Lost

Abdul Hamid Youssef lost 25 relatives on April 4 when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched an attack on the rebel-held area where Youssef’s family lived. The attack was one of the deadliest in years. The Syrian military has denied using chemical weapons and has blamed the rebels. Youssef and his family were sleeping during the attack. He says he awoke gasping for breath, and soon saw people dropping in the street. In his parent’s house, he found his two brothers dead on the floor, and at his own home he found his wife and twin babies dead, foam on their mouths. A picture of Youssef, cradling his dead babies, went viral on the internet.

Fined

When U.K. citizen Jon Platt took his daughter for vacation in April 2015, he started a nationwide debate. School officials had refused permission for his daughter to go with him to Disney World in Florida, citing compulsory attendance laws. He took her anyway, and the school issued Platt a fine of about $150. Platt sued, citing his 6-year-old’s good attendance record and calling the fine an overreach by a “nanny state.” Two local judges agreed with him, but the local council pushed the case to the British Supreme Court. The court on April 6 overturned the previous decisions and ruled Platt had no right to withdraw his daughter without a valid reason, such as illness.

Accepted

Stanford University accepted Ziad Ahmed after he wrote “#Black Lives Matter” 100 times across his personal application statement to the university. Critics said the acceptance of Ahmed showed a lowering of standards by Stanford. The high schooler published a picture of his personal statement on Twitter and received immediate applause. Some detractors criticized the apparent simplicity of his statement, calling it an insufficient defense of the movement and an example of “virtue signaling.” Admirers said he was bold and his resumé impressive enough for Stanford’s standard. Yale and Princeton have also accepted Ahmed.

Died

Lolis Elie, a lawyer who helped desegregate New Orleans, died on April 4 at age 87. Elie grew up under segregation in Louisiana and left the South at 17, vowing never to return. He served in the Army, where a fellow soldier urged him to pursue law. He went home to earn a law degree and was soon at the vanguard of the movement to integrate public accommodations from lunch counters to shopping districts. Elie helped defend members of a racial equality coalition engaged in lunch counter protests in a case that went to the Supreme Court, and he negotiated desegregation agreements with businessmen.

Died

Don Rickles, a comedian famous for insult comedy, died on April 6 at age 90. Rickles began his comedic career after serving in the Navy in World War II and then failing as an insurance salesman. After struggling to find his niche, his comedy took off around the mid-1960s. He began to interact with his audience more, improvising insults that made even the insulted person laugh. He became popular in Hollywood after insulting Frank Sinatra, making him fall off his chair laughing. To the surprise of critics, Rickles remained popular. He worked until he was in his 80s, running shows at least 75 nights a year even then.