Today in History

Today is Saturday, May 11, the 131st day of 2013. There are 234 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 11, 1973, the espionage trial of Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo in the "Pentagon Papers" case came to an end as Judge William M. Byrne dismissed all charges, citing government misconduct.

On this date:

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

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

In 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.

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

In 1935, the Rural Electrification Administration was created as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs.

In 1943, during World War II, U.S. forces landed on the Aleutian island of Attu, which was held by the Japanese; the Americans took the island 19 days later.

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

In 1953, a tornado devastated Waco, Texas, claiming 114 lives.

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

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 1985, 56 people died when a flash fire swept a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England.

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: The United States declared Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's Baath Party dead. Lithuania became the first ex-Soviet republic to approve entry into the European Union as voters completed a weekend referendum. Canada beat Sweden 3-2 in Finland to win its first hockey world championship in six years.

Five years ago: Serbia's pro-Western president, Boris Tadic, declared victory in parliamentary elections -- a stunning upset over ultranationalists. Parvati Shallow was the last woman standing on CBS' "Survivor: Micronesia -- Fans vs. Favorites." (Shallow had previously come in sixth place on "Survivor: Cook Islands.")

One year ago: A Chicago jury convicted Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson's former brother-in-law, William Balfour, of murdering her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. (Balfour was later sentenced to life in prison.)

Today's Birthdays: Comedian Mort Sahl is 86. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is 80. Rock singer Eric Burdon (The Animals; War) is 72. Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo is 61. Actress Frances Fisher is 61. Actor Boyd Gaines is 60. Country musician Mark Herndon (Alabama) is 58. Actress Martha Quinn is 54. Country singer-musician Tim Raybon (The Raybon Brothers) is 50. Actor Tim Blake Nelson is 49. Actor Jeffrey Donovan is 45. Country musician Keith West (Heartland) is 45. Actor Nicky Katt is 43. Actor Coby Bell is 38. Cellist Perttu Kivilaakso is 35. Actor-singer Jonathan Jackson is 31. Actor Cory Monteith is 31.

Thought for Today: "Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence falls short." -- Golda Meir, Israeli prime minister (1898-1978).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.