1726-Morris Lewis, signer of the Declaration of Independence, born at Westchester County, NY. Died Jan 22, 1798, at Morrisania Manor, NY.
All of the Morris property and nearly all of his wealth had been destroyed in the revolution.  Morris should have left Congress to ward off an impending British attack on New York which, by the end of June, had not occurred. Instead, Morris was on hand to sign the Declaration, even though he knew that a large British army had landed within a few miles of his estate, that their armed ships were lying within cannon shot of his homestead, and that his extensive possessions would probably be pillaged. "Damn the consequences, give me the pen," Morris is said to have shouted. Soon after, more than a thousand acres of woodland, all located on navigable water, were burned, his house was ransacked, his family driven away, his livestock captured, his domestics and tenants dispersed, and the entire property laid to waste and ruined. For the next six years, he and his family suffered many privations, until the evacuation of New York City. Early in 1777, he relinquished his seat in congress to his half-brother, Gouverneur, on which occasion that body passed a resolution complimenting him and his colleagues "for their long and faithful services." http:www.lewismorris.com/
   1731-William Williams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, born at Lebanon, CT. Died there Aug 2, 1811.  http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/williams.htm
    1823 - Marines chased pirates east of Havana, Cuba.
    1832 - Some 300 American troops of the 6th Infantry left Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, to confront the Sauk Indians in what would become known as the Black Hawk War.
   1834-Previously, mayors had been chosen by a board of the Common Council but the first city mayor was elected in New York City when Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence, a Democrat, defeated Gulian Crommelin Verplanack, a Whig, in the three-day election which ended April 10.  There were 34,988 votes cast, of which 17,573 were for Lawrence, 17,393 for Verplanck, and 22 for others.  Seven other municipal officers were also elected.
    1855--Stonemasons were laying the foundation of Ft. Point, on San Francisco Bay. Massive granite blocks were coming from Monterey for the construction. A top tourist destination today. 
    1865 - General Robert E. Lee's retreat was cut off near Appomattox Court House. Lee requested to meet with Gen Ulysses Grant to discuss possible surrender. 
   1872—Birthday of Ruth Gaines-Shelton, African American playwright, born at Glasgow, MO. Best known for prize-winning comedy The Church Fight, which was published in Crisis (a publication of the NAACP) in May, 1926.
    1872-The "Father of Canadian Rodeo," O. Raymond Knight was born at Payson, UT. His father, the Utah mining magnate Jesse Knight, founded the town of Raymond, Alberta, in 1901. In 1902, Raymond produced Canada's first rodeo, "Raymond Stampede." He also built rodeo's first grandstand and first chute in 1903. O. Raymond Knight died Feb 7, 1947.
   1873-Alfred Paraf of New York City, who organized the Oleo-Margarine Manufacturing Company, obtained a patent on his process for purifying and separating fats. In 1886, Congress imposed a tax regarding the manufacturer, importing and exporting of oleomargarine. In 1877, New York enacted “an act for protection of dairymen and to prevent deception in sales of butter.”
   1886-Birthday of Alice Throckmorton McLean, Baltimore, Maryland. She

was asocial service organizer who established and oversaw a large and highly successful organization that provided material aid, assistance, and information to both the American armed forces and civilians during World War II . She served as as president of the American Women's Voluntary Services in WWII with a working membership of more than 325,000. They did everything from selling bonds to teaching, to mechanical work to air raid defense management. Her mother was one of the founders of the day nursery school movement. She studied the British, Finnish, and Swiss volunteer organizations and founded the AWVS in 1940 as a private organization. At first no one knew what to do with the organization since the U.S. was still at peace and there was a prevailing belief among many politicians of isolationism and, of course, women's worthlessness except as mothers and housekeepers. The AWVS gave first aid classes and women joined by the thousands. They were involved in defense photography, map reading, child care, workshop, conservation, salvage, canteens, rehabilitation and motor transport, even fruit pickers. They sold a billion dollars’ worth of War Bonds. They took photographs of men and women in the service for their families back home, made and reconditioned clothing for children and babies, and chauffeured almost 400 military cars. They knew what to do even if the politicians didn't.  

1904-Hirsch Jacobs, thoroughbred trainer and owner, was born at New York, New York.  Jacobs became a trainer in 1923 and was particularly adept at selecting horses in claiming races.  He saddled 3,596 winners and earned $15,340,354.   Died at Miami, FL, Feb. 13, 1970.
