BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Today’s highlights in history
On April 5, 1964, Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who considered Milwaukee his family home, died in Washington, D.C. He was 84.
On this date
In 1614, Indian Chief Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas married Englishman John Rolfe in the Virginia Colony.
In 1764, Britain’s Parliament passed the American Revenue Act of 1764, also known as the Sugar Act. In 1895, Oscar Wilde lost his criminal libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, who had accused the writer of homosexual practices.
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Civilian Conservation Corps and an anti-hoarding order that effectively prohibited private ownership of gold.
In 1955, Democrat Richard J. Daley was first elected mayor of Chicago, defeating Republican Robert E. Merriam.
In 1960, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Minnesota Sen. Hubert Humphrey in the Wisconsin Democratic primary, giving a boost to his chances of securing his party’s nomination for president.
In 1976, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes died in Houston at age 70.
Ten years ago: Katie Couric announced she was leaving NBC’s “Today” show to become anchor of “The CBS Evening News.”
Five years ago: Ivory Coast’s strongman leader, Laurent Gbagbo, remained holed up in a bunker inside the presidential residence, maintaining he’d won an election four months earlier even as troops backing the internationally recognized winner encircled the home. (Gbagbo was arrested six days later.)
One year ago: Rolling Stone magazine apologized and officially retracted its discredited article about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia.