Today's Highlight in History:
On April 18th, 1775, Paul Revere1 began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, warning American colonists2 that the British were coming.
On this date:
In 1906, a devastating3 earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires. About 700 people died.
In 1942, an air squadron from the USS "Hornet" led by Lieutenant4 Colonel James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.
In 1945, famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, 44, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa.
In 1946, the League of Nations went out of business.
In 1949, the Irish republic was proclaimed.
In 1955, physicist5 Albert Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey6.
In 1978, the US Senate voted 68-to-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31st, 1999.
In 1980, Zimbabwe Rhodesia became the independent nation of Zimbabwe.
In 1983, 62 people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by a suicide bomber7.
In 1994, former President Nixon suffered a stroke at his home in Park Ridge8, New Jersey; he died four days later at a New York hospital.
Ten years ago: The Soviet9 Union shut off a pipeline10 that supplied the rebellious11 republic of Lithuania with crude oil; a day later, the Soviets12 severely13 reduced the flow of natural gas. The Supreme14 Court ruled that states may make it a crime to possess or look at child pornography, even in one's home.
Five years ago: President Clinton held a prime-time news conference in which he said he was satisfied that he remained relevant in a Republican-dominated capital, and challenged Congress to send him an acceptable welfare bill by July fourth. Quarterback Joe Montana retired15 from professional football. The Houston Post closed after more than a century.
One year ago: NATO launched its most active day of airstrikes in its assault on Yugoslavia, pummeling refineries16, bridges and dozens of other targets in the 25th straight day of attacks. Wayne Gretzky played his last National Hockey League game as his New York Rangers17 lost to Pittsburgh 2-to-1 in overtime18 at Madison Square Garden.
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