Today In History

Today is Thursday, April 18, the 109th day of 2024. There are 257 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

On April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000 and 6,000.

ON THIS DATE ›

1775: Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, warning colonists that British Regular troops were approaching.

› 1865: Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman near Durham Station in North Carolina, bringing further closure to the Civil War, which had formally ended.

› 1923: The first game was played at the original Yankee Stadium in New York; the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-1.

› 1954: Gamal Abdel Nasser seized power as he became prime minister of Egypt.

› 1966: Bill Russell was named player-coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the NBA’s first Black coach.

› 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.

› 2015: A ship believed to be carrying migrants from Africa sank in the Mediterranean off Libya; about 500 are believed to have died.

› 2023: Fox and Dominion Voting Systems reached a $787 million settlement in the voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit, averting a trial in a case that exposed how the top-rated network chased viewers by promoting lies about the 2020 presidential election.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actor Clive Revill is 94. Actor Robert Hooks is 87. Actor Hayley Mills is 78. Actor James Woods is 77. Actor-director Dorothy Lyman is 77. Actor Cindy Pickett is 77. Actor Rick Moranis is 71. Actor Melody Thomas Scott is

68. Actor Eric Roberts is 68. Actor John James is 68. Rock musician Les Pattinson (Echo and the Bunnymen) is 66. Author-journalist Susan Faludi is 65. Actor Jane Leeves is 63. Ventriloquist-comedian Jeff Dunham is 62. Talk show host Conan O’Brien is 61. Actor Eric McCormack is 61. Actor Tamara Braun is

53. TV chef Ludovic Lefebvre is 53. Actor Fredro Starr is 53. Actor David Tennant is 53. Rock musician Mark Tremonti is 50. R&B singer Trina (Trina and Tamara) is 50. Actor Melissa Joan Hart is 48. Actor Sean Maguire is 48. Reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian is 45. Detroit Tigers first baseman and DH Miguel Cabrera is 41. Actor America Ferrera is

40. Actor Tom Hughes is

39. Actor Ellen Woglom is

37. Actor Vanessa Kirby is

36. Actor Alia Shawkat is

35. Actor Britt Robertson is 34. Actor Chloe Bennet is 32. Rock singer Nathan Sykes (The Wanted) is 31. Actor Moises Arias is 30.