This day in history

[April 10, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Good Friday, April 10, the 100th day of 2009. There are 265 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage.

On this date:

In 1790, President George Washington signed into law the first United States Patent Act.

In 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.

In 1925, the novel "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was first published.

In 1932, German president Paul Von Hindenburg was re-elected in a runoff, with Adolf Hitler coming in second.

In 1957, Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to all shipping traffic. (The canal had been closed due to wreckage resulting from the Suez Crisis.)

In 1959, the future emperor of Japan, Crown Prince Akihito, married a commoner, Michiko Shoda.

In 1963, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher sank during deep-diving tests off Cape Cod, Mass., in a disaster that claimed 129 lives.

In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union joined some 70 nations in signing an agreement banning biological warfare.

In 1978, Arkady Shevchenko, a high-ranking Soviet citizen employed by the United Nations, sought political asylum in the United States.

In 1998, the Northern Ireland peace talks concluded as negotiators reached a landmark settlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks.

Ten years ago: Bad weather hampered NATO's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, but the allies warned Slobodan Milosevic the lull wouldn't last. The Pentagon, meanwhile, announced that 82 U.S. planes would join the force conducting airstrikes over Yugoslavia. The Miami Heat humiliated the Chicago Bulls, 82-49, holding the Bulls to the lowest point total since the introduction of the shot clock.

Five years ago: The White House declassified and released a document sent to President George W. Bush before the Sept. 11 attacks which cited recent intelligence of a possible al-Qaida plot to strike inside the United States.

One year ago: The U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially renamed Squaw Peak in Phoenix Piestewa Peak, in honor of Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, who was killed in Iraq in 2003. Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, suspected of killing a pregnant colleague, was arrested in Tacambaro, Mexico; Laurean is charged with murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach in North Carolina, but is fighting extradition to the U.S.

Today's birthdays: Actor Harry Morgan is 94. Actor Max von Sydow is 80. Actress Liz Sheridan is 80. Actor Omar Sharif is 77. Sportscaster John Madden is 73. Rhythm-and-blues singer Bobbie Smith (The Spinners) is 73. Sportscaster Don Meredith is 71. Reggae artist Bunny Wailer is 62. Actor Steven Seagal is 58. Folk-pop singer Terre Roche (The Roches) is 56. Actor Peter MacNicol is 55. Rock musician Steven Gustafson (10,000 Maniacs) is 52. Singer-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds is 51. Rock singer-musician Brian Setzer is 50. Rapper Afrika Bambaataa is 49. Rock singer Katrina Leskanich is 49. Actor Jeb Adams is 48. Olympic gold medal speedskater Cathy Turner is 47. Rock musician Tim "Herb" Alexander is 44. Actor-comedian Orlando Jones is 41. Rock musician Mike Mushok (Staind) is 40. Singer Kenny Lattimore is 39. Rapper Q-Tip (AKA Kamaal) is 39. Blues singer Shemekia Copeland is 30. Actress Laura Bell Bundy is 28. Actress Chyler Leigh is 27. Actor Ryan Merriman is 26. Singer Mandy Moore is 25. Actor Haley Joel Osment is 21. Actress-singer AJ (AKA Amanda) Michalka is 18.

Thought for today: "All fantasy should have a solid base in reality." -- Max Beerbohm, English critic and essayist (1872-1956)

[Associated Press]

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