TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Easter Sunday, April 4, the 94th day of 2021.

Today’s highlight in history

On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot and killed while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.; his slaying was followed by a wave of rioting. (Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Chicago were among cities particularly hard hit.) Suspected gunman James Earl Ray later pleaded guilty to assassinating King, then spent the rest of his life claiming he’d been the victim of a setup.

On this date

In 1818, Congress decided the flag of the United States would consist of 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state of the Union.

In 1841, President William Henry Harrison succumbed to pneumonia one month after his inauguration, becoming the first U.S. chief executive to die in office.

In 1850, the city of Los Angeles was incorporated.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by his son Tad, visited the vanquished Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., where he was greeted by a crowd that included former slaves.

In 1917, the U.S. Senate voted 82-6 in favor of declaring war against Germany. (The House followed suit two days later by a vote of 373-50.)

In 1945, during World War II, U.S. forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp Ohrdruf in Germany. Hungary was liberated as Soviet forces cleared out remaining German troops.

In 1975, Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, N.M.

In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger roared into orbit on its maiden voyage.

Today’s birthdays

Recording executive Clive Davis is 89. Author Kitty Kelley is 79. Actor Craig T. Nelson is

77. Actor Christine Lahti is 71. Singer Steve Gatlin is 70. Actor Lorraine Toussaint is 61. Actor David Cross is 57. Actor Robert Downey Jr. is 56. Actor Nancy Mckeon is 55. Actor Barry Pepper is 51. Singer Jill Scott is 49. Magician David Blaine is

48. Singer Kelly Price is 48. Actor Natasha Lyonne is 42. Actor Eric Andre is 38. Actor Jamie Lynn Spears is 30. Singer Austin Mahone is 25.

CHARLES KELLY AP FILE Martin Luther King Jr. (second from right) on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, a day before he was killed at approximately the same place, in 1968.