On April 12th

The Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12–13, 1861 opened the Civil War. The documented date is 1861-04-12–1861-04-13. Fort Sumter and Charleston Harbor's past is on record — the entry belongs to the verified layer the museum itself interprets. It's verified history: the dossier's load-bearing detail. 'Fort Sumter National Monument' documents the entry. It's the sort of fact that give

At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries opened on Fort Sumter — the first shots of the Civil War. Major Anderson surrendered the next day with no combat deaths (a cannon accident during the surrender salute killed two men), but four years and roughly 750,000 dead followed. The fort still flies a flag over Charleston Harbor.

FDR died here April 12, 1945; the portrait is documented. Little White House's history is documented rather than told — this entry is part of that spine. This belongs to the verified spine of the entry, the layer everything else is measured against. The detail is preserved in 'Little White House'. It's the sort of fact that gives the haunting reports their context.