Today’s highlights in history
On April 18, 1942, during World War II, an air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.
On this date
In 1775, Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Mass., warning colonists that British Regular troops were approaching.
In 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000 and 6,000.
In 1934, the first laundromat was opened by John F. Cantrell in Fort Worth, Texas; the “Washateria,” as it was called, rented four electric washing machines to the public on an hourly basis.
In 1945, during World War II, famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, 44, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa.
In 1956, American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco in a civil ceremony. (A church wedding took place the next day.)
In 1966, “The Sound of Music” won the Oscar for best picture of 1965 at the 38th Academy Awards. Also: Bill Russell was named player-coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the NBA’s first black coach.
In 1978, the Senate approved the Panama Canal Treaty, providing for the complete turnover of control of the waterway to Panama on the last day of 1999.
Ten years ago: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, saying it did not violate a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. Five years ago: Dick Clark, who helped bring rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream on “American Bandstand” and rang in the New Year for the masses at Times Square, died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 82.
One year ago: “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop stage biography of America’s first treasury secretary, won the Pulitzer for drama.