Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, April 10, the 101st day of 2020. There are 265 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 10, 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage.

On this date:

In 1815, the Mount Tambora volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa exploded in one of the largest eruptions in recorded history, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.

In 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a day after surrendering the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, said farewell to his men, praising them for their "unsurpassed courage and fortitude."

In 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America was founded in New York.

In 1925, the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel "The Great Gatsby" was first published by Scribner's of New York.

In 1932, German President Paul Von Hindenburg was reelected in a runoff, with Adolf Hitler coming in second.

In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals.

In 1966, English author Evelyn Waugh, 62, died in Combe Florey, Somerset, England.

In 1968, "In the Heat of the Night" won best picture of 1967 at the 40th Academy Awards; one of its stars, Rod Steiger, was named best actor while Katharine Hepburn was honored as best actress for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."

In 1971, a table tennis team from the United States arrived in China at the invitation of the communist government for a goodwill visit that came to be known as "ping-pong diplomacy."

In 1981, imprisoned IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands was declared the winner of a by-election to the British Parliament.

In 1998, the Northern Ireland peace talks concluded as negotiators reached a landmark settlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks.

In 2005, Tiger Woods won his fourth Masters with a spectacular finish of birdies and bogeys.

Ten years ago: Polish President Lech Kaczynski, 60, was killed in a plane crash in western Russia that also claimed the lives of his wife and top Polish political, military and church officials. "Designing Women" co-star Dixie Carter, 70, died in Houston.

Five years ago: During the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee, a succession of potential Republican presidential rivals slung criticism and cracked jokes about Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was expected to announce her White House candidacy. The Apple Watch made its debut.

One year ago: Holden Matthews, the white son of a sheriff's deputy, was arrested in connection with a string of fires that destroyed three black churches in rural Louisiana; authorities said his father helped arrange for his arrest. (Matthews pleaded guilty to federal and state criminal charges in February; sentencing is set for May.) Scientists released the first image ever made of a black hole, revealing a fiery, doughnut-shaped object in a galaxy 53 million light-years from earth.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Liz Sheridan is 91. Football Hall of Famer John Madden is 84. Reggae artist Bunny Wailer is 73. Actor Steven Seagal is 68. Folk-pop singer Terre Roche (The Roches) is 67. Actor Peter MacNicol is 66. Actress Olivia Brown is 63. Rock musician Steven Gustafson (10,000 Maniacs) is 63. Singer-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds is 62. Rock singer-musician Brian Setzer is 61. Rock singer Katrina Leskanich is 60. Actor Jeb Adams is 59. Olympic gold medal speedskater Cathy Turner is 58. Rock musician Tim "Herb" Alexander is 55. R-and-B singer Kenny Lattimore is 53. Actor-comedian Orlando Jones is 52. Rock musician Mike Mushok (Staind) is 51. Rapper Q-Tip (AKA Kamaal) is 50. Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is 45. Actor David Harbour is 45. Blues singer Shemekia Copeland is 41. Actress Laura Bell Bundy is 39. Actor Harry Hadden-Paton is 39. Actress Chyler Leigh is 38. Pop musician Andrew Dost (fun.) is 37. Actor Ryan Merriman is 37. Singer Mandy Moore is 36. Actor Barkhad Abdi is 35. Actress Shay Mitchell is 33. Actor Haley Joel Osment is 32. Actress Molly Bernard (TV: "Younger") is 32. Country singer Maren Morris is 30. Actor Alex Pettyfer is 30. Actress-singer AJ (AKA Amanda) Michalka is 29. Actress Daisy Ridley is 28. Singer-actress Sofia Carson is 27. Actress Audrey Whitby is 24. Actress Ruby Jerins is 22.

Thought for Today: "Your actions, and your actions alone, determine your worth." - Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966).

Copyright 2020, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.