Today in History
Today is Sunday, April 23, the 113th day of 2017. There are 252 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 23, 1789,
President-elect George Washington and his wife, Martha, moved into the
first executive mansion, the Franklin House, in New York. On this date:
In 1016, Aethelred II "The Unready," King of the English, died in
London after 38 years on the throne. In 1616 (Old Style calendar),
English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare died in
Stratford-upon-Avon on what has traditionally been regarded as the 52nd
anniversary of his birth in 1564. In 1791, the 15th president of the
United States, James Buchanan, was born in Franklin County,
Pennsylvania. In 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt delivered
his "Man in the Arena" speech at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1935, Poland
adopted a constitution which gave new powers to the presidency. In
1940, about 200 people died in the Rhythm Night Club Fire in Natchez,
Mississippi. In 1954, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first
of his 755 major-league home runs in a game against the St. Louis
Cardinals. (The Braves won, 7-5.) In 1969, Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced
to death for assassinating New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. (The
sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment.) In 1971, hundreds of
Vietnam War veterans opposed to the conflict protested by tossing their
medals and ribbons over a wire fence in front of the U.S. Capitol. In
1987, 28 construction workers were killed when an apartment complex
being built in Bridgeport, Connecticut, suddenly collapsed. In 1992,
McDonald's opened its first fast-food restaurant in the Chinese capital
of Beijing. In 2005, the recently created video-sharing website YouTube
uploaded its first clip, "Me at the Zoo," which showed YouTube
co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of an elephant enclosure at
the San Diego Zoo. Ten years ago: Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first freely
elected president, died in Moscow at age 76. Congressional Democratic
leaders agreed on legislation requiring the first U.S. combat troops to
be withdrawn from Iraq by Oct. 1, 2007, with a goal of a complete
pullout six months later; President George W. Bush pledged to veto such
a measure. Classes at Virginia Tech resumed one week after the killings
of 32 victims by a suicidal gunman. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
and author David Halberstam died in a car crash in Menlo Park,
California, at age 73. Five years ago: Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson
broke down in tears while testifying at the Chicago trial of William
Balfour, the man accused of killing her mother, brother and 7-year-old
nephew in a jealous rage in 2008. (Balfour was convicted of
first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.) The government
reported that Social Security was rushing even faster toward
insolvency, with its trust funds expected to run dry in 2033, three
years earlier than previously projected. One year ago: A confident
Donald Trump told supporters in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that he was
not changing his pitch to voters, a day after his chief adviser assured
Republican officials their party's front-runner would show more
restraint while campaigning. Britain marked the 400th anniversary of
the death of William Shakespeare with parades, church services and
stage performances; President Barack Obama took a break from political
talks in London to tour the Globe Theatre, a re-creation of the venue
where many of the Bard's plays were first performed. Today's Birthdays:
Actor Alan Oppenheimer is 87. Actor David Birney is 78. Actor Lee
Majors is 78. Hockey Hall of Famer Tony Esposito is 74. Irish
nationalist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey is 70. Actress Blair Brown is
70. Writer-director Paul Brickman is 68. Actress Joyce DeWitt is 68.
Actor James Russo is 64. Filmmaker-author Michael Moore is 63. Actress
Judy Davis is 62. Actress Valerie Bertinelli is 57. Actor Craig Sheffer
is 57. Actor-comedian-talk show host George Lopez is 56. Rock musician
Gen is 53. U.S. Olympic gold medal skier Donna Weinbrecht is 52.
Actress Melina Kanakaredes (kah-nah-KAH'-ree-deez) is 50. Rock musician
Stan Frazier (Sugar Ray) is 49. Country musician Tim Womack (Sons of
the Desert) is 49. Actor Scott Bairstow (BEHR'-stow) is 47.
Actor-writer John Lutz is 44. Actor Barry Watson is 43. Rock musician
Aaron Dessner (The National) is 41. Rock musician Bryce Dessner (The
National) is 41. Professional wrestler/actor John Cena is 40.
Actor-writer-comedian John Oliver is 40. Actor Kal Penn is 40. MLB
All-Star Andruw Jones is 40. Actress Jaime King is 38. Pop singer Taio
(TY'-oh) Cruz is 34. Actor Aaron Hill is 34. Actor Jesse Lee Soffer is
33. Actress Rachel Skarsten is 32. Singer-songwriter John Fullbright is
29. Tennis player Nicole Vaidisova (vay-deh-SOH'-vuh) is 28. Actor Dev
Patel (puh-TEHL') is 27. Actor Matthew Underwood is 27. Actor Camryn
Walling is 27. Model Gigi Hadid is 22. Thought for Today: "The fool
doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
From "As You Like It," by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
