ED DANAHUE

On this day in 1994, Civil war erupted in Rwanda between the
Patriotic Front rebel group and government soldiers. Hundreds
of thousands were slaughtered in the months that followed.

Aftermath of the Genocide.

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947)

The first long-distance TV transmission was sent from Washington,
DC, to New York City on this day in 1927. The audience saw an image
of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover (below).

On this day in 1949, the musical "South Pacific" by Rodgers and Hammerstein debuted on Broadway.

Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan) (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959)

Holiday, was a jazz musician and singer-songwriter with a career
spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend
and music partner Lester Young, she had a huge influence on jazz
music and pop singing.

MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 2001, former president of Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special
forces, to be tried on charges of war crimes.

On this day in 1945, American forces invaded Okinawa during WW II.

Nazi Germany begins persecution of Jews by boycotting Jewish businesses on this day in 1933.

Nazis affix a sign to Jewish store urging shoppers not to patronize
it.

On this day in 1984, Marvin Gaye, the Grammy-winning
singer who topped the soul charts with such classics as
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” was shot twice in the
chest and killed by his minister father. The Rev. Marvin
Gaye Sr. picked up a handgun during a family dispute
over an “insurance matter”. The singers death was one
day short of his 45th birthday.

Marvin Gaye SR. being escorted in handcuffs.

Marvin Gaye (Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.)  (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984)

Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former U.S. Army soldier who was serving as a unit
supply specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi forces during the Battle of Nasiriyah. Lynch was seriously injured. Her subsequent recovery by U.S. Special Operations Forces on April
1, 2003 received considerable media coverage; it was the first successful
rescue of an American prisoner of war since World War II and the first ever
of a woman.

The above photo is from combat video footage of Jessica Lynch
on a stretcher during her rescue in Iraq.

Jessica Lynch will be 35 on April 26.

MIKE GRACIA

It was on this day in 1968.

President Lyndon B. Johnson addresses the Nation, announcing
a bombing halt in Vietnam and his intention not to run for re-
election.

In Paris on this day in 1889, the Eiffel Tower officially opened.

On this day in 1943, "Oklahoma!" by Rodgers and Hammerstein
debuted on Broadway. The original title was "Away We Go."

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995)

Selena was killed by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar (below)
who had been fired for embezzlement.

Selena ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time
and is credited for catapulting a music genre into the mainstream
market.

ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in Washington, DC, by John W. Hinckley Jr. (below). Two
police officers and Press Secretary James Brady were also wounded. 

President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy wave from hospital
windows.

On this day in 1867, William Seward reached a deal to purchase
Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

William Henry Seward
(May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872)

A Treasury Check in the Amount of $7.2 Million for the Purchase of Alaska.

It was on this day in 1986.

James Francis Cagney Jr. (July 17, 1899 – March 30, 1986)

James Cagney 1942 Best Actor.

Eric Patrick Clapton is 73 years old today.

Eric Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He
is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a
solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. Clapton
has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of
all time and is ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the "100
Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson’s "Top 50 Guitarists of
All Time". He was also named number five in Time magazine’s list of "The 10
Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009

SANDY KOZEL

A major accident occurred at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island
nuclear power plant on this day in 1979. A nuclear power reactor overheated and suffered a partial meltdown.

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969)

The Spanish Civil War ended as Madrid fell to Francisco Franco
(left) on this day in 1939.

Maria Augusta von Trapp (January 26, 1905 – March 28, 1987) 

Baroness von Trapp, as she was also know as, was the stepmother 
and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers and wrote the story about
the singers in 1949. It later inspired the Broadway musical The Sound
of Music (1959) and the 1965 film of the same name.

The Trapp Family Singers, pictured in 1948, rehearse. From
left they are Baroness Maria von Trapp and her daughters,
Johanna, Eleanore, Agathe, Hedwig, Rosmary, Martina, and
Maria.

Reba Nell McEntire was born in McAlester, Oklahoma. She
is 63 years young today.

Multi-platinum singer, musician, and actress Reba McEntire
released more than three dozen #1 singles and more than a
dozen #1 albums since the 1990s, including Whoever’s in
New England. She was in the family singing group "the
Singing McEntires" as a child. Red Steagall discovered her
during her performance of the National Anthem at a Rodeo
in Oklahoma City when she was a sophomore in college.

Reba McCentire (above) as KFC’S first female Colonel Sanders.