Today in History

Today is Saturday, April 7, the 98th day of 2012. There are 268 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 7, 1922, the Teapot Dome scandal had its beginnings as Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall signed a secret deal to lease U.S. Navy petroleum reserves to his friends, oilmen Harry F. Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny.

On this date:

In 1788, an expedition led by Gen. Rufus Putnam established a settlement at present-day Marietta, Ohio.

In 1798, the Mississippi Territory was created by an act of Congress, with Natchez as the capital.

In 1862, Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.

In 1927, the image and voice of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover were transmitted live from Washington to New York in the first successful long-distance demonstration of television.

In 1939, Italy invaded Albania, which was annexed less than a week later.

In 1948, the World Health Organization was founded in Geneva.

In 1953, the U.N. General Assembly elected Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden to be secretary-general.

In 1962, nearly 1,200 Cuban exiles tried by Cuba for their roles in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion were convicted of treason.

In 1969, the Supreme Court, in Stanley v. Georgia, unanimously struck down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material.

In 1972, mobster Joe Gallo was shot to death by rival gangsters during his 43rd birthday celebration at a New York City restaurant.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced he was deferring development of the neutron bomb, a high-radiation weapon.

In 1983, space shuttle astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson took the first U.S. space walk in almost a decade as they worked in the open cargo bay of Challenger for nearly four hours.

Ten years ago: Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Palestinians in the West Bank, encountering stiff resistance in the Jenin refugee camp and in Nablus. Actor John Agar died in Burbank, Calif., at age 81.

Five years ago: A Russian rocket carrying American billionaire Charles Simonyi roared into the night skies over Kazakhstan, sending its three occupants on a trip to the international space station. "B.C." comic strip creator Johnny Hart died in Nineveh, N.Y., at age 76. Actor Barry Nelson died in Bucks County, Pa., at age 89.

One year ago: A man shot and killed 12 children at the Tasso da Silveira public school in Rio de Janeiro; the gunman, a onetime student at the school, shot himself after being cornered by police. A powerful aftershock struck Japan near the same area that had been devastated by a mighty earthquake and tsunami nearly a month earlier; no giant wave or loss of life was reported.

Today's Birthdays: Actor R.G. Armstrong is 95. Sitar player Ravi Shankar is 92. Actor James Garner is 84. Country singer Cal Smith is 80. Actor Wayne Rogers is 79. Media commentator Hodding Carter III is 77. Country singer Bobby Bare is 77. Rhythm-and-blues singer Charlie Thomas (The Drifters) is 75. California Gov. Jerry Brown is 74. Movie director Francis Ford Coppola is 73. TV personality David Frost is 73. Singer Patricia Bennett (The Chiffons) is 65. Singer John Oates is 63. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is 63. Singer Janis Ian is 61. Country musician John Dittrich is 61. Actor Jackie Chan is 58. College and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Tony Dorsett is 58. Actor Russell Crowe is 48. Christian/jazz singer Mark Kibble (Take 6) is 48. Actor Bill Bellamy is 47. Rock musician Dave "Yorkie" Palmer (Space) is 47. Former football player-turned-analyst Tiki Barber is 37. Actress Heather Burns is 37. Actor Kevin Alejandro (TV: "Southland") is 36. Actor Conner Rayburn is 13.

Thought for Today: "Money is in some respects life's fire: it is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master." -- P.T. Barnum, American showman (born 1810, died this date in 1891).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.