April 24, 1916: The Easter Rising

The General Post Office, after the Rising

April 24, 1916: The Easter Rising begins in Dublin, Ireland on Easter Monday. It is considered the birth of the Republic of Ireland.

The Rising was launched by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, trying to take advantage of the British Empire being distracted by World War I. The Irish Volunteers, led by Patrick Pearse, and the Irish Citizen Army, led by James Connolly, seized major buildings in the Irish capital of Dublin, including the General Post Office, from which the Republic was proclaimed. (There would not be any organization using the name "Irish Republican Army" until 1919.)

The British Army fought back, and surrounded the rebel positions with artillery. It was a mismatch: On Saturday, April 29, Pearse surrendered. Over the course of 6 days of fighting, 469 people were killed: 260 civilians, 143 British military and/or police, and 66 Irish rebels.

The British took about 3,500 people prisoner. Following courts-martial, 16 rebels were executed by firing squad, including Pearse on May 3, at age 36; his brother Willie Pearse on May 4, 34; and Connolly on May 12, at 47.

The reaction of the world outside the British Empire, including a great Irish diaspora which had settled largely in America, was that the British had overreacted. (They had done this many times before, in many places in their Empire, including in America in the 1770s.) The remaining rebels received a great deal of outside aid. New leaders emerged, such as Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera. Ireland was partitioned in 1921, with the 6 Counties of Ulster staying in the United Kingdom, and the other 26 Counties forming the Republic of Ireland.

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As I said, April 24, 1916 was a Monday. There was no NFL or NBA yet. Nor was there an NHL, and the Stanley Cup had been won on March 30, with the Montreal Canadiens winning their 1st Cup, defeating the 1st American team to compete for it, the Portland Rosebuds of Oregon. The Canadiens have now won 24 of them, a record.

These Major League Baseball games were played on the day of the Easter Rising:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 8-2 at National Park in Washington. It was renamed Griffith Stadium in 1922. Walter Johnson went the distance, and Bob Shawkey was knocked out of the box in the 4th inning.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-0 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Hubert "Dutch" Leonard allowed 8 hits, but kept the shutout.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2 at Redland Field in Cincinnati. It was renamed Crosley Field in 1934.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-2 at Navin Field in Detroit. It was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938, and Tiger Stadium in 1961. Ty Cobb did not play for the Tigers that day. For the White Sox, Shoeless Joe Jackson went 1-for-4.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

* The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies were supposed to play at the Polo Grounds, but got rained out. The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on September 9. The Giants swept, 3-1 and 3-0, with William "Pol" Perritt pitching a 4-hit shutout. The losing pitcher for the Phillies was Albert "Chief" Bender, the Chippewa tribesman who built a Hall of Fame career a few blocks away with the Athletics.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers (then known as the Robins, for manager Wilbert Robinson) and the Boston Braves were supposed to play at Braves Field, but got rained out. The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on September 8. Brooklyn swept, 6-2 and 4-0, with Sherry Smith pitching a 4-hit shutout.

* And the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates were supposed to play at Weeghman Park in Chicago (renamed Cubs Park in 1918 and Wrigley Field in 1926), but were rained out. The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on May 8. The Cubs won the opener, 2-1. The Pirates won the nightcap, 6-4.