 Today's highlight in history:
On April 27, 2011, powerful tornadoes raked the South and Midwest.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
more than 120 twisters resulted in 316 deaths across parts of
Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia.
On this date:
In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed by
natives in the Philippines.
In 1777, the only land battle in Connecticut during the
Revolutionary War, the Battle of Ridgefield, took place, resulting
in a limited British victory.
In 1805, during the First Barbary War, an American-led force of
Marines and mercenaries captured the city of Derna, on the shores of
Tripoli.
In 1822, the 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant,
was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio.
In 1865, the steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near
Memphis, Tenn., killing more than 1,400 people, mostly freed Union
prisoners of war.
In 1932, American poet Hart Crane, 32, drowned after jumping from a
steamer into the Gulf of Mexico while en route to New York.
In 1941, German forces occupied Athens during World War II.
In 1967, Expo '67 was officially opened in Montreal by Canadian
Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.
In 1972, the Apollo 16 mission to the moon ended safely.
In 1973, Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray resigned after it was
revealed that he'd destroyed files removed from the safe of
Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt.
In 1982, the trial of John W. Hinckley Jr., who had shot four
people, including President Ronald Reagan, began in Washington. (The
trial ended with Hinckley's acquittal by reason of insanity.)
In 1992, the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in
Belgrade by the republic of Serbia and its lone ally, Montenegro.
Russia and 12 other former Soviet republics won entry into the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Betty Boothroyd
became the first female Speaker of Britain's House of Commons.
Ten years ago: South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth
arrived at the international space station for an eight-day,
seven-night cruise that had cost him $20 million. A biker brawl at
Harrah's Casino in Laughlin, Nev., left three bikers dead and 12
others wounded. Derek Lowe of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter
against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (final score: 10-0). Mattel toy
company co-founder Ruth Handler, creator of the Barbie doll, died in
Los Angeles at age 85.
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Five years ago: President George W. Bush and visiting
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh ah-bay) threatened
stronger punitive actions against North Korea if it reneged on a
promise to padlock its sole nuclear reactor. A judge in Madrid
indicted three U.S. soldiers in the 2003 death of Jose Couso, a
Spanish journalist who was killed when their tank opened fire at a
hotel in Baghdad. (The U.S., which found the use of force was
justified, has refused to hand over the soldiers.) The government
reported economic growth slowed to a near crawl of 1.3 percent in
the first quarter of 2007. Master cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (mis-teh-SLAHV'
rah-stroh-POH'-vich) died in Moscow at age 80.
One year ago: An Afghan officer, Col. Ahmed Gul, killed eight
U.S. airmen and one U.S. civilian during a routine meeting at an
Afghan air force headquarters compound in Kabul. Responding to
critics' relentless claims, President Barack Obama produced a
detailed Hawaii birth certificate in an extraordinary attempt to
bury the issue of where he was born and confirm his legitimacy to
hold office.
Today's birthdays: Actor Jack Klugman is 90. Actress Anouk
Aimee is 80. Announcer Casey Kasem is 80. Actress Judy Carne is 73.
Rock musician Jim Keltner is 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer Cuba
Gooding is 68. Singer Ann Peebles is 65. Rock singer Kate Pierson
(The B-52's) is 64. Rhythm-and-blues singer Herbie Murrell (The
Stylistics) is 63. Actor Douglas Sheehan is 63. Rock musician Ace
Frehley is 61. Pop singer Sheena Easton is 53. Actor James Le Gros (groh)
is 50. Rock musician Rob Squires (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is
47. Singer Mica (MEE'-shah) Paris is 43. Actor David Lascher is 40.
Actress Maura West is 40. Actress Sally Hawkins is 36. Rock musician
Patrick Hallahan (My Morning Jacket) is 34. Rock singer Jim James
(My Morning Jacket) is 34. Rock singer-musician Travis Meeks (Days
of the New) is 33. Actress Ari Graynor is 29. Rock singer-musician
Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) is 28. Actor William Moseley is 25.
Singer Allison Iraheta is 20.
Thought for today: "Fear not those who argue but those who
dodge." -- Dale Carnegie, American writer-lecturer (1888-1955)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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