   1909—Birthday of novelist John Fante.

http://www.canongate.net/people/pep.taf?_p=2154
    1912-Sonja Henie, Olympic gold medal figure skater, born at Oslo, Norway. Henie competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics when she was just 11, but finished last in ladies' singles. She won gold medals at the Winter Games of 1928, 1932 and 1936. She became a professional skater and an actress (Sun Valley Serenade). Died Oct 13, 1969.
   1913-13th Amendment ratified declaring U.S. Senators to be elected by popular vote, not by the Legislature Amendment.  Prior to this, members of the Senate were elected by each state's respective legislature. The advent and popularity of primary elections during the last decade of the 19th and early 20th centuries and a string of senatorial scandals, most notably a scandal involving William Lorimer, an Illinois political boss in 1909, forced the Senate to end its resistance to a constitutional amendment requiring direct popular election of senators.
   1918 -a big spring snowstorm buried the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia with 34 inches of snow at Wardensville, 30 inches at Moorefield, and 29 inches at Romney. 
   1919 - A tornado swarm in northern Texas resulted in the deaths of 64 persons
   1921-guitarist Leroy Holmes born Woodbine, FL.
   1920- Singer Carmen McRae Birthday
http://www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF96/Ismael/jazz/1950/McRae.html
http://www.gallery41.com/JazzArtists/CarmenMcRae.htm
   1926 - The lightning-set oil depot fire near San Luis Obispo, California boiled over and engulfed 900 acres. Many tornado vortices resulted from the intense heat of the fire. One such tornado traveled 1000 yards, picked up a house and carried it 150 feet, killing the two occupants inside.
   1933- Broadway lyricist Fred Ebb was born. He is best known for the musical "Cabaret," which opened in New York in November, 1966 and ran for 1,166 performances. The original cast included Joel Grey, Jill Haworth and Lotte Lenya. Grey reprised his role in the 1972 film version of "Cabaret," which also starred Liza Minnelli. The film won a number of Oscars.
   1935-Congress approved the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Created by President Franklin Roosevelt to relieve the economic hardship of the Great Depression.  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr08.html
   1939-the first Intercollegiate Rodeo was held at historic Godshall Ranch, Apple Valley, CA. The student cowboys and cowgirls, who hailed from California and Arizona colleges and universities, were assisted by world champion professional cowboys including Harry Carey, Dick Foran, Curley Fletcher, Tex Ritter and Errol Flynn from Hollywood. Collegiate rodeos had been held since 1919 at Texas A&M University. College cowboys and cowgirls organized a national association in Texas in 1949 named National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, which continues today as the only national college rodeo organization.
   1943 - Wendell Wilkie's "One World" was published for the first time. In less than two months, sales reached a million copies.  In 1940, he lost the presidential race to Franklin D. Roosevelt by almost five million votes.
    1945--CREWS, JOHN R. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company F, 253d Infantry, 63d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Lobenbacherhof, Germany, 8 April 1945. Entered service at: Bowlegs, Okla. Birth: Golden, Okla. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 8 April 1945 near Lobenbacherhof, Germany. As his company was advancing toward the village under heavy fire, an enemy machinegun and automatic rifle with rifle support opened upon it from a hill on the right flank. Seeing that his platoon leader had been wounded by their fire, S/Sgt. Crews, acting on his own initiative, rushed the strongpoint with 2 men of his platoon. Despite the fact that 1 of these men was killed and the other was badly wounded, he continued his advance up the hill in the face of terrific enemy fire. Storming the well-dug-in position single-handedly, he killed 2 of the crew of the machinegun at pointblank range with his M 1 rifle and wrested the gun from the hands of the German whom he had already wounded. He then with his rifle charged the strongly emplaced automatic rifle. Although badly wounded in the thigh by crossfire from the remaining enemy, he kept on and silenced the entire position with his accurate and deadly rifle fire. His actions so unnerved the remaining enemy soldiers that 7 of them surrendered and the others fled. His heroism caused the enemy to concentrate on him and permitted the company to move forward into the village.
     1946- James Augustus ("Catfish") Hunter, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, born at Hertford, NC. Died Sept 9, 1999, at Hertford. 
