Today In History

Today is Thursday, April 8, the 98th day of 2021. There are 267 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1864: The United States Senate passed, 38-6, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in January 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted in December 1865.)

ON THIS DATE

› 1513: Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon and his expedition began exploring the Florida coastline.

› 1911: An explosion at the Banner Coal Mine in Littleton, Alabama, claimed the lives of 128 men, most of them convicts loaned out from prisons.

› 1913: The 17th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for popular election of U.S. senators (as opposed to appointment by state legislatures), was ratified. President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.

› 1963: “Lawrence of Arabia” won the Oscar for best picture at the Academy Awards; Gregory Peck won best actor for “To Kill a Mockingbird” while Anne Bancroft received best actress honors for “The Miracle Worker.”

› 1974: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth’s record.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Comedian Shecky Greene is 95. Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh is 84. “Mouseketeer” Darlene Gillespie is 80. Singer Peggy Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is

80. Songwriter-producer Leon Huff is 79. Actor Stuart Pankin is 75. Movie director John Madden is

72. Rock musician Mel Schacher (Grand Funk Railroad) is 70. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is 66. Actor John Schneider is 61. “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch is 60. Rock musician Izzy Stradlin is

59. Actor Robin Wright is 55. Actor Patricia Arquette is 53. Actor JR Bourne is 51. Rock singer Craig Honeycutt (Everything) is 51. Rock musician Darren Jessee is

50. Actor Emma Caulfield is 48. Actor Katee Sackhoff is 41. Actor Taylor Kitsch is 40. Rock singer-musician Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) is 37. Actor Kirsten Storms is

37. Actor Sadie Calvano is 24.