Today in History

Today is Monday, April 29, the 119th day of 2019. There are 246 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 29, 1992, a jury in Simi Valley, California, acquitted four Los Angeles police officers of almost all state charges in the videotaped beating of motorist Rodney King; the verdicts were followed by rioting in Los Angeles resulting in 55 deaths.

On this date:

In 1429, Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a French victory over the English.

In 1861, the Maryland House of Delegates voted 53-13 against seceding from the Union. In Montgomery, Alabama, President Jefferson Davis asked the Confederate Congress for the authority to wage war.

In 1916, the Easter Rising in Dublin collapsed as Irish nationalists surrendered to British authorities.

In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the Dachau concentration camp. Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun inside his "Fuhrerbunker" and designated Adm. Karl Doenitz president.

In 1946, 28 former Japanese officials went on trial in Tokyo as war criminals; seven ended up being sentenced to death.

In 1957, the SM-1, the first military nuclear power plant, was dedicated at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

In 1967, Aretha Franklin's cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" was released as a single by Atlantic Records.

In 1968, the counterculture rock musical "Hair" heralding the "Age of Aquarius" opened at Broadway's Biltmore Theater following limited engagements off-Broadway, beginning a run of 1,750 performances.

In 1991, a cyclone began striking the South Asian country of Bangladesh; it ended up killing more than 138,000 people, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In 2000, Tens of thousands of angry Cuban-Americans marched peacefully through Miami's Little Havana, protesting the raid in which armed federal agents yanked 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez from the home of relatives.

In 2008, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama denounced his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, for what he termed "divisive and destructive" remarks on race.

In 2011, Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton were married in an opulent ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey.

Ten years ago: During a prime-time news conference marking his 100th day in office, President Barack Obama said that waterboarding authorized by former President George W. Bush was torture and that the information it gained from terror suspects could have been obtained by other means. The World Health Organization raised its alert level for swine flu to its next-to-highest notch. Twin car bombs ravaged a popular shopping area in Baghdad's biggest Shiite district, killing at least 51 people.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama ended a four-country swing through Asia and headed for home from the Philippines. Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments he'd made in an audio recording. A botched execution using a disputed new drug combination left Oklahoma death row inmate Clayton Lockett writhing and clenching his teeth on the gurney, leading prison officials to halt the proceedings before his death from a heart attack. British actor Bob Hoskins, 71, died in London.

One year ago: Central Americans who traveled in a caravan to the U.S. border, hoping to turn themselves in and ask for asylum, were stalled at the border as U.S. immigration officials announced that the San Diego crossing was already at capacity. T-Mobile and Sprint reached a $26.5 billion merger agreement that would reduce the U.S. wireless industry to three major players. (The deal is awaiting the approval of federal regulators.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor Keith Baxter is 86. Conductor Zubin Mehta is 83. Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff is 81. Pop singer Bob Miranda (The Happenings) is 77. Country singer Duane Allen (The Oak Ridge Boys) is 76. Singer Tommy James is 72. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., is 69. Movie director Phillip Noyce is 69. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is 65. Actor Leslie Jordan is 64. Actress Kate Mulgrew is 64. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis is 62. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer is 61. Actress Eve Plumb is 61. Rock musician Phil King is 59. Country singer Stephanie Bentley is 56. Actor Vincent Ventresca is 53. Singer Carnie Wilson (Wilson Phillips) is 51. Actor Paul Adelstein is 50. Actress Uma Thurman is 49. International Tennis Hall of Famer Andre Agassi is 49. Rapper Master P is 49. Actor Darby Stanchfield is 48. Country singer James Bonamy is 47. Gospel/rhythm-and-blues singer Erica Campbell (Mary Mary) is 47. Rock musician Mike Hogan (The Cranberries) is 46. Actor Tyler Labine is 41. Actress Megan Boone is 36. Actress-model Taylor Cole is 35. Actor Zane Carney is 34. Pop singer Amy Heidemann (Karmin) is 33. Pop singer Foxes is 30. Actress Grace Kaufman is 17.

Thought for Today: "An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." -- Anatole France, French author and critic (1844-1924).