    1949-What television does today, radio did in 1949, drawing our full attention to three-year-old Kathy Fiscus of San Marino, CA. While playing, she fell into an abandoned well pipe 14 inches wide and 120 feet deep. Rescue workers toiled for two days while national attention was focused on the tragedy. Her body was recovered Apr 10, 1949. An alarmed nation suddenly became attentive to other abandoned wells and similar hazards, and "Kathy Fiscus laws" were enacted in a number of places requiring new safety measures to prevent recurrence of such an accident.
  1950-J.D. Salinger's story “For Esme—For Love and Squalor” appears in the New Yorker magazine.
http://www.levity.com/corduroy/salinger.htm
  1950 - Senator Joseph McCarthy labels Professor Owen Lattimore "extremely dangerous so far as the American people are concerned" in a carefully worded public speech, but stops short of calling him a Soviet spy. The speech was yet another example of McCarthy's ability to whip up damaging Red Scare hysteria with no real evidence.
   1952- President Harry S. Truman seized control of the nation's steel mills by presidential order in an attempt to prevent a shutdown by strikers. On Apr 29, a US District Court declared the seizure unconstitutional and workers immediately walked out. Production dropped from 300,000 tons a day to less than 20,000. After 53 days the strike ended on July 24, with steelworkers receiving a 16¢ hourly wage raise plus a 5.4¢ hourly increase in fringe benefits.
   1954---Top Hits
Wanted - Perry Como
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
A Girl, A Girl - Eddie Fisher
Slowly - Webb Pierce 
    1955-The first medal of honor to a helicopter pilot was conferred posthumously upon Lieutenant (j.g.) John Kelvin Koelsch of Hudson, NY.   On July 3, 1951, Koelsch and Aviation Machinist Mate George M. Neal volunteered to rescue James V. Wilkins from North Korea.  They took off in a helicopter without fighter escort.  The helicopter was shot down and the three men were captured a few days later.  Koelsch died of malnutrition and dysentery in a Korean prisoner-of-war camp on October 16, 1951.
    1956- The Johnny Burnette Trio makes its TV debut, performing "Train Kept A-Rollin'" on ABC's Ted Mack's Amateur Hour. They will appear two more times on the show, but never win.
    1957- Buddy Holly records "Words of Love," "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues"
   1962---Top Hits
Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin' - Chubby Checker
She's Got You - Patsy Cline 
   1963 - Steve Brooks became only the fifth race jockey to ride 4,000 career winners. 
   1963 - The 35th Annual Academy Awards at Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium (Los Angeles). Frank Sinatra hosted.  Seven Oscars including the award for Best Picture went to "Lawrence of Arabia" (Sam Spiegel, producer) The epic production earned Oscars for David Lean (Best Director); Freddie Young (Best Cinematography/Color); John Box, John Stoll, & Dario Simoni (Best Art Direction/Set Decoration/Color); John Cox with Shepperton SSD (Best Sound); Anne V. Coates (Best Film Editing); Maurice Jarre (Best Music/Score - Substantially Original).  Films of 1962 included Frank Sinatra's, "The Manchurian Candidate", "Mutiny on the Bounty", "Walk on the Wild Side", "The Longest Day", "The Music Man", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "Taras Bulba". Those that won the top awards other than "Lawrence of Arabia" were "To Kill a Mockingbird" (Best Actor - Gregory Peck; Best Art Direction/Set Decoration/Black-and-White - Alexander Golitzen, Henry Bumstead, Oliver Emert; Best Writing/Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium - Horton Foote); "The Miracle Worker" (Best Actress - Anne Bancroft, Best Supporting Actress - Patty Duke); "Sweet Bird of Youth" (Best Supporting Actor - Ed Begley); and "Days of Wine and Roses" [title song] (Best Music/Song: - Henry Mancini (music), Johnny Mercer lyrics). http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0148906.html
    1963-John and Cynthia Lennon become the proud parents of a baby boy who they name Julian, after John's late mother, Julia. The lad would grow up to have a music career of his own, scoring Top Ten hits with "Valotte" (#9 in 1984) and "Too Late for Goodbyes" (#5 in 1985).
    1964- The Supremes record "Where Did Our Love Go"
    1966 - In the last of a series of moves to abolish poll taxes, a three-judge federal court at Jackson, MS, outlawed Mississippi's $2 poll tax as a voting requirement for state and local elections.
