Today In History

Today is Saturday, April 18, the 108th day of 2015. There are 257 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1775: Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, warning American colonists that the British were coming.

ON THIS DATE

› 1906: A devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000 and 6,000.

› 1925: The first Woman’s World’s Fair, an eight-day event, opened in Chicago.

› 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.

› 1942: An air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities. The first World War II edition of The Stars and Stripes was published as a weekly newspaper.

› 1949: The Republic of Ireland was proclaimed.

› 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.

› 1983: Sixty-three people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by a suicide bomber.

› 1995: Quarterback Joe Montana retired from professional football. The Houston Post closed after more than a century.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Barbara Hale is 94. Actor Clive Revill is 85. Actor James Drury is 81. Actor James Woods is 68. Actor Rick Moranis is 62. Actress Melody Thomas Scott is 59. Actor Eric Roberts is 59. Actor John James is 59. Actress Jane Leeves is 54. Ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham is 53. Talk show host Conan O’Brien is 52. Bluegrass singer-musician Terry Eldredge is 52. Actress Maria Bello is 48. TV chef Ludovic Lefebvre is 44. Country musician Marvin Evatt is 41. Actress Melissa Joan Hart is 39. Actor Sean Maguire is 39. Actor Bryce Johnson is 38. Reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian is 36. Actress America Ferrera is 31. Actress Britt Robertson is 25. Actress Chloe Bennet is 23. Rock singer Nathan Sykes (The Wanted) is 22. Actor Moises Arias is 21.