 Today's highlight in history:
On April 6, 1862, the Civil War Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee
as Confederate forces launched a surprise attack against Union
troops, who beat back the Confederates the next day.
On this date:
In 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was
organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, N.Y.
In 1886, the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, was
incorporated.
In 1896, the first modern Olympic games formally opened in Athens,
Greece.
In 1909, American explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson
and four Inuits became the first men to reach the North Pole.
In 1917, Congress approved a declaration of war against Germany.
In 1945, during World War II, the Japanese warship Yamato and nine
other vessels sailed on a suicide mission to attack the U.S. fleet
off Okinawa; the fleet was intercepted the next day.
In 1954, a month after being criticized by newsman Edward R. Murrow
on CBS' "See It Now," Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., given the
chance to respond on the program, charged that Murrow had, in the
past, "engaged in propaganda for Communist causes."
In 1965, the United States launched the Intelsat I, also known as
the "Early Bird" communications satellite, into orbit.
In 1971, Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky, 88, died in New York
City.
In 1985, William J. Schroeder (SHRAY'-dur) became the first
artificial heart recipient to be discharged from the hospital as he
moved into an apartment in Louisville, Ky.
In 1992, the Supreme Court ruled a Nebraska farmer had been
entrapped by postal agents into buying mail-order child pornography.
The European Community recognized the former Yugoslav republic of
Bosnia-Herzegovina as an independent state. Science-fiction author
Isaac Asimov died in New York at age 72.
In 1994, the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed in a
mysterious plane crash near Rwanda's capital; widespread violence
and killings erupted in Rwanda over claims the plane had been shot
down.
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 Ten years ago: President George W. Bush repeated his call for
Israel to "withdraw without delay" from West Bank towns it had
occupied since launching an offensive after a string of suicide
attacks; Bush also demanded the Palestinians call "an immediate and
effective cease-fire." Five years ago: British sailors and marines
newly freed by Iran said they were blindfolded, isolated in cold
stone cells and tricked into fearing execution while being coerced
into falsely saying they had entered Iranian waters. A suicide
bomber smashed a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas into a
police checkpoint in Ramadi, Iraq, killing 27 people.
One year ago: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appealed directly
to President Barack Obama in a letter to end what Gadhafi called "an
unjust war"; he also wished Obama good luck in his bid for
re-election. Portugal became the third debt-stressed European
country to need a bailout as the prime minister announced his
country would request international assistance.
Today's birthdays: Nobel Prize-winning scientist James D.
Watson is 84. Composer-conductor Andre Previn is 83. Country singer
Merle Haggard is 75. Actor Billy Dee Williams is 75. Actor Roy
Thinnes is 74. Writer-comedian Phil Austin (Firesign Theatre) is 71.
Movie director Barry Levinson is 70. Actor John Ratzenberger is 65.
Actress Marilu Henner is 60. Olympic bronze medal figure skater
Janet Lynn is 59. Actor Michael Rooker is 57. Rock musician Warren
Haynes is 52. Rock singer-musician Frank Black is 47. Author Vince
Flynn is 46. Actress Ari Meyers is 43. Actor Paul Rudd is 43.
Actor-producer Jason Hervey is 40. Rock musician Markku Lappalainen
(mar-KOO' lap-uh-LAN'-en) is 39. Actor Zach Braff is 37. Actress
Candace Cameron Bure is 36. Actress Eliza Coupe is 31. Actor Bret
Harrison is 30. Actor Charlie McDermott is 22.
Thought for today: "Never think that you're not good enough
yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life
people will take you at your own reckoning." -- Isaac Asimov
(1920-1992)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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