    1966- At the Astrodome, the Astros and Dodgers play baseball's first game on synthetic grass. Thanks to the Monsanto chemical company, who proposed using an experimental playing surface of nylon grass, the plan to play on an all-dirt field, necessitated by the need to paint the dome's glass panes to reduce the glare which prevented natural grass from growing, was alleviated by the use of 'Astro Turf'
    1966- The Beatles record, "Got To Get You into My Life”
    1966---In San Francisco, The Jefferson Airplane opened at California Hall on Polk Street.
    1967-*MICHAEL, DON LESLIE Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 4th Battalion, 503d Infantry, 1st 73d Airborne Brigade. place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 8 April 1967. Entered service at: Montgomery, Ala. Born: 31 July 1947, Florence, Ala. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Michael, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while serving with Company C. Sp4c. Michael was part of a platoon which was moving through an area of suspected enemy activity. While the rest of the platoon stopped to provide security, the squad to which Sp4c. Michael was assigned moved forward to investigate signs of recent enemy activity. After moving approximately 125 meters, the squad encountered a single Viet Cong soldier. When he was fired upon by the squad's machine gunner, other Viet Cong opened fire with automatic weapons from a well-concealed bunker to the squad's right front. The volume of enemy fire was so withering as to pin down the entire squad and halt all forward movement. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sp4c. Michael exposed himself to throw 2 grenades, but failed to eliminate the enemy position. From his position on the left flank, Sp4c. Michael maneuvered forward with 2 more grenades until he was within 20 meters of the enemy bunkers, when he again exposed himself to throw 2 grenades, which failed to detonate. Undaunted, Sp4c. Michael made his way back to the friendly positions to obtain more grenades. With 2 grenades in hand, he again started his perilous move towards the enemy bunker, which by this time was under intense artillery fire from friendly positions. As he neared the bunker, an enemy soldier attacked him from a concealed position. Sp4c. Michael killed him with his rifle and, in spite of the enemy fire and the exploding artillery rounds, was successful in destroying the enemy positions. Sp4c. Michael took up pursuit of the remnants of the retreating enemy. When his comrades reached Sp4c. Michael, he had been mortally wounded. His inspiring display of determination and courage saved the lives of many of his comrades and successfully eliminated a destructive enemy force. Sp4c. Michael's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit upon himself and the U.S. Army. 
    1968 - The Beatles went gold again, receiving a gold record for the single, "Lady Madonna".
    1968- Petula Clark's first (and only) TV special, entitled simply “Petula”, airs on NBC, featuring guest star Harry Belafonte performing a duet on an antiwar song she'd written called "On The Path Of Glory." During taping, Clark had reached out to touch Belafonte's arm in a spontaneous gesture, causing the show's sponsor Chrysler to protest, fearing the interracial contact would upset viewers in the American south. As a result, the show is infamous even before it airs: Petula and the show's executive producer, her husband Claude Wolff, respond to the pressure by having all other takes of the duet destroyed so that the gesture would have to be aired. It was, historically, the first interracial contact to be broadcast on American television. (Director Steve Binder would go on to helm Elvis Presley's "'68 Comeback Special" later that year.) 
    1969 – The Montreal Expos, a National League baseball expansion team, played their first regular season game, beating the New York Mets, 10-9, at NY's Shea Stadium. The Expos finished the year in sixth place in the NL East with a record of 52-110. They won their first division title in the strike-shortened 1994 season. In 2004, after years of waning attendance and takeover by MLB, the franchise was sold to the Lerner family of credit card fame. They moved the team to Washington, DC where they now play as the Washington Nationals.
    1969- Neil Diamond becomes the first performer to sell out the Forum in Los Angeles for nine nights consecutively. 
