Today in History

Today is Friday, May 11, the 132nd day of 2012. There are 234 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 11, 1862, during the Civil War, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was scuttled by its crew off Craney Island, Va., to prevent it from falling into Union hands.

On this date:

In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor of New Netherland.

In 1812, British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated in the lobby of the House of Commons by John Bellingham, who was hanged a week later.

In 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union.

In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded during a banquet at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

In 1937, "SPAM" was registered as a trademark by Hormel Foods, producer of the canned meat product.

In 1946, the first CARE packages arrived in Europe, at Le Havre, France.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman formally dedicated the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state.

In 1960, Israeli agents captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 1973, charges against Daniel Ellsberg for his role in the "Pentagon Papers" case were dismissed by Judge William M. Byrne, who cited government misconduct.

In 1981, legendary reggae artist Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital at age 36. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Cats" opened in London.

In 1987, doctors in Baltimore transplanted the heart and lungs of an auto accident victim to a patient who gave up his own heart to another recipient. (Clinton House, the nation's first living heart donor, died 14 months later.)

In 1996, an Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board.

Ten years ago: Israel pulled out of the West Bank town of Tulkarem, leaving Palestinian-run territories free of Israeli troops for the first time in six weeks. Joseph Bonanno, the notorious gangster known as "Joe Bananas," died in Tucson, Ariz., at age 97.

Five years ago: Speaking aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in the Persian Gulf, Vice President Dick Cheney warned Iran the U.S. and its allies would keep it from restricting sea traffic as well as from developing nuclear weapons. North and South Korea adopted a military agreement, enabling the first train crossing of their border in more than half a century.

One year ago: Former hedge fund titan Raj Rajaratnam was convicted by a federal jury in New York in an insider-trading case of five counts of conspiracy and nine of securities fraud. (Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11 years in prison.) Two earthquakes struck southern Spain in quick succession, killing at least nine people, injuring dozens and causing major damage to buildings.

Today's Birthdays: Comedian Mort Sahl is 85. Rock singer Eric Burdon (The Animals; War) is 71. Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo is 60. Actress Frances Fisher is 60. Actor Boyd Gaines is 59. Country musician Mark Herndon (Alabama) is 57. Actress Martha Quinn is 53. Country singer-musician Tim Raybon (The Raybon Brothers) is 49. Actor Jeffrey Donovan is 44. Country musician Keith West (Heartland) is 44. Actor Nicky Katt is 42. Actor Coby Bell is 37. Cellist Perttu Kivilaakso is 34. Actor Jonathan Jackson is 30. Actor Cory Monteith (TV: "Glee") is 30.

Thought for Today: "Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it." -- Irving Berlin, American songwriter (born this date in 1888, died 1989).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.