Today in History

Today is Saturday, April 7, the 97th day of 2018. There are 268 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 7, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower held a news conference in which he spoke of the importance of containing the spread of communism in Indochina, saying, "You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profound influences." (This became known as the "domino theory," although Eisenhower did not use that term.)

On this date:

In 1788, an expedition led by Gen. Rufus Putnam established a settlement at present-day Marietta, Ohio.

In 1798, the Mississippi Territory was created by an act of Congress, with Natchez as the capital.

In 1862, Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.

In 1927, the image and voice of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover were transmitted live from Washington to New York in the first successful long-distance demonstration of television.

In 1939, Italy invaded Albania, which was annexed less than a week later.

In 1948, the World Health Organization was founded in Geneva.

In 1953, the U.N. General Assembly ratified Dag Hammarskjold (dahg HAWM'-ahr-shoold) of Sweden as the new secretary-general, succeeding Trygve Lie (TRIHG'-vuh lee) of Norway.

In 1962, nearly 1,200 Cuban exiles tried by Cuba for their roles in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion were convicted of treason.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced he was deferring development of the neutron bomb, a high-radiation weapon.

In 1983, space shuttle astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson went on the first U.S. spacewalk in almost a decade as they worked in the open cargo bay of Challenger for nearly four hours.

In 1994, civil war erupted in Rwanda, a day after a mysterious plane crash claimed the lives of the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi; in the months that followed, hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsi and Hutu moderates were slaughtered by Hutu extremists.

In 1998, British pop star George Michael was arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd act in a restroom at Will Rogers Park in Beverly Hills, California; Michael later pleaded no contest, was fined $810 and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.

Ten years ago: Anti-China protesters disrupted the Olympic torch relay in Paris, at times forcing Chinese organizers to put out the flame and take the torch onto a bus to secure it. Kansas won the NCAA championship, defeating Memphis 75-68 in overtime. Coach Pat Riley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Adrian Dantley and broadcaster Dick Vitale were among those selected for Basketball's Hall of Fame.

Five years ago: A fierce battle between U.S.-backed Afghan forces and Taliban militants in a remote corner of eastern Afghanistan left nearly 20 people dead, including 11 Afghan children killed in an airstrike and an American civilian adviser. In Egypt, Christians angered by the killing of four Christians in sectarian violence clashed with a Muslim mob throwing rocks and firebombs, killing one and turning Cairo's main Coptic cathedral into a battleground.

One year ago: President Donald Trump concluded his two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, saying he had developed an "outstanding" relationship with the Chinese leader. A hijacked beer truck plowed into pedestrians at a central Stockholm department store, killing four people in what Sweden's prime minister called a terrorist attack; a 39-year-old suspect was arrested. Gov. Jerry Brown declared an end to California's historic drought emergency imposed in 2014. Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Yes and Joan Baez were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Brooklyn, New York.

Today's Birthdays: Media commentator Hodding Carter III is 83. Country singer Bobby Bare is 83. Rhythm-and-blues singer Charlie Thomas (The Drifters) is 81. California Gov. Jerry Brown is 80. Movie director Francis Ford Coppola is 79. Actress Roberta Shore is 75. Singer Patricia Bennett (The Chiffons) is 71. Singer John Oates is 70. Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is 69. Singer Janis Ian is 67. Country musician John Dittrich is 67. Actor Jackie Chan is 64. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett is 64. Actor Russell Crowe is 54. Christian/jazz singer Mark Kibble (Take 6) is 54. Actor Bill Bellamy is 53. Rock musician Dave "Yorkie" Palmer (Space) is 53. Rock musician Charlie Hall (The War on Drugs) is 44. Former football player-turned-analyst Tiki Barber is 43. Actress Heather Burns is 43. Christian rock singer-musician John Cooper (Skillet) is 43. Actor Kevin Alejandro is 42. Rock musician Ben McKee (Imagine Dragons) is 33. Actor Ed Speleers is 30. Actor Conner Rayburn is 19.

Thought for Today: "Lying is done with words and also with silence." — Adrienne Rich, American poet (1929-2012).

News from © The Associated Press, 2018