Wednesday April 12 marks the 150th anniversary of the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in 1861, which effectively marked the beginning of hostilities in the American Civil War. As you can imagine, there are plenty of articles about this including the New York Times' special timeline and this interactive battle map.
The BBC have noted the anniversary with repeats of "Empire of Liberty", its history of the United States. You can listen to the episodes relating to the civil war here. You can also here the special edition of Americana, examining the effects of the Civil War on modern America here (recommended!)
