Today in History

Today is Saturday, April 28, the 118th day of 2018. There are 247 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 28, 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.

On this date:

In 1758, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

In 1789, there was a mutiny on the HMS Bounty as rebelling crew members of the British ship, led by Fletcher Christian, set the captain, William Bligh, and 18 others adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. (Bligh and most of the men with him reached Timor in 47 days.)

In 1918, Gavrilo Princip, 23, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and the archduke's wife, Sophie, died in prison of tuberculosis.

In 1925, the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts, which gave rise to the term "Art Deco," began a six-month run in Paris.

In 1940, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded "Pennsylvania 6-5000" for RCA Victor.

In 1945, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country.

In 1958, the United States conducted the first of 35 nuclear test explosions in the Pacific Proving Ground as part of Operation Hardtack I. Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, began a goodwill tour of Latin America that was marred by hostile mobs in Lima, Peru, and Caracas, Venezuela.

In 1967, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title after he refused to be inducted into the armed forces. U.S. Army Gen. William C. Westmoreland told Congress that "backed at home by resolve, confidence, patience, determination and continued support, we will prevail in Vietnam over communist aggression."

In 1974, former Attorney General John Mitchell and former Commerce Secretary Maurice H. Stans, accused of attempting to interfere in a Securities and Exchange Commission probe of financier Robert Vesco in exchange for a $200,000 contribution to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign, were acquitted of all charges by a federal jury in New York.

In 1988, a flight attendant was killed and more than 60 persons injured when part of the roof of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 tore off during a flight from Hilo to Honolulu.

In 1993, the first "Take Our Daughters to Work Day," promoted by the New York-based Ms. Foundation, was held in an attempt to boost the self-esteem of girls by having them visit a parent's place of work. (The event was later expanded to include sons.)

In 1996, a man armed with a semiautomatic rifle went on a rampage on the Australian island of Tasmania, killing 35 people; the gunman was captured after a 12-hour standoff at a guest cottage, and is now serving a life prison sentence.

Ten years ago: The first tax rebates were direct-deposited into bank accounts from a $168 billion stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush. In a defiant appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, Democrat Barack Obama's longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, said criticism surrounding his fiery sermons was an attack on black churches, and he rejected those who labeled him unpatriotic.

Five years ago: Mohammed Sohel Rana, the fugitive owner of an illegally constructed building in Bangladesh that collapsed and killed more than 1,100 people, was captured by a commando force as he tried to flee into India.

One year ago: President Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for gun rights, telling attendees of a National Rifle Association convention in Atlanta that "the eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end." Pope Francis demanded that Egypt's Muslim leaders teach a rejection of violence in God's name during a delicate visit to the Arab world's most populous country, and he strongly backed its uncompromising crackdown on political Islam and militancy.

Today's Birthdays: Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III is 88. Actress-singer Ann-Margret is 77. Actor Paul Guilfoyle is 69. Former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is 68. Rock musician Chuck Leavell is 66. Actress Mary McDonnell is 66. Rock singer-musician Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) is 65. Actress Nancy Lee Grahn is 62. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan is 58. Rapper Too Short is 52. Actress Bridget Moynahan is 47. Actor Chris Young is 47. Rapper Big Gipp is 45. Actor Jorge Garcia is 45. Actress Elisabeth Rohm is 45. Actress Penelope Cruz is 44. Actor Nate Richert is 40. TV personalities Drew and Jonathan Scott are 40. Actress Jessica Alba is 37. Actor Harry Shum Jr. is 36. Actress Jenna Ushkowitz is 32. Actress Aleisha Allen is 27.

Thought for Today: "If youth only had a chance or old age any brains." -- Stephen Leacock, Canadian humorist-educator (1869-1944).