April 16, 2021: The National World War I Memorial Is Dedicated

April 16, 2021: The National World War I Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

Appropriately, it was built at Pershing Park, named for General John J. Pershing, the commanding officer of U.S. forces in that war. Unlike most victorious American generals, he never considered running for President, living until 1948 without ever campaigning for the office.

In 1921, he attended the groundbreaking ceremony for America's original National World War I Memorial, a 217-foot-high tower in Kansas City that opened in 1926. It remains America's official National World War I Museum.

But as America's surviving veterans of World War I grew old, a movement to have them officially recognized with a National Memorial on or near the National Mall in the nation's capital grew. As official Memorials were added for the Vietnam War in 1982, the Korean War in 1995, and World War II in 2004, the movement for a World War I Memorial grew.

But on February 27, 2011, when Frank Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of the war, died at age 110, Congress was still dragging its feet on the matter. It wasn't partisan: Members of both major parties had advocated for it. Finally, in 2017, there was a groundbreaking. It could have been finished in 2020, but COVID restrictions pushed it back. On April 16, 2021, it was ready, but the ceremony still had to be virtual, with President Joe Biden delivering a remote speech from the nearby White House.

How nearby? The Pershing Park side is bordered by Pennsylvania Avenue, E Street, and 14th and 15th Streets Northwest. The White House Visitor Center is across E Street to the south. The InterContinental Willard Hotel, perhaps the city's most famous hotel, is across Pennsylvania Avenue to the north. And the White House grounds are just across 15th Street to the west.

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April 16, 2021 was a Friday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 8-2 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees made it a "bullpen game," with starter Nick Nelson going only 1 inning, and allowing 2 runs. Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 1-0 at Nationals Park in Washington. Kyle Schwarber won it with a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Max Scherzer, Daniel Hudson and Brad Hand combined to pitch a 3-hit shutout.

* The Miami Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants at LoanDepot Park in Miami.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat their cross-State rivals, the Cleveland Indians, 10-3 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-1 at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers, 5-2 at Globe Life Field in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 11-6 at Petco Park in San Diego. The Dodgers scored 5 runs in the top of the 12th inning, including a home run by Corey Seager.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 10-3 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-0 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the RingCentral Coliseum). Four A's pitchers, starting with 6 innings from Frankie Montas, pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros, 6-5 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

* The New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies were rained out at Coors Field in Denver. They played a doubleheader the next day. The Mets won the opener, 4-3. The Rockies won the nightcap, 7-2.

* The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox were rained out at Fenway Park in Boston. They played a doubleheader 2 days later. The White Sox swept, 3-2 and 5-1.

* The Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays were rained out at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. They played a doubleheader the next day. The Jays won the 1st game, 5-1. The Royals won the 2nd game, 3-2, with Salvador Perez hitting a walkoff home run.

Due to COVID restrictions, all doubleheaders that season were limited to 7 innings per game.

There were 11 games played in the NBA that day:

* The New York Knicks beat the Dallas Mavericks, 117-109 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Julius Randle scored 44 points for the Knicks.

* The Brooklyn Nets beat the Charlotte Hornets, 130-115 at the Barclays Center.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-103 at the Wells Fargo Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia. Paul George scored 37 points in a losing cause.

* The Washington Wizards beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 117-115 in overtime at the Capital One Arena in Washington. Russell Westbrook scored 36 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

* The Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic, 113-102 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 110-104 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

* The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Chicago Bulls, 126-115 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Miami Heat, 119-111 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Houston Rockets, 128-99 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 107-106 at the AT&T Center (now the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio.

* And the Utah Jazz beat the Indiana Pacers, 119-111 at the Vivint Arena (now again named the Delta Center) in Salt Lake City.

There were 4 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders lost to the Boston Bruins, 3-0 at the TD Garden in Boston.

* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Calgary Flames, 2-1 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks, 3-2 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

* And the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-0 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.