.

2. 1862: Peninsula Campaign tensions rise. Mid‑April saw Confederate forces withdrawing toward Richmond as Union troops advanced. April 16 marked a day of repositioning and uncertainty in the early stages of the campaign.

3. 1862: The Confederate Conscription Act takes effect. April 16 was the date the first national draft in American history went into force, requiring white men 18–35 to serve. Many Virginians were swept into the war by this law.

4. 1864: Battle of Plymouth (North Carolina) begins. Though just across the state line, many Virginia regiments were involved. April 16 marked the opening movements of a battle that would ripple through Tidewater communities.

5. 1906: Norfolk’s streetcar system expands. April 16 saw the announcement of new electric streetcar lines, part of the region’s shift from horse‑drawn transit to modern infrastructure.

6. 1912: The Titanic’s sinking reaches Virginia papers. On April 16, Richmond and Roanoke newspapers carried the first full reports of the disaster, including the names of Virginians aboard.

7. 1947: Shenandoah National Park reopens Skyline Drive sections. Winter closures lifted around April 16, marking the unofficial start of spring tourism in the Blue Ridge.

8. 1951: Richmond’s Byrd Airport expands service. April 16 brought new commercial routes, part of Virginia’s post‑war aviation boom.

9. 1963: Civil rights organizing intensifies in Danville. Mid‑April, including April 16, saw planning meetings that would lead to the Danville Movement’s major demonstrations later that summer.

10. 1978: The James River floods recede. After days of heavy rain, April 16 marked the beginning of cleanup efforts in communities from Botetourt to Richmond.

11. 1993: Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium expansion approved. On April 16, the university announced plans that would eventually transform the stadium into the powerhouse venue it is today.

12. 1996: NASA Langley begins wind‑tunnel tests for the X‑33 program. On April 16, engineers at Langley Research Center started a major testing phase for the X‑33, part of Virginia’s long-running role in aerospace research and experimental flight.

13. 2007: Virginia Tech. The deadliest school shooting in U.S. history unfolded in Blacksburg. Many of us remember exactly where we were, what the news looked like, and how the numbers kept rising. It remains a day that sits heavily in Virginia’s collective memory.

*An AI tool helped me with this list.*

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 955th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.