Today in History

Today in History

Today is Wednesday, April 5, the 95th day of 2017. There are 270 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 5, 1792, President George Washington cast his first veto, rejecting a congressional measure for apportioning representatives among the states.

On this date:

In 1621, the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts on a monthlong return trip to England.

In 1867, the original version of the poem "Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight" was written by 16-year-old Rose Hartwick (later Thorpe) under the title "Bessie and the Curfew."

In 1887, Anne Sullivan achieved a breakthrough as her 6-year-old deaf-blind pupil, Helen Keller, learned the meaning of the word "water" as spelled out in the Manual Alphabet. British historian Lord Acton wrote in a letter, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

In 1915, Jess Willard knocked out Jack Johnson in the 26th round of their fight in Havana, Cuba, to claim boxing's world heavyweight title.

In 1925, a tornado estimated at F-3 intensity struck northern Miami-Dade County, Florida, killing five people.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Civilian Conservation Corps and an anti-hoarding order that effectively prohibited private ownership of gold.

In 1955, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill resigned his office for health reasons. Democrat Richard J. Daley was first elected mayor of Chicago, defeating Republican Robert E. Merriam.

In 1964, Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur died in Washington, D.C., at age 84.

In 1976, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes died in Houston at age 70.

In 1986, two American servicemen and a Turkish woman were killed in the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque, an incident which prompted a U.S. air raid on Libya more than a week later.

In 1987, Fox Broadcasting Co. made its prime-time TV debut by airing the situation comedy "Married with Children" followed by "The Tracey Ullman Show," then repeating both premiere episodes two more times in the same evening.

In 1997, Allen Ginsberg, the counterculture guru who shattered conventions as poet laureate of the Beat Generation, died in New York City at age 70.

Ten years ago: A Greek cruise ship, the Sea Diamond, sank off an Aegean Sea island, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,600 people; two French tourists went missing and were presumed to have drowned. FBI Special Agent Barry Lee Bush was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow agent as a stakeout team closed in on three suspected bank robbers in Readington, New Jersey. Darryl Stingley, a former New England Patriots player paralyzed during an on-field collision in 1978, died in Chicago at age 55.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama signed bipartisan jobs legislation intended to help small businesses and make it easier for startups to raise capital. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, 76, grandson of the automaker's founder and developer of the Porsche 911, died in Salzburg, Austria. Guitar amplifying pioneer Jim Marshall, 88, died in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Barney McKenna, 72, the last original member of the Irish folk band The Dubliners, died in Dublin.

One year ago: The leak of millions of records on offshore accounts claimed its first high-profile political casualty as Iceland's prime minister, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, stepped aside. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a law allowing religious groups and private businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people. R&B singer-songwriter Leon Haywood, 74, died in Los Angeles. UConn won an unprecedented fourth straight women's national championship, capping another perfect season by routing Syracuse 82-51.

Today's Birthdays: Movie producer Roger Corman is 91. Former U.S. Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell is 80. Country singer Tommy Cash is 77. Actor Michael Moriarty is 76. Pop singer Allan Clarke (The Hollies) is 75. Writer-director Peter Greenaway is 75. Actor Max Gail is 74. Actress Jane Asher is 71. Singer Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA) is 67. Actor Mitch Pileggi is 65. Singer-songwriter Peter Case is 63. Rock musician Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) is 51. Country singer Troy Gentry is 50. Singer Paula Cole is 49. Actress Krista Allen is 46. Country singer Pat Green is 45. Rapper-producer Pharrell Williams is 44. Rapper/producer Juicy J is 42. Actor Sterling K. Brown is 41. Country singer-musician Mike Eli (The Eli Young Band) is 36. Actress Hayley Atwell is 35. Actress Lily James is 28.

Thought for Today: "I know too much and not enough." -- Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997).