Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, April 11, the 101st day of 2017. There are 264 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On April 11, 1947, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers played in an exhibition against the New York Yankees at Ebbets Field, four days before his regular-season debut that broke baseball's color line. (The Dodgers won, 14-6.) "Monsieur Verdoux," Charlie Chaplin's dark comedy about a Bluebeard-like figure, received a hostile reception at its premiere in New York.

On this date:

In 1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain.

In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht was signed, ending the War of the Spanish Succession.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln spoke to a crowd outside the White House, saying, "We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart." (It was the last public address Lincoln would deliver.)

In 1921, Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax, at 2 cents a package.

In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany.

In 1951, President Harry S. Truman relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur of his commands in the Far East.

In 1965, dozens of tornadoes raked six Midwestern states on Palm Sunday, killing 271 people.

In 1970, Apollo 13, with astronauts James A. Lovell, Fred W. Haise and Jack Swigert, blasted off on its ill-fated mission to the moon.

In 1979, Idi Amin was deposed as president of Uganda as rebels and exiles backed by Tanzanian forces seized control.

In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued regulations specifically prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from the hospital, 12 days after he was wounded in an assassination attempt. Race-related rioting erupted in the Brixton district of south London.

In 1996, 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff, who'd hoped to become the youngest person to fly cross-country, was killed along with her father and flight instructor when her plane crashed after takeoff from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Ten years ago: North Carolina's top prosecutor dropped all charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a party, saying the athletes were innocent victims of a "tragic rush to accuse." MSNBC announced it was dropping its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage over host Don Imus' on-air reference to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." (CBS Radio followed suit the next day.) Death claimed author Kurt Vonnegut in New York at age 84 and actor Roscoe Lee Browne in Los Angeles at age 84.

Five years ago: George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. (He was acquitted at trial.) A California prison panel denied parole to mass murderer Charles Manson in his 12th bid for freedom. A University of California task force said that UC Davis police should not have used pepper-spray on student demonstrators in an incident that prompted national outrage. Algeria's first president, Ahmed Ben Bella, 95, died in Algiers.

One year ago: Secretary of State John Kerry visited the memorial to Hiroshima's atomic bombing, delivering a message of peace and hope for a nuclear-free world. Nationally syndicated radio host Doug Banks, a longtime fixture in Chicago radio and television, died at 57.

Today's Birthdays: Ethel Kennedy is 89. Actor Joel Grey is 85. Actress Louise Lasser is 78. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Ellen Goodman is 76. Movie writer-director John Milius is 73. Actor Peter Riegert is 70. Movie director Carl Franklin is 68. Actor Bill Irwin is 67. Country singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale is 60. Songwriter-producer Daryl Simmons is 60. Rock musician Nigel Pulsford is 56. Actor Lucky Vanous is 56. Country singer Steve Azar is 53. Singer Lisa Stansfield is 51. Rock musician Dylan Keefe (Marcy Playground) is 47. Actor Johnny Messner is 47. Actor Vicellous Shannon is 46. Rapper David Banner is 43. Actress Tricia Helfer is 43. Rock musician Chris Gaylor (The All-American Rejects) is 38. Actress Kelli Garner is 33. Singer Joss Stone is 30. Actress-dancer Kaitlyn Jenkins is 25.

Thought for Today: "We think in generalities, but we live in detail." -- Alfred North Whitehead, British philosopher (1861-1947).