Today in History

Today is Sunday, April 7, the 97th day of 2013. There are 268 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 7, 1953, the U.N. General Assembly ratified Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden as the new secretary-general, succeeding Trygve Lie of Norway.

On this date:

In 1788, an expedition led by Gen. Rufus Putnam established a settlement at present-day Marietta, Ohio.

In 1798, the Mississippi Territory was created by an act of Congress, with Natchez as the capital.

In 1862, Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.

In 1922, the Teapot Dome scandal began as Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall signed a secret deal to lease U.S. Navy petroleum reserves to his friends, oilmen Harry F. Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny.

In 1927, the image and voice of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover were transmitted live from Washington to New York in the first successful long-distance demonstration of television.

In 1939, Italy invaded Albania, which was annexed less than a week later.

In 1949, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "South Pacific" opened on Broadway.

In 1959, a referendum in Oklahoma repealed the state's ban on alcoholic beverages.

In 1966, the U.S. Navy recovered a hydrogen bomb that the U.S. Air Force had lost in the Mediterranean Sea off Spain following a B-52 crash.

In 1969, the Supreme Court, in Stanley v. Georgia, unanimously struck down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced he was deferring development of the neutron bomb, a high-radiation weapon.

In 1983, space shuttle astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson went on the first U.S. spacewalk in almost a decade as they worked in the open cargo bay of Challenger for nearly four hours.

Ten years ago: U.S. troops in more than 100 U.S. armored vehicles rumbled through downtown Baghdad, seizing one of Saddam Hussein's opulent palaces and toppling a 40-foot statue of the Iraqi ruler. The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a 50-year-old Virginia law making it a crime to burn a cross as an act of intimidation. The Boston Globe won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for public service for its coverage of the priest sex abuse scandal. Syracuse won the NCAA basketball tournament with an 81-78 victory over Kansas. Actor Russell Crowe married Danielle Spencer in Nana Glen, New South Wales, Australia, on his 39th birthday (the couple separated in 2012).

Five years ago: Anti-China protesters disrupted the Olympic torch relay in Paris, at times forcing Chinese organizers to put out the flame and take the torch onto a bus to secure it. Kansas won the NCAA championship, defeating Memphis 75-68. Coach Pat Riley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Adrian Dantley and broadcaster Dick Vitale were among those selected to Basketball's Hall of Fame.

One year ago: The U.S. warned Syria it wouldn't be able to deceive the world about compliance with a cease-fire that was just days away, as regime forces pounded more opposition strongholds in an apparent rush to crush resistance before troops had to withdraw. Pakistani soldiers dug into a massive avalanche in a mountain battleground close to the Indian border, searching for 140 people buried when the wall of snow engulfed a military complex; there were no survivors. CBS newsman Mike Wallace, 93, died in New Canann, Conn.

Today's Birthdays: Actor James Garner is 85. Country singer Cal Smith is 81. Actor Wayne Rogers is 80. Media commentator Hodding Carter III is 78. Country singer Bobby Bare is 78. Rhythm-and-blues singer Charlie Thomas (The Drifters) is 76. California Gov. Jerry Brown is 75. Movie director Francis Ford Coppola is 74. TV personality David Frost is 74. Singer Patricia Bennett (The Chiffons) is 66. Singer John Oates is 64. Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is 64. Singer Janis Ian is 62. Country musician John Dittrich is 62. Actor Jackie Chan is 59. College and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Tony Dorsett is 59. Actor Russell Crowe is 49. Christian/jazz singer Mark Kibble (Take 6) is 49. Actor Bill Bellamy is 48. Rock musician Dave "Yorkie" Palmer (Space) is 48. Former football player-turned-analyst Tiki Barber is 38. Actress Heather Burns is 38. Actor Kevin Alejandro (TV: "Southland") is 37. Actor Conner Rayburn is 14.

Thought for Today: "Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week." -- Spanish proverb.

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.