April 16th-Emancipation Day and more

Happy Emancipation Day!

The municipality of Washington, D.C., celebrates April 16 as Emancipation Day. On that day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia. The Act freed about 3,100 enslaved persons in the District of Columbia nine months before President Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation which presaged the eventual end of slavery to the rest of the nation. The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act represents the only example of compensation by the federal government to free enslaved persons.

On January 4, 2005, Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday in the District. Each year, a series of activities will be held during the public holiday including the traditional Emancipation Day parade celebrating the freedom of enslaved persons in the District of Columbia. The Emancipation Day celebration was held yearly from 1866 to 1901, and was resumed as a tradition and historic celebration in 2002 as a direct result of years of research, lobbying and leadership done by Ms. Loretta Carter-Hanes.

In 2007, the observance of this holiday in Washington DC had the effect of nationally extending the 2006 income tax filing deadline from the 16th to the 17th of April, a delay that will recur in April of 2012. This 2007 date change was not discovered until after many forms went to print.

April 16th is clearly the greatest day of the year. If the anniversary of Emancipation Day isn't enough for you, please do read on for more.

1789 President-elect George Washington left Mount Vernon, Va., for his inauguration in New York.

1862 A bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia became law.

1889 Sir Charlie Chaplin, the British-born actor and director who became internationally famous for his role in American silent movies, was born.

1912 Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.

1943 Dr. Albert Hofmann discovers the psychedelic effects of LSD.

1946 Syria gains independence.

1962 Walter Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of "The CBS Evening News."

1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.

1964 "The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hitmakers)," the band's debut album, was released.

1972 Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the moon.

1979 I was born after keeping my mom in labor for over 36 hours. Apparently, I got stuck because I tried to use my elbow as opposed to my head, and when I got tired, I just quit and fell asleep, leaving my mom in agony from Easter Sunday into Easter Monday. Once my mom finally passed out, my dad snuck away for beer, eggs and bacon; my mom was livid for days. I think these details tell a lot about me as a person, be it good or bad. I am still really stubborn, I push really hard for things I want, I can fall asleep anywhere at any time, and I love bacon and beer more than most people.