On This Day: April 28 On April 28, 1947, a six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia. On April 28, 1878, Lionel Barrymore, who was one of the most important American character actors in the early 1900s, was born. Following his death on Nov. 15, 1954, his obituary appeared in The Times. 1788 Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1789 The crew of the British ship Bounty mutineed, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. 1937 Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was born near the desert town of Tikrit. 1945 Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed. 1947 A six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia. 1967 Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army. 1980 Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned over his opposition to the failed rescue mission aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran. 1990 The musical A Chorus Line closed after 6,137 performances on Broadway. 1994 Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had betrayed U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 1996 President Bill Clinton gave 4 1/2 hours of videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners. 2001 A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito. 2003 Apple Computer Inc. launched the iTunes store. 2004 The first photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS 60 Minutes II. 2009 Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party. 2011 President Barack Obama reshuffled his national security team, with CIA Director Leon Panetta succeeding Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus replacing Panetta at the CIA. 2011 Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted in California in 1991 at age 11 and rescued 18 years later. (The Garridos were sentenced to up to life in prison.) Current Birthdays Actress Penelope Cruz turns 40 years old today. Comedian-talk show host Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) turns 64 years old today. 1926 Harper Lee, Author (To Kill a Mockingbird), turns 88 1930 James A. Baker III, Former secretary of state, turns 84 1941 Ann-Margret, Singer, actress, turns 73 1948 Marcia Strassman, Actress (Welcome Back, Kotter), turns 66 1949 Paul Guilfoyle, Actor (CSI), turns 65 1953 Kim Gordon, Rock musician (Sonic Youth), turns 61 1953 Mary McDonnell, Actress, turns 61 1960 Elena Kagan, Supreme Court justice, turns 54 1964 Barry Larkin, Baseball player, turns 50 1966 John Daly, Golfer, turns 48 1973 Jorge Garcia, Actor (Lost), turns 41 1973 Elisabeth Rohm, Actress (Law and Order), turns 41 1978 Nate Richert, Actor (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), turns 36 1981 Jessica Alba, Actress (Dark Angel), turns 33 1982 Harry Shum Jr., Actor (Glee), turns 32 1986 Jenna Ushkowitz, Actress (Glee), turns 28
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 11:39:51 +0000
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