Today in History

Today is Wednesday, April 23, the 113th day of 2014. There are 252 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 23, 1914, Chicago's Wrigley Field, then called Weeghman Park, hosted its first major league game as the Chicago Federals defeated the Kansas City Packers 9-1.

On this date:

In 1014, the Battle of Clontarf took place near Dublin as forces loyal to Brian Boru, High King of the Irish, defeated an army led by the King of Leinster with heavy losses on both sides, including Brian, who was killed.

In 1616, English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare, 52, died on what has been traditionally regarded as the anniversary of his birth in 1564.

In 1789, President-elect George Washington and his wife, Martha, moved into the first executive mansion, the Franklin House, in New York.

In 1791, the 15th president of the United States, James Buchanan, was born in Franklin County, Pa.

In 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt delivered his famous "Man in the Arena" speech at the Sorbonne in Paris.

In 1940, about 200 people died in the Rhythm Night Club Fire in Natchez, Miss.

In 1943, U.S. Navy Lt. (jg) John F. Kennedy assumed command of PT-109, a motor torpedo boat, in the Solomon Islands during World War II. (On Aug. 2, 1943, PT-109 was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, killing two crew members; Kennedy and 10 others survived.)

In 1954, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first of his 755 major-league home runs in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. (The Braves won, 7-5.)

In 1969, Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for assassinating New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. (The sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment.)

In 1988, a federal ban on smoking during domestic airline flights of two hours or less went into effect.

In 1993, labor leader Cesar Chavez died in San Luis, Ariz., at age 66.

In 2007, Boris Yeltsin, the first freely elected Russian president, died in Moscow at age 76.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush eased Reagan-era sanctions against Libya in return for Moammar Gadhafi's giving up weapons of mass destruction. South African President Thabo Mbeki was elected unopposed for a second term.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama met privately with leading executives of credit-card issuing companies; afterward, the president said he was determined to get a credit-card law passed that eliminated the tricky fine print, sudden rate increases and late fees.

One year ago: A car bomb exploded outside the French Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, wounding three people and partially setting the building on fire. France legalized same-sex marriage after a wrenching national debate that exposed deep conservatism in the nation's heartland and triggered huge demonstrations.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Alan Oppenheimer is 84. Actor David Birney is 75. Actor Lee Majors is 75. Hockey Hall of Famer Tony Esposito is 71. Irish nationalist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey is 67. Actress Blair Brown is 66. Writer-director Paul Brickman is 65. Actress Joyce DeWitt is 65. Actor James Russo is 61. Filmmaker-author Michael Moore is 60. Actress Judy Davis is 59. Actress Jan Hooks is 57. Actress Valerie Bertinelli is 54. Actor Craig Sheffer is 54. Actor-comedian-talk show host George Lopez is 53. Rock musician Gen is 50. U.S. Olympic gold medal skier Donna Weinbrecht is 49. Actress Melina Kanakaredes is 47. Rock musician Stan Frazier (Sugar Ray) is 46. Country musician Tim Womack (Sons of the Desert) is 46. Actor Scott Bairstow is 44. Actor-writer John Lutz (TV: "30 Rock"; "Saturday Night Live") is 41. Actor Barry Watson is 40. Rock musician Aaron Dessner (The National) is 38. Rock musician Bryce Dessner (The National) is 38. Actor-writer-comedian John Oliver is 37. Actor Kal Penn is 37. MLB All-Star Andruw Jones is 37. Actress Jaime King is 35. Pop singer Taio Cruz is 31. Actor Aaron Hill is 31. Actress Rachel Skarsten is 29. Tennis player Nicole Vaidisova (vay-deh-SOH'-vuh) is 25. Actor Dev Patel is 24. Actor Matthew Underwood is 24. Actor Camryn Walling is 24.

Thought for Today: "Curiosity is insubordination in its purest form." -- Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born author (1899-1977).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.