    1970-LITTRELL, GARY LEE Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, Advisory Team 21, 11 Corps Advisory Group. place and date: Kontum province, Republic of Vietnam, 4-8 April 1970. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 26 October 1944, Henderson, Ky. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sfc. Littrell, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Advisory Team 21, distinguished himself while serving as a Light Weapons Infantry Advisor with the 23d Battalion, 2d Ranger Group, Republic of Vietnam Army, near Dak Seang. After establishing a defensive perimeter on a hill on April 4, the battalion was subjected to an intense enemy mortar attack which killed the Vietnamese commander, 1 advisor, and seriously wounded all the advisors except Sfc. Littrell. During the ensuing 4 days, SFC Littrell exhibited near superhuman endurance as he single-handedly bolstered the besieged battalion. Repeatedly abandoning positions of relative safety, he directed artillery and air support by day and marked the unit's location by night, despite the heavy, concentrated enemy fire. His dauntless will instilled in the men of the 23d Battalion a deep desire to resist. Assault after assault was repulsed as the battalion responded to the extraordinary leadership and personal example exhibited by Sfc. Littrell as he continuously moved to those points most seriously threatened by the enemy, redistributed ammunition, strengthened faltering defenses, cared for the wounded and shouted encouragement to the Vietnamese in their own language. When the beleaguered battalion was finally ordered to withdraw, numerous ambushes were encountered. Sfc. Littrell repeatedly prevented widespread disorder by directing air strikes to within 50 meters of their position. Through his indomitable courage and complete disregard for his safety, he averted excessive loss of life and injury to the members of the battalion. The sustained extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by Sfc. Littrell over an extended period of time were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him and the U.S. Army.
    1970---Top Hits
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
Let It Be - The Beatles
Instant Karma (We All Shine On) - John Ono Lennon
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan   1971-New York City changed the “Sport of Kings” irrevocably by opening the nation's first off-track betting system.  Horseplayers were now able to patronize OTB Parlors, located throughout the city and Long Island, instead of going to the track to place their wagers.
   1971 – “Chicago” became the first rock group to play Carnegie Hall in New York City. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago scored big with these hits: "Make Me Smile", "25 or 6 to 4", "Saturday in the Park", "Old Days", "Baby, What a Big Surprise", "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" and many others. 
    1973-Gilbert O'Sullivan scored his second UK #1 with "Get Down". It reached #7 in the US. 
    1974- Henry (“Hammerin' Hank”) Aaron hit the 715th home run of his career, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth. Playing for the Atlanta Braves, Aaron broke the record at Atlanta in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished his career in 1976 with a total of 755 home runs. This record remains unbroken. At the time of his retirement, Aaron also held records for first in RBIs, second in at-bats and runs scored and third in base hits.
    1974-Elton John earns another gold record. "Bennie and the Jets" has John smiling even more as it's a big hit on the R&B charts as well.
    1975 - After a weeklong mission to South Vietnam, Gen. Frederick Weyand, U.S. Army Chief of Staff and former Vietnam commander, reports to Congress that South Vietnam cannot survive without additional military aid.
    1975 - Frank Robinson, who would go on to be elected to the Hall of Fame for his outstanding playing career, becomes the manager of the Cleveland Indians and the first Black manager of a major league team. He made his debut as playing manager and hit a home run in his first at bat as the Indians' designed hitter. Cleveland beat the New York Yankees 5-3.
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cle/history/cle_history_ti
meline.jsp?period=4 
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/rob
inson_frank.htm 
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/mgrtmci.shtml 
    1975-Minnie Riperton receives her only gold record for "Lovin' You," her recent Number One record.
    1975 - "The Godfather: Part II" won half of the top six awards at the 47th Annual Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. It won for Best Picture: (Francis Ford Coppola, Gray Frederickson, Fred Roos, producers); Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola); and Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro); plus Best Writing/Screenplay Adapted from Other Material (Francis Coppola, Mario Puzo); Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham, George Nelson; and Best Music/Original Dramatic Score (Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola). The other three crowd- pleaser awards went to Best Actor Art Carney for his "Harry and Tonto" role; to Best Actress Ellen Burstyn for her part in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"; and to Ingrid Bergman as Best Supporting Actress in "Murder on the Orient Express". Hosts Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, and Frank Sinatra livened up the party, even though murder, intrigue and disaster were in the run. The award for Best Music/Song went to Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn for "We May Never Love Like This Again" from the "Towering Inferno". "Inferno" also won for Best Cinematography (Fred J. Koenekamp, Joseph F. Biroc) and Best Film Editing (Harold F. Kress & Carl Kress); while Best Sound went to "Earthquake" (Ronald Pierce and Melvin M. Metcalfe, Sr.) and Robert Towne's "Chinatown" won for Best Writing/Original Screenplay.http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0149298.html
  1978---Top Hits
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Ready for the Times to Get Better - Crystal Gayle
    1982 - An act of heroism was credited with holding the death toll to seven in the firestone that engulfed the Caldecott Tunnel in the Oakland hills in northern California. When an AC Transit bus collided with a truck what was towing two trailers of gasoline in the westbound lanes, Steve Rutledge ran back to the tunnel entrance, stopping cars that would otherwise have driven into the fire. Rutledge's mother, June M. Rutledge, tried to call for help from an emergency phone inside the tunnel and was consumed by the explosion and flames. 
