Today in History

Today is Saturday, April 20, the 110th day of 2013. There are 255 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 20, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation admitting West Virginia to the Union, effective in 60 days (June 20, 1863).

On this date:

In 1836, Congress voted to establish the Wisconsin Territory.

In 1861, Col. Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the United States Army. (Lee went on to command the Army of Northern Virginia, and eventually became general-in-chief of the Confederate forces.)

In 1889, Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria.

In 1912, Boston's Fenway Park hosted its first professional baseball game while Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) opened in Detroit. (The Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders 7-6 in 11 innings; the Tigers beat the Cleveland Naps 6-5 in 11 innings.)

In 1945, during World War II, allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart.

In 1968, Pierre Elliott Trudeau was sworn in as prime minister of Canada.

In 1972, the manned lunar module from Apollo 16 landed on the moon.

In 1978, a Korean Air Lines Boeing 707 crash-landed in northwestern Russia after being fired on by a Soviet interceptor after entering Soviet airspace. Two passengers were killed.

In 1988, gunmen who'd hijacked a Kuwait Airways jumbo jet were allowed safe passage out of Algeria under an agreement that freed the remaining 31 hostages and ended a 15-day siege in which two passengers were slain.

In 1993, Mexican comedian Cantinflas (Mario Moreno) died in Mexico City at age 81.

In 1999, the Columbine High School massacre took place in Colorado as two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, shot and killed 12 classmates and one teacher before taking their own lives.

In 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months.

Ten years ago: U.S. Army forces took control of Baghdad from the Marines in a changing of the guard that thinned the military presence in the capital. Celebrating Easter, the Rev. Emmanuel Delly, a longtime Iraqi bishop, pleaded for safeguards against the persecution of Christians in the new Iraq. A landslide in southern Kyrgyzstan killed some three dozen people.

Five years ago: Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his final Mass in the United States before a full house in Yankee Stadium, blessing his enormous U.S. flock and telling Americans to use their freedoms wisely. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice mocked anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as a coward during a visit to Iraq. Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history, capturing the Indy Japan 300.

One year ago: A judge ruled that George Zimmerman could be released on $150,000 bail while he awaited trial on a charge of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a Feb. 2012 confrontation in a Sanford, Fla. gated community. In Pakistan, a Bhoja Air Boeing 737-200 crashed on approach to the main airport in Islamabad, killing all 127 people on board.

Today's Birthdays: Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is 93. Actor Leslie Phillips is 89. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., is 77. Actor George Takei is 76. Singer Johnny Tillotson is 74. Actor Ryan O'Neal is 72. Bluegrass singer-musician Doyle Lawson (Quicksilver) is 69. Rock musician Craig Frost (Grand Funk; Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band) is 65. Actor Gregory Itzin is 65. Actress Jessica Lange is 64. Actress Veronica Cartwright is 64. Actor Clint Howard is 54. Actor Crispin Glover is 49. Actor Andy Serkis is 49. Olympic silver medal figure skater Rosalynn Sumners is 49. Country singer Wade Hayes is 44. Actor Shemar Moore is 43. Actress Carmen Electra is 41. Reggae singer Stephen Marley is 41. Rock musician Marty Crandall is 38. Actor Joey Lawrence is 37. Country musician Clay Cook (Zac Brown Band) is 35. Actor Tim Jo (TV: "The Neighbors") is 29.

Thought for Today: "If anyone tells you something strange about the world, something you had never heard before, do not laugh but listen attentively; make him repeat it, make him explain it; no doubt there is something there worth taking hold of." -- Georges Duhamel, French author (1884-1966).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.