Thursday, April 28, 2005

Thursday, April 28

This Day In History

  • 1758   James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, was born in Virginia.
  • 1788   Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
  • 1789   The crew of the British ship Bounty mutineed, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific.
  • 1932   A vaccine against yellow fever was announced this day.
  • 1937   Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was born near the desert town of Tikrit.
  • 1945   Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed.
  • 1952   War with Japan officially ended as a treaty that had been signed by the United States and 47 other countries took effect.
  • 1959   Arthur Godfrey was seen for the last time in the final telecast of "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends" on CBS-TV. The show had been a part of the CBS lineup for 10 years. We remember the Little Godfreys: Tony Marvin (announcer), singers Carmel Quinn, Lou Ann Sims, Frank Parker, Janette Davis, Marion Marlowe and Julius LaRosa. ?Howaya, Howaya, Howaya.?
  • 1967   Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army.
  • 1969   French President Charles de Gaulle resigned.
  • 1980   President Jimmy Carter accepted the resignation of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who had opposed the failed rescue mission aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran.
  • 1990   The musical ''A Chorus Line'' closed after 6,137 performances on Broadway.
  • 1992   The Agriculture Department unveiled a pyramid-shaped recommended-diet chart.
  • 1994   Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had betrayed U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
  • 1996   President Clinton gave 4 1/2 hours of videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.
  • 1999   The House rejected on a tie vote of 213-213 a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign against Yugoslavia. The House also voted to limit the president's authority to use ground forces in Yugoslavia.
  • 2001   A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito, and two cosmonauts on a journey to the international space station.
  • 1789   There truly was mutiny on the "Bounty". A rebel crew took over the British ship and set sail to Pitcairn Island. A popular book about the event has been passed down generation to generation as one of the classic works of literature.
Happy Birthday To
  • 1758   James Monroe (5th U.S. President [1817-1825]; married to Elizabeth Kortright [one son, two daughters]; nickname: The Last Cocked Hat; died July 4, 1831)
  • 1878   Lionel Barrymore (Blythe) (Academy Award-winning actor: A Free Soul [1930-31]; Camille, Captains Courageous, Duel in the Sun, It?s a Wonderful Life, Key Largo, The Little Colonel; died Nov 15, 1954)
  • 1941   Ann-Margret (Olsson) (actress: Carnal Knowledge, Tommy, Viva Las Vegas, Grumpy Old Men, Grumpier Old Men, Bye, Bye, Birdie, Scarlett; singer: I Just Don?t Understand)
  • 1950   Jay Leno (comedian, TV talk show host: The Tonight Show)

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