Today in History

Today is Friday, April 8, the 99th day of 2016. There are 267 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth's record.

On this date:

In 1820, the Venus de Milo statue was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of Milos.

In 1864, the United States Senate passed, 38-6, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in Jan. 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted in Dec. 1865.)

In 1904, Longacre Square in Manhattan was renamed Times Square after The New York Times.

In 1913, the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for popular election of United States senators (as opposed to appointment by state legislatures), was ratified. President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act, which provided money for programs such as the Works Progress Administration.

In 1946, the League of Nations assembled in Geneva for its final session.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman seized the American steel industry to avert a nationwide strike. (The Supreme Court later ruled that Truman had overstepped his authority, opening the way for a seven-week strike by steelworkers.)

In 1961, a suspected bomb exploded aboard the passenger liner MV Dara in the Persian Gulf, causing it to sink; 238 of the 819 people aboard were killed.

In 1973, artist Pablo Picasso died in Mougins, France, at age 91.

In 1981, General of the Army Omar N. Bradley died in New York at age 88.

In 1990, Ryan White, the teenage AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance had gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18. The cult TV series "Twin Peaks" premiered on ABC.

In 1994, Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist for the grunge band Nirvana, was found dead in Seattle from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound; he was 27.

Ten years ago: The Rolling Stones made their debut in mainland China with a censored -- but still raucous -- concert in Shanghai. Harley-Davidson Inc. opened its first dealership in China. Eight members of the Toronto chapter of the Bandidos biker gang were found dead in a remote wooded area of a farmer's property in Shedden, Ontario, Canada; six Bandidos from Winnipeg were convicted in 2009 of murdering them.

Five years ago: Congressional and White House negotiators struck a last-minute budget deal ahead of a midnight deadline, averting an embarrassing federal shutdown and cutting billions in spending.

One year ago: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted by a federal jury on all 30 charges against him in the Boston Marathon bombing and found him responsible for the deaths of the three people killed in the 2013 attack and the killing of an MIT police officer three days later. (He was sentenced to death the following month.)

Today's Birthdays: Comedian Shecky Greene is 90. Actor-turned-diplomat John Gavin is 85. Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh is 79. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is 78. Basketball Hall-of-Famer John Havlicek is 76. "Mouseketeer" Darlene Gillespie is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer J.J. Jackson is 75. Singer Peggy Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 75. Songwriter-producer Leon Huff is 74. Actor Hywel Bennett is 72. Actor Stuart Pankin is 70. Rock musician Steve Howe is 69. Former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay is 69. Movie director John Madden is 67. Rock musician Mel Schacher (Grand Funk Railroad) is 65. Actor John Schneider is 56. "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch is 55. Rock musician Izzy Stradlin is 54. Singer Julian Lennon is 53. Actor Dean Norris is 53. Rock singer-musician Donita Sparks is 53. Rapper Biz Markie is 52. Actress Robin Wright is 50. Actress Patricia Arquette is 48. Rock singer Craig Honeycutt (Everything) is 46. Rock musician Darren Jessee is 45. Actress Emma Caulfield is 43. Actress Katee Sackhoff is 36. Actor Taylor Kitsch is 35. Rock singer-musician Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) is 32. Actor Taran Noah Smith is 32. Actress Kirsten Storms is 32. Rock musician Jamie Sierota (Echosmith) is 23. Actress Sadie Calvano is 19.

Thought for Today: "The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." -- Gen. Omar N. Bradley (1893-1981).

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