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This Week in History for April 11-17

By The Associated Press - | Apr 10, 2021

Security personnel patrol near Norris Hall the site a shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, April 16, 2007. (AP Photo/Don Petersen)

Today is Sunday, April 11, the 101st day of 2021. There are 264 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History

On April 11, 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany.

Montreal Expos Pete Rose watches the ball as he heads for first base in the 4th inning of a game with the Philadelphia Phillies, in Montreal, Canada, on April 13, 1984. The double off Phillies' pitcher Jerry Koosman was the 4,000th career hit for Rose. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy) (AP Photo)

On this date

In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as Emperor of the French and was banished to the island of Elba. (Napoleon later escaped from Elba and returned to power in March 1815, until his downfall in the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.)

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln spoke to a crowd outside the White House, saying, “We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart.” (It was the last public address Lincoln would deliver.)

In 1899, the treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect.

In 1921, Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax, at 2 cents a package.

Ethel Kennedy, center, widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy who was assassinated during his 1968 presidential campaign, is joined by labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, left, and civil rights leader, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., right, during the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 5, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In 1947, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers played in an exhibition against the New York Yankees at Ebbets Field, four days before his regular-season debut that broke baseball’s color line. (The Dodgers won, 14-6.)

In 1953, Oveta Culp Hobby became the first Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

In 1961, former SS officer Adolf Eichmann went on trial in Israel, charged with crimes against humanity for his role in the Nazi Holocaust. (Eichmann was convicted and executed.)

In 1965, dozens of tornadoes raked six Midwestern states on Palm Sunday, killing 271 people.

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which included the Fair Housing Act, a week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The statue of President Abraham Lincoln is seen at the Lincoln Memorial, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In 1970, Apollo 13, with astronauts James A. Lovell, Fred W. Haise and Jack Swigert, blasted off on its ill-fated mission to the moon. (The mission was aborted when an oxygen tank exploded April 13. The crew splashed down safely four days after the explosion.)

In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued regulations specifically prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors.

In 1996, 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff, who hoped to become the youngest person to fly cross-country, was killed along with her father and flight instructor when their plane crashed after takeoff from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Ten years ago: A bloody, four-month standoff in the West African nation of Ivory Coast ended when troops loyal to the elected president, Alassane Ouattara (ah-lah-SAHN’ WAH’-tah-rah), routed and captured his rival, Laurent Gbagbo (loh-RAHN’ BAHG’-boh), the longtime strongman who’d lost the vote but refused to give up power. A subway bombing in Minsk, Belarus, claimed 15 lives.

Five years ago: Secretary of State John Kerry visited the memorial to Hiroshima’s atomic bombing, delivering a message of peace and hope for a nuclear-free world.

One year ago: The number of U.S. deaths from the coronavirus eclipsed Italy’s for the highest in the world, topping 20,000. On the day before Easter, the Kansas Supreme Court allowed an executive order from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to remain in effect; it banned religious and funeral services of more than 10 people during the pandemic. A federal judge in Kentucky ruled that the city of Louisville could not halt a church’s drive-in service planned for Easter. Saturday Night Live made its return on NBC after being sidelined for more than a month by the coronavirus; the all-quarantine version, hosted by coronavirus survivor Tom Hanks, featured stars delivering taped material from their homes.

Today’s Birthdays: Ethel Kennedy is 93. Actor Joel Grey is 89. Actor Louise Lasser is 82. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Ellen Goodman is 80. Movie writer-director John Milius is 77. Actor Peter Riegert is 74. Movie director Carl Franklin is 72. Actor Bill Irwin is 71. Country singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale is 64. Songwriter-producer Daryl Simmons is 64. Rock musician Nigel Pulsford is 60. Actor Lucky Vanous is 60. Country singer Steve Azar is 57. Singer Lisa Stansfield is 55. Actor Johnny Messner is 52. Rock musician Dylan Keefe (Marcy Playground) is 51. Actor Vicellous (vy-SAY’-luhs) Shannon is 50. Rapper David Banner is 47. Actor Tricia Helfer is 47. Rock musician Chris Gaylor (The All-American Rejects) is 42. Actor Kelli Garner is 37. Singer Joss Stone is 34. Actor-dancer Kaitlyn Jenkins is 29.

APRIL 12

On April 12, 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, at age 63; he was succeeded by Vice President Harry S. Truman.

In 1877, the catcher’s mask was first used in a baseball game by James Tyng of Harvard in a game against the Lynn Live Oaks.

In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the earth once before making a safe landing.

APRIL 13

On April 13, 1970, Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen burst. (The astronauts managed to return safely.)

In 1613, Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, was captured by English Capt. Samuel Argall in the Virginia Colony. (During a yearlong captivity, Pocahontas converted to Christianity and ultimately opted to stay with the English.)

APRIL 14

On April 14, 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. ship’s time and began sinking. (The ship went under two hours and 40 minutes later with the loss of 1,514 lives.)

In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster’s “American Dictionary of the English Language” was published.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater in Washington.

APRIL 15

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, baseball’s first Black major league player, made his official debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field. (The Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves, 5-3.)

In 1452, artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci was born in or near the Tuscan town of Vinci.

In 1850, the city of San Francisco was incorporated.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln died nine hours after being shot the night before by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington; Andrew Johnson became the nation’s 17th president.

APRIL 16

On April 16, 2007, in one of America’s worst school attacks, a college senior killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech before taking his own life.

In 1789, President-elect George Washington left Mount Vernon, Virginia, for his inauguration in New York.

In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the moon with astronauts John W. Young, Charles M. Duke Jr. and Ken Mattingly on board.

APRIL 17

In 1492, a contract was signed by Christopher Columbus and a representative of Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.

In 1969, a jury in Los Angeles convicted Sirhan Sirhan of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

In 1972, the Boston Marathon allowed women to compete for the first time; Nina Kuscsik was the first officially recognized women’s champion, with a time of 3:10:26.

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