TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT May 11, 1943

During World War II, U.S. forces landed on the Aleutian island of Attu, which was held by the Japanese; the Americans took the island 19 days later. ALSO ON THIS DATE

1502

Christopher Columbus left Cadiz, Spain, on his fourth and final trip to the Western Hemisphere.

1647

Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor of New Netherland.

1858

Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union.

1888

Songwriter Irving Berlin was born Israel Baline in Temun, Russia.

1927

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded during a banquet at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

1935

The Rural Electrification Administration was created as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.

1953

A tornado devastated Waco, Texas, claiming 114 lives.

1973

The espionage trial of Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo in the “Pentagon Papers” case came to an end as Judge William M. Byrne dismissed all charges, citing government misconduct.