Today in History

Today is Tuesday, April 3, the 94th day of 2012. There are 272 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 3, 1942, during World War II, Japanese forces began their final assault on Bataan against American and Filipino troops who surrendered six days later; the capitulation was followed by the notorious Bataan Death March.

On this date:

In 1776, George Washington received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard College.

In 1860, the legendary Pony Express began carrying mail between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. (The delivery system lasted only 18 months before giving way to the transcontinental telegraph.)

In 1882, outlaw Jesse James was shot to death in St. Joseph, Mo., by Robert Ford, a member of James' gang.

In 1911, Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63, had its world premiere in Helsinki, Finland, with Sibelius conducting.

In 1936, Bruno Hauptmann was electrocuted in Trenton, N.J. for the kidnap-murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr.

In 1946, Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma, the Japanese commander held responsible for the Bataan Death March, was executed by firing squad outside Manila.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed into law the Marshall Plan, designed to help European allies rebuild after World War II and resist Communism.

In 1968, the day before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "mountaintop" speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers. North Vietnam agreed to meet with U.S. representatives to set up preliminary peace talks.

In 1974, deadly tornadoes struck wide parts of the South and Midwest before jumping across the border into Canada; more than 300 fatalities resulted.

In 1979, Jane M. Byrne was elected mayor of Chicago, defeating Republican Wallace D. Johnson.

In 1985, the landmark Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant closed after 56 years in business.

In 1996, an Air Force jetliner carrying Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and American business executives crashed in Croatia, killing all 35 people aboard.

Ten years ago: Israeli tanks rolled into the West Bank's largest city, Nablus, and other troops laid siege to a refugee camp in Jenin, battling Palestinians who'd barricaded entrances and fought back with bombs and guns. Soldiers also encircled hundreds of Palestinian gunmen holed up in the Bethlehem church marking Jesus' birthplace.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush denounced Democrats for going on spring break without approving money for the Iraq war; he also criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria. An ex-con shot and killed his ex-girlfriend at the CNN headquarters complex in Atlanta before being wounded by a security guard. (Arthur Mann was later convicted of murdering Clara Riddles and sentenced to life without parole.) A high-speed French train broke the world speed record for conventional rail trains, surpassing 357.2 mph. After a nine-year title drought, Tennessee's Lady Vols captured a seventh national title, beating Rutgers 59-46.

One year ago: The United States agreed to NATO's request for a 48-hour extension of American participation in coalition air strikes against targets in Libya. Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew fatally shot himself at a remote Afghanistan patrol base; three Marines were court-martialed for alleged hazing. (Two were acquitted; one pleaded guilty to assault after admitting he'd punched and kicked Lew.)

Today's Birthdays: Actress-singer Doris Day is 89. Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is 82. Conservationist Dame Jane Goodall is 78. Actor William Gaunt is 75. Actor Eric Braeden is 71. Actress Marsha Mason is 70. Singer Wayne Newton is 70. Singer Billy Joe Royal is 70. Singer Tony Orlando is 68. Comedy writer Pat Proft is 65. Folk-rock singer Richard Thompson is 63. Country musician Curtis Stone (Highway 101) is 62. Blues singer-guitarist John Mooney is 57. Rock musician Mick Mars (Motley Crue) is 56. Actor Alec Baldwin is 54. Actor David Hyde Pierce is 53. Rock singer John Thomas Griffith (Cowboy Mouth) is 52. Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy is 51. Rock singer-musician Mike Ness (Social Distortion) is 50. Rock singer Sebastian Bach is 44. Rock musician James MacDonough is 42. Olympic gold medal ski racer Picabo Street is 41. Actress Jennie Garth is 40. Actor Adam Scott is 39. Comedian Aries Spears is 37. Actress Cobie Smulders is 30. Rock-pop singer Leona Lewis is 27. Actress Amanda Bynes is 26.

Thought for Today: "I didn't invent the world I write about -- it's all true." -- Graham Greene, British author (1904-1991).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.