A prison for women and an empire for everyone

•On April 27, 1865, days after the end of the Civil War, the worst maritime disaster in American history occurs when the steamboat Sultana, carrying 2,100 passengers, explodes and sinks in the Mississippi River, killing all but 400 of those aboard.

•On April 28, 1958, “The Witch Doctor” hits the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s pop charts. The song used the unusual technique of recording the singer’s voice at a different speed than the music. Songwriter and singer Ross Bagdasarian (who recorded under the name David Seville) topped the charts again at the end of the year with “The Chipmunk Song,” sung by his chipper cartoon band creation, the Chipmunks.

•On April 29, 1944, the last “Our Gang” film, “Dancing Romeo,” is released. The first film, featuring a band of mischievous youngsters, was produced in 1922. In all, more than 100 “Our Gang” films were made. Later, they were shown as TV comedies under the name “The Little Rascals.”

•On April 30, 1927, the Federal Industrial Institution for Women, the first women’s federal prison, opens in Alderson, W.Va. All women serving federal sentences of more than a year were to be brought there, with the vast majority imprisoned for drug and alcohol charges imposed during the Prohibition era.

•On May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates New York City’s Empire State Building. The entire 102-story building went up in just over a year, under budget and well ahead of schedule. During some periods of building, the frame grew an astonishing 4 1/2 stories a week.

•On May 2, 1972, Steven Spielberg begins filming “Jaws.” The production, which used three mechanical sharks to great effect, enthralled audiences and grossed $458 million in its theatrical release.

•On May 3, 1960, the musical comedy “The Fantasticks” opens in an off-Broadway playhouse in New York’s Greenwich Village. It became the longest-running musical of all time and is still running today.