Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the second- or third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama, with about 196,000 people living in it. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. Its metropolitan area is the biggest in Alabama with more than 1.1 million people living in it. The city has an area of about 152 square miles (390 km2) and an elevation of 614 feet (187 m) above sea level. History Birmingham was founded in 1871. Three smaller towns came together to make one, which grew into a large town. It was named after Birmingham, England, a British industrial city. The Alabama city is famous for its iron ore, coal, and limestone, which were used in the town's steel mills Confederate monuments The cornerstone of the Monument plinth was laid during the 1894 Reunion of United Confederate Veterans on Confederate Decoration Day, April 26. and contained a Bible and Confederate flag. The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument was erected in 1905. While the George Floyd riots were happening, it was removed by the city on June 1, 2020, which violated (broke) the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017, a law passed specifically to prevent them removing of this monument. It was the most prominent Confederate monument in the state. The Alabama Attorney General has filed suit (sued) against the city of Birmingham for violating the statute. The city could be fined $25,000 for the violation but cannot be forced to put the moment back. Mayor Randall Woodfin said the fine would be much more affordable than the cost of continued unrest in the city. Birmingham Sunday Birmingham became famous around the world when a bomb exploded in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on Sunday September 15, 1963. Four young black girls were killed. A member of the Ku Klux Klan was charged for the bombing many years later. Richard Farina wrote a sad song called "Birmingham Sunday" in 1964 to the tune of "I Love A Lass". It has been recorded by several singers, including Joan Baez. References