 Today's highlight in history:
On April 9, 1942, during World War II, 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.
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 being 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 1947, a series of tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas claimed
181 lives.
In 1959, NASA presented its first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter,
Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard
and Donald Slayton. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, 91, died in
Phoenix, Ariz.
In 1962, "West Side Story" won the Academy Award for Best Picture of
1961; Sophia Loren was named Best Actress for "Two Women," while
Maximilian Schell received the Best Actor Oscar for "Judgment at
Nuremberg."
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.
In 1992, former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted in
Miami of eight drug and racketeering charges; he served a 17-year
U.S. prison sentence.
In 1996, in a dramatic shift of purse-string power, President Bill
Clinton signed a line-item veto bill into law. (However, the U.S.
Supreme Court struck down the veto in 1998.)
In 2005, Britain's Prince Charles married longtime love Camilla
Parker Bowles, who took the title Duchess of Cornwall.
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Ten years ago: Former Arthur Andersen auditor David B. Duncan
pleaded guilty in federal court in Houston to ordering the shredding
of Enron documents, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors
(however, Duncan later withdrew his plea). Palestinian militants
killed 13 Israeli soldiers during intense fighting in a refugee camp
in Jenin (juh-NEEN'), West Bank. Britain said goodbye to the Queen
Mother Elizabeth with a funeral at Westminster Abbey. Figure skater
Michelle Kwan won the 2001 Sullivan Award as the nation's top
amateur athlete.
Five years ago: Tens of thousands of Shiites marched in Iraq
to demand that U.S. forces leave their country; some ripped apart
American flags and tromped across a Stars and Stripes rug. President
George W. Bush visited the U.S.-Mexico border to tout a guest worker
program for immigrants.
One year ago: A man armed with several weapons opened fire in
a crowded shopping mall in the Netherlands, killing six people
before committing suicide. Minnesota Duluth won a 3-2 victory over
Michigan in the NCAA men's ice hockey championship game, the first
national title for the Bulldogs. Sidney Lumet, the award-winning
director of such American film classics as "Network," "Serpico,"
"Dog Day Afternoon" and "12 Angry Men," died in New York at age 86.
Today's birthdays: Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner is
86. Naturalist Jim Fowler is 80. Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo is 79.
Actress Michael Learned is 73. Country singer Margo Smith is 70.
Country singer Hal Ketchum is 59. Actor Dennis Quaid is 58. Humorist
Jimmy Tingle is 57. Country musician Dave Innis (Restless Heart) is
53. Actress-sports reporter Lisa Guerrero is 48. Actor Mark
Pellegrino is 47. Actress-model Paulina Porizkova is 47. Actress
Cynthia Nixon is 46. Rock singer Kevin Martin (Candlebox) is 43.
Rock singer Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) is 35. Actress Keshia
Knight Pulliam is 33. Rock musician Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes)
is 32. Actor Charlie Hunnam is 32. Actor Ryan Northcott is 32. Actor
Arlen Escarpeta is 31. Actor Jay Baruchel is 30. Actress Leighton
Meester is 26. Actor-singer Jesse McCartney is 25. Rhythm-and-blues
singer Jazmine Sullivan is 25. Actress Kristen Stewart is 22.
Actress Elle Fanning is 14. Classical crossover singer Jackie
Evancho (ee-VAYN'-koh) (TV: "America's Got Talent") is 12.
Thought for today: "Thinking is like loving or dying. Each of
us must do it for ourselves." -- Josiah Royce, American
philosopher (1855-1916)
[Associated Press]
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