On This Date April 7, 1862 and 1945 and 1954
April 7, 1862 – the Union’s Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the
Confederate Army of the Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
April 7, 1945 – the Yamato, one of the two largest battleships ever constructed, is sunk by
American aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
April 7, 1954 – President Dwight Eisenhower gives his “domino theory” speech during a news
conference. This was the theory that if one country fell to communism, every other country
nearby would do the same, much like dominoes.