April 28, 2009 - Today In History

Today is Tuesday, April 28, the 118th day of 2009. There are 247 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 28, 1789, there was a mutiny on HMS Bounty as the crew of the British ship set Capt. William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. (Bligh and most of the men with him managed to reach Timor in 47 days.)

On this date:

In 1758, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, was born in Westmoreland County, Va.

In 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1918, Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and the archduke's wife, Sophie, died in prison of tuberculosis.

In 1945, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country.

In 1952, war with Japan officially ended as a treaty signed in San Francisco the year before took effect.

In 1958, the United States conducted the first of 35 nuclear test explosions in the Pacific Proving Ground as part of Operation Hardtack I. Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, began a goodwill tour of Latin America that was marred by hostile mobs in Lima, Peru, and Caracas, Venezuela.

In 1967, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army, the same day Gen. William C. Westmoreland told Congress the U.S. "would prevail in Vietnam."

In 1969, French President Charles de Gaulle resigned. (He was succeeded by Georges Pompidou.)

In 1988, a flight attendant was killed and more than 60 people injured when part of the roof of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 tore off during a flight from Hilo to Honolulu.

In 1996, a man armed with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire on tourists on the Australian island of Tasmania, killing 35 people; Martin Bryant was captured by police after a 12-hour standoff at a guest cottage. (Bryant is serving a life sentence.)

Ten years ago: In a sharp repudiation of President Bill Clinton's policies, the House rejected, on a
tie vote of 213-213, a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign against Yugoslavia; the House also voted 249-180 to limit the president's authority to use ground forces
in Yugoslavia.

Actor Rory Calhoun died in Burbank, Calif., at 76.

Five years ago:

First photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS' "60 Minutes II."

A Spanish judge indicted Amer Azizi, a Moroccan fugitive, on charges of helping to plan the Sept.
11th hijackings.

The U.N. Security Council put terrorists, black marketeers and crooked scientists on notice that
they faced punishment for trafficking in weapons of mass destruction.

Cable giant Comcast Corp. dropped its two-month-old unsolicited bid for The Walt Disney Co.

One year ago:

The first tax rebates were direct-deposited into bank accounts from a $168 billion stimulus package.

In a defiant appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, Democrat Barack Obama's longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, said criticism surrounding his fiery sermons was an attack on black churches, and he rejected those who'd labeled him unpatriotic.

Today's Birthdays:

Author Harper Lee is 83.

Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III is 79.

Actress-singer Ann-Margret is 68.

Actress Marcia Strassman is 61.

Actor Paul Guilfoyle ("CSI") is 60.

"Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is 59.

Rock musician Chuck Leavell is 57.

Actress Mary McDonnell is 56.

Rock singer-musician Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) is 56.

Actress Simbi Khali is 38.

Actress Bridget Moynahan is 38.

Actor Chris Young is 38.

Actor Jorge Garcia is 36.

Actress Elisabeth Rohm is 36.

Actress Penelope Cruz is 35.

Football player Jamal Williams is 33.

Actor Nate Richert is 31.

Actress Jessica Alba is 28.

Actress Aleisha Allen is 18.

Thought for Today:

"The world does not require so much to be informed as reminded."

— Hannah More,
English religious writer
(1745-1833).