April 19th

Today's Highlight in History:
Five years ago, on April 19th, 1995, a truck bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds. Timothy McVeigh was later convicted of federal murder charges and sentenced to death; Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the bombing.

On this date:
In 1775, the American Revolutionary War began with the battles of Lexington and Concord.

In 1898, Congress passed a resolution recognizing Cuban independence and demanding that Spain relinquish its authority over Cuba.

In 1910, after weeks of being viewed through telescopes, Halley's Comet was reported visible to the naked eye in Curacao.

In 1933, the United States went off the gold standard.

In 1943, during World War Two, tens of thousands of Jews living in the Warsaw Ghetto began a valiant but futile battle against Nazi forces.

In 1945, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel" opened on Broadway.

In 1951, General Douglas MacArthur, relieved of his command by President Truman, bid farewell to Congress, quoting a line from a ballad: "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

In 1982, astronauts Sally K. Ride and Guion S. Bluford Junior became the first woman and first African-American to be tapped for US space missions.

In 1989, 47 sailors were killed when a gun turret exploded aboard the USS "Iowa."

In 1993, the 51-day siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, ended as fire destroyed the structure after federal agents began smashing their way in; dozens of people, including David Koresh, were killed.

Ten years ago: Nicaragua's nine-year-old civil war appeared near an end as Contra guerrillas, leftist Sandinistas and the incoming government agreed to a truce and a deadline for the rebels to disarm.

One year ago: The German parliament inaugurated its new home in the restored Reichstag in Berlin, its prewar capital. The Supreme Court ruled that a federal law aimed at limiting e-mail smut does not violate free-speech rights. Joseph Chebet of Kenya won the Boston Marathon, in two hours, nine minutes, 52 seconds; Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia won the women's race in two hours, 23 minutes, 25 seconds.

"The crisis you have to worry about most is the one you don't see coming."

-- Mike Mansfield, American statesman.