 Today's highlight in history:
On April 11, 1862, the Civil War Battle of Fort Pulaski in Chatham
County, Ga., ended a day after it began as the fort fell to Union
forces.
On this date:
In 1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of
Britain.
In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as Emperor of the French and
was banished to the island of Elba.
In 1899, the treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in
effect.
In 1912, Crosley Field, the longtime home of the Cincinnati Reds,
had its opening day under its original name, Redland Field. (The
Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs 10-6.)
In 1921, Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax, at 2
cents a package.
In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the
notorious Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany.
In 1951, President Harry S. Truman relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur
of his commands in the Far East.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy held a press conference in which
he angrily denounced plans by United States Steel and other steel
producers to raise prices (the companies ended up backing down). The
New York Mets played their first game, losing to the host St. Louis
Cardinals 11-4.
In 1970, Apollo 13, with astronauts James A. Lovell, Fred W. Haise
and Jack Swigert, blasted off on its ill-fated mission to the moon.
In 1979, Idi Amin was deposed as president of Uganda as rebels and
exiles backed by Tanzanian (tan-zuh-NEE'-uhn) forces seized control.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from
the hospital, 12 days after he was wounded in an assassination
attempt. Race-related rioting erupted in the Brixton district of
south London.
In 2009, Susan Boyle, a middle-aged volunteer church worker, wowed
judges and audiences alike with her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream"
on the British TV show "Britain's Got Talent."
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Ten years ago: U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., D-Ohio, was
convicted of taking bribes and kickbacks from businessmen and his
own staff. (Traficant was later expelled from Congress and sentenced
to eight years in prison; he was released in September 2009.)
Venezuelan police battled protesters demanding President Hugo
Chavez's ouster.
Five years ago: North Carolina's top prosecutor dropped all
charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players
accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a party, saying the
athletes were innocent victims of a "tragic rush to accuse." MSNBC
announced it was dropping its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning"
radio program, responding to growing outrage over host Don Imus'
on-air reference to the Rutgers women's basketball team as
"nappy-headed hos." (CBS Radio followed suit the next day.) Death
claimed author Kurt Vonnegut in New York at age 84 and actor Roscoe
Lee Browne in Los Angeles at age 81.
One year ago: A bloody, four-month standoff in the West
African nation of Ivory Coast ended when troops loyal to the elected
president routed and captured his rival, Laurent Gbagbo (loh-RAHN'
BAHG'-boh), the longtime strongman who'd lost the vote but refused
to give up power. A subway bombing in Minsk, Belarus, claimed 15
lives.
Today's birthdays: Ethel Kennedy is 84. Actor Joel Grey is
80. Actress Louise Lasser is 73. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
Ellen Goodman is 71. Movie writer-director John Milius is 68. Actor
Peter Riegert is 65. Actor Meshach Taylor is 65. Movie director Carl
Franklin is 63. Actor Bill Irwin is 62. Country singer-songwriter
Jim Lauderdale is 55. Songwriter-producer Daryl Simmons is 55. Rock
musician Nigel Pulsford is 51. Actor Lucky Vanous is 51. Country
singer Steve Azar is 48. Singer Lisa Stansfield is 46. Rock musician
Dylan Keefe (Marcy Playground) is 42. Actor Johnny Messner is 42.
Actor Vicellous (vy-SAY'-luhs) Shannon is 41. Rapper David Banner is
38. Actress Tricia Helfer is 38. Rock musician Chris Gaylor (The
All-American Rejects) is 33. Actress Kelli Garner is 28. Singer Joss
Stone is 25.
Thought for today: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must
be careful about what we pretend to be." -- Kurt Vonnegut
(1922-2007)
[Associated Press]
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