Today in History

Today is Thursday, April 28, the 119th day of 2016. There are 247 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 28, 1996, a man armed with a semiautomatic rifle went on a rampage on the Australian island of Tasmania, killing 35 people; Martin Bryant was captured by police after a 12-hour standoff at a guest cottage. (Bryant is serving a life prison sentence.)

On this date:

In 1758, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

In 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.

In 1789, there was a mutiny on the HMS Bounty as rebelling crew members of the British ship, led by Fletcher Christian, set the captain, William Bligh, and 18 others adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. (Bligh and most of the men with him reached Timor in 47 days.)

In 1817, the United States and Britain signed the Rush-Bagot Treaty, which limited the number of naval vessels allowed in the Great Lakes.

In 1918, Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and the archduke's wife, Sophie, died in prison of tuberculosis.

In 1925, the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts, which gave rise to the term "Art Deco," began a six-month run in Paris.

In 1945, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country.

In 1952, war with Japan officially ended as a treaty signed in San Francisco the year before took effect. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Supreme Allied commander in Europe; he was succeeded by Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway.

In 1967, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army, the same day U.S. Army Gen. William C. Westmoreland told Congress the U.S. "would prevail in Vietnam."

In 1974, a federal jury in New York acquitted former Attorney General John Mitchell and former Commerce Secretary Maurice H. Stans of charges in connection with a secret $200,000 contribution to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign from financier Robert Vesco.

In 1988, a flight attendant was killed and more than 60 persons injured when part of the roof of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 tore off during a flight from Hilo (HEE'-loh) to Honolulu.

In 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.

Ten years ago: Storms battered eastern Texas with wind up to 100 miles-an-hour and hail the size of baseballs. Attorneys for Rush Limbaugh, who'd been accused by Florida prosecutors of "doctor shopping" for painkillers, announced a deal under which a single prescription fraud charge against the talk show host would be dismissed after 18 months provided he stay drug-free and didn't violate any laws. Ellen DeGeneres swept the Daytime Emmy awards, winning best talk show host for the second time and earning talk show honors for the third consecutive year.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama reshuffled his national security team, with CIA Director Leon Panetta succeeding Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus replacing Panetta at the CIA. Convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping a California girl, Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted in 1991 at the age of 11 and rescued 18 years later. (Phillip Garrido was sentenced to 431 years to life in prison; Nancy Garrido was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison.) Canada's Patrick Chan won the world figure skating championships in Moscow.

One year ago: Urging Americans to "do some soul-searching," President Barack Obama expressed deep frustration over recurring black deaths at the hands of police, rioters who responded with senseless violence and a society that would only "feign concern" without addressing the root causes. Nigerian troops rescued nearly 300 girls and women during an offensive against Boko Haram militants in the northeast Sambia forest; those rescued did not include any of the schoolgirls kidnapped a year earlier from Chibok. Jack Ely, the singer known for "Louie Louie," the low-budget recording that became one the most famous songs of the 20th century, died in Redmond, Oregon, at age 71.

Today's Birthdays: Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III is 86. Actor Frank Vincent is 79. Actress-singer Ann-Margret is 75. Actor Paul Guilfoyle is 67. Former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is 66. Rock musician Chuck Leavell is 64. Actress Mary McDonnell is 63. Rock singer-musician Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) is 63. Actress Nancy Lee Grahn is 60. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan is 56. Rapper Too Short is 50. Actress Simbi Khali is 45. Actress Bridget Moynahan is 45. Actor Chris Young is 45. Rapper Big Gipp is 43. Actor Jorge Garcia is 43. Actress Elisabeth Rohm is 43. Actress Penelope Cruz is 42. Actor Nate Richert is 38. Actress Jessica Alba is 35. Actor Harry Shum Jr. is 34. Actress Jenna Ushkowitz is 30. Actress Aleisha Allen is 25.

Thought for Today: "We have two lives... the one we learn with and the life we live with after that." -- Bernard Malamud, American author (1914-1986).