ROSS SIMPSON

Samuel F.B. Morse formally opened America’s first telegraph line on
this day in 1844. The first message was sent from Washington, DC,
to Baltimore, MD. The message was "What hath God wrought?"

Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872)

On this day in 1994, the four men convicted of bombing the New
York’s World Trade Center were each sentenced to 240 years in
prison.

Queen Victoria of England was born in London on
this day in 1819. 

This painting by Frederick Winterhalter shows Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert with 5 of their children.

After 14 years of construction the Brooklyn Bridge was opened to
traffic on this day in 1883.

Bob Dylan (Robert Allen Zimmerman)

Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan revolutionized folk music in the
1960’s with albums such as The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Highway 61
Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde and songs such as "The Times They
Are a-Changin’," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "Positively 4th Street."

On October 13, 2016 the Nobel Prize committee announced it had awarded Bob Dylan the Nobel Prize in Literature "for having created
new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

ED DONAHUE

The world’s worst nuclear disaster to date occurred at Chernobyl, in
Kiev on this day in 1986. Thirty-one people died in the incident and thousands more were exposed to radioactive material.

John Wilkes Booth was killed by the U.S. Federal Cavalry on this day 
in 1865.

On April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth (above) assassinated President Abraham Lincoln while he was watching the play ‘Our American Cousin’ at Ford Theater in Washington, D.C.

The British established an American colony at Cape Henry, Virginia 
on this day in 1607. It was the first permanent English establishment
in the Western Hemisphere.

On this day in 1937, German planes attacked Guernica, Spain, during
the Spanish Civil War for the Spanish nationalist government. This
raid is considered one of the first to be attacks on a civilian
population by a modern air force.

Spanish Civil War: the Spanish town of Guernica, after the bombing
by German and Italian aircraft.

The state of Vermont  enacted same-sex unions on this day in 2000.

It was on this day in 1989.

Lucille Désirée Ball Morton (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989)

Lucille Ball was an actress, comedian, model, film-studio executive, and
producer. She was best known as the star of the self-produced sitcoms
I Love Lucy (1951-1967) on CBS, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960)
on CBS, The Lucy Show (1962-1968) CBS, Here’s Lucy (1968-1974) CBS,
and Life with Lucy for only one season in 1986 on ABC.

ED DONAHUE

The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, was destroyed by a bomb on this day in 1995. It was the worst bombing
on U.S. territory. 168 people were killed including 19 children, and
500 were injured. Timothy McVeigh (below) was found guilty of the bombing on June 2, 1997.

The American Revolution began on this day in 1775 as fighting broke
out at Lexington, MA.

The Branch-Davidian’s compound in Waco, TX, burned to the ground
on this day in 1993. It was the end of a 51-day standoff between the
cult and U.S. federal agents. A total of 86 people were killed including
17 children. Nine of the Branch Davidians escaped the fire.

Cult leader David Koresh.

Actress Grace Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco on this day in 1956.

The musical debuted on Broadway on this day in 2001.

ED DANAHUE

On this day in 1906, San Francisco, CA, was hit with an earthquake
with an original death toll cited at about 700. Information received
later indicated that the death toll may have been 3 to 4 times the
original estimate.

On this day in 1775, American revolutionaries Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott rode though towns in Massachusetts
giving the warning that the Regulars were coming out. Later, the
phrase "the British are coming" was attributed to Revere even
though it is unlikely he used that wording.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut was blown up by a suicide car-bomber
on this day in 1983. A total of 63 people were killed including 17 Americans.

A previously unseen image of Einstein as a five-year-old in 1884.

Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955) 

Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the 
theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside
quantum mechanics). His work is also known for its influence on the
philosophy of science. He is best known by the general public for his
mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc² (which has been dubbed
"the world’s most famous equation").

Wayne Gretzky (New York Rangers) played his final game in the
NHL on this day in 1999. He retired as the NHL‘s all-time leading
scorer and holder of 61 individual records.

MIKE GRACIA

A discotheque in Berlin was bombed by Libyan terrorists on this day
in 1986. The U.S. attacked Libya with warplanes in retaliation on April
15, 1986.

Ground crew prepares a 48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F aircraft
for an air strike on Libya.

Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964) 

It was on this day in 1964.

Douglas General MacArthur Address a Joint session of the U.S.
Congress on April 19, 1951 in Washington D. C.

It was on this day in 1976.

Hughes was an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot,
film director, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the
most financially successful individuals in the world.

Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976)

Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915)

Booker T. Washington was a educator, author, orator, and advisor to
presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington
was the dominant leader in the African-American community. He was
from the last generation of black American leaders born into slavery
and became the leading voice of former slaves and their descendants.

Booker T. Washington giving a lecture in Carnegie Hall, 1906. 

On this day in 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers)
became the all-time NBA regular season scoring leader when he
broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 31,419 career points.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.) will be 71
April 16.

Katie Couric became a CBS news anchor on this day in 2006.