    1985- The Ellie Greenwich tribute musical “Leader of the Pack” opens on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre.
   1986- Facing Nolan Ryan of the Astros, Giant rookie Will “The Thrill” Clark homers in his first major league at bat. Still, one of the sweetest swings ever.
    1986---Top Hits
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. - John Cougar Mellencamp
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
100% Chance of Rain - Gary Morris 
   1986 - It took 18 years of singing the U.S. national anthem, but on this day, at long last, baritone Robert Merrill of the Metropolitan Opera became the first person to both sing the anthem and throw out the first ball at Yankee Stadium for the Yanks’ home opener.
    1987-For the first time in modern major league history, two 300-game winners pitched for the same team in the same game. Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton combined their pitching talents to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 14-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.  Niekro started for the Indians and earned his 312th career victory. Carlton pitched four shutout innings of relief.
   1989- 26-year-old David Hirsch replaced 59-year-old Dick Clark on "American Bandstand." His debut also marked "Bandstand's" move to the USA cable network from national syndication. Clark had been the host of the program for 33 years, introducing teenagers to Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and Madonna, as well as to such dance crazes as the Twist and the Jerk. The program debuted on Philadelphia TV station WFIL in 1952, and Clark took over in 1956, the year before "Bandstand" went national on the ABC network. Clark and American Bandstand are generally recognized as the catalyst for the universal spread and popularity of rock ‘n’ roll.
   1989 -two dozen cities in the southwest reported new record high temperatures for the date. Phoenix, Arizona hit 104 degrees which tied its record for the month of April set only the day before.
  1990-While we celebrate birthdays, it is perhaps fitting to remember Ryan White today. This young man, born Dec 6, 1971, at Kokomo, IN, put the face of a child on AIDS and helped promote greater understanding of the disease. Ryan, a hemophiliac, contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. Banned from the public school system in Central Indiana at the age of 10, he moved with his mother and sister to Cicero, IN, where he was accepted by students and faculty alike. Ryan once stated that he only wanted to be treated as a normal teenager, but that was not to be as media attention made him a celebrity. A few days after attending the Academy Awards in 1990, 18-year-old Ryan was hospitalized and on Palm Sunday lost his valiant fight at Indianapolis, IN. His funeral was attended by many celebrities who wanted to honor him. 
   1990 - Twenty-two cities reported record low temperatures for the date as readings dipped into the 20s and 30s across much of the eastern U.S. Freezing temperatures severely damaged peach and apple orchards in West Virginia, where prolonged mild weather since January had caused an early blooming of spring vegetation. State and Federal agencies estimated a 50 percent loss in production for peaches and "Delicious Red Apples"
   1996 -the first of two late season heavy snowfalls in only three days over the northeast dumped 12 inches of snow at Slide Mountain, New York, 10.2 inches, at Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and 7 inches at Falmouth, Massachusetts. The 6.1 inches at Binghamton, New York brought its seasonal snowfall total to 131.8 inches -- its snowiest winter ever.
   2000-Santana performs at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium with people who collaborated with him on his Supernatural album including Dave Matthews, Lauryn Hill and Everlast.
    2003 - In a frigid 35-degree home opener, with the fans chanting his name, Hideki Matsui hit his first major league home run, a grand slam into the right field bleachers in his New York Yankees debut. After be greeted with a warm reception in the pre-game ceremonies that recognized him as the Yankees’ first position player of Japanese descent, and a standing ovation after making a great defensive play, Godzilla receives a thunderous applause and curtain call from the sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd after his fifth inning bases-full poke against the Twins.
    2005 - Eric Rudolph agrees to plead guilty to a series of bombings, including the fatal bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, in order to avoid the death penalty. He later cited his anti-abortion and anti-homosexual views as motivation for the bombings.
    2010 - A temperature of 80 degrees is measured on Grandfather Mountain, NC, the warmest ever measured in April and three degrees short of the all-time record high for any month.

 Stanley Cup Champions This Date 
1943  Detroit Red Wings