This day in history

[April 20, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Friday, April 9, the 99th day of 2010. There are 266 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On April 9, 1959, NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton.

On this date:

In 1682, French explorer Robert de La Salle claimed the Mississippi River Basin for France.

In 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

In 1939, singer Marian Anderson performed a concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. after she was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

In 1940, during World War II, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway.

In 1942, American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces; the surrender was followed by the notorious Bataan Death March which claimed thousands of lives.

In 1947, a series of tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas claimed 181 lives.

In 1959, American architect Frank Lloyd Wright died in Phoenix, Ariz., at age 91.

In 1960, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals for the second year in a row by defeating the St. Louis Hawks 122-103 in Game 7.

In 1965, the newly built Astrodome in Houston featured its first baseball game, an exhibition between the Astros and the New York Yankees. (The Astros won, 2-1, in 12 innings.)

In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger ended its first mission with a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Ten years ago: President Eduard Shevardnadze (sheh-vahrd-NAHD'-zeh) won a second term as leader of Georgia; Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori (foo-jee-MOHR'-ee) fell just shy of the majority needed to avoid a runoff for an unprecedented third term. Vijay Singh (VEE'-jay sing) won the Masters, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Ernie Els.

Five years ago: Britain's Prince Charles married longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles, who took the title Duchess of Cornwall. Tens of thousands of supporters of a militant Shiite (SHEE'-eyet) cleric filled central Baghdad's streets, demanding that American soldiers go home. A day after the funeral for Pope John Paul II, cardinals began an intense period of silence and prayer before their conclave to choose the next pope. Feminist author Andrea Dworkin died in Washington, D.C. at age 58.

One year ago: North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament appointed Kim Jong Il to a third term as the nation's leader. Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, 22, and two others were killed in car crash by a suspected drunken driver. (Andrew Thomas Gallo, charged with three counts of second-degree murder, is awaiting trial.)

Today's birthdays: Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner is 84. Naturalist Jim Fowler is 78. Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo is 77. Actress Michael Learned is 71. Country singer Margo Smith is 68. Country singer Hal Ketchum is 57. Actor Dennis Quaid is 56. Humorist Jimmy Tingle is 55. World Golf Hall of Famer Severiano Ballesteros is 53. Country musician Dave Innis (Restless Heart) is 51. Actress-sports reporter Lisa Guerrero is 46. Actor Mark Pellegrino is 45. Actress-model Paulina Porizkova is 45. Actress Cynthia Nixon is 44. Rock singer Kevin Martin (Candlebox) is 41. Rock singer Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) is 33. Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam is 31. Rock musician Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes) is 30. Actor Ryan Northcott is 30. Actor Jay Baruchel is 28. Actor-singer Jesse McCartney is 23. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jazmine Sullivan is 23. Actress Kristen Stewart is 20. Actress Elle Fanning is 12.

Thought for today: "The amount of satisfaction you get from life depends largely on your own ingenuity, self-sufficiency and resourcefulness. People who wait around for life to supply their satisfaction usually find boredom instead." -- William C. Menninger, American scientist, physician, engineer (1899-1966)

[Associated Press]

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