1865:  General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.

1867:  Alaska purchase: The United States Senate ratifies a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska.

1939:  Marian Anderson performs at the Lincoln Memorial, after being denied
the right to sing at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall.

"Mercury Seven"
Back Row - Shepard, Grissom, Cooper
Front Row - Schirra, Slayton, Glenn, Carpenter.

1959:  NASA announces the selection of the United States' first seven astronauts.

An army soldier issues an Iraqi solider with the 1st Battalion
of the Free Iraqi Fighting Force an AK-47 assault rifle April 9.
[Photo by Marine Sgt. Scott Whittington]

2003:  Operation Iraqi Freedom. Baghdad, Iraq falls to American forces.

(b.1597) - John Davenport, Connecticut pioneer - (d. 1670)
(b.1898) - Curly Lambeau, American football coach, executive (d. 1965)
(b.1898) - Paul Robeson, American singer and activist (d. 1976)
(b.1903) - Ward Bond, American actor (d. 1960)
(b.1904) - Sharkey Bonano, American musician (d. 1972)
(b.1905) - J. William Fulbright, U.S. Senator from Arkansas (d. 1995)
(b.1910) - Abraham Ribicoff, American politician (d. 1998)
(b.1917) - Brad Dexter, American actor (d. 2002)
(b.1919) - J. Presper Eckert, American computer pioneer (d. 1995)
(b.1921) - Frankie Thomas, American actor (d. 2006)
(b.1926) - Hugh Hefner, American editor and publisher, founder of Playboy
(b.1928) - Tom Lehrer, American musician and mathematician
(b.1928) - Paul Arizin, American basketball player (d. 2006)
(b.1930) - F. Albert Cotton, American chemist (d. 2007)
(b.1932) - Jim Fowler, American zoologist
(b.1932) - Carl Perkins, American musician (d. 1998)
(b.1935) - Avery Schreiber, American actor (d. 2002)
(b.1939) - Michael Learned, American actress
(b.1941) - Kaye Adams, American country singer
(b.1942) - Brandon De Wilde, American actor (d. 1972)
(b.1943) - Terry Knight, American music promoter (d. 2004)
(b.1945) - Peter Gammons, American baseball journalist
(b.1945) - Steve Gadd, American session drummer
(b.1953) - Hal Ketchum, American musician
(b.1954) - Dennis Quaid, American actor
(b.1955) - Kate Heyhoe, American food writer
(b.1963) - Marc Jacobs, American fashion designer
(b.1963) - Joe Scarborough, American television personality
(b.1964) - Rob Awalt, American football player
(b.1965) - Jeff Zucker, American television executive
(b.1965) - Jay Wesley Neill, American convicted murderer (d. 2002)
(b.1966) - Cynthia Nixon, American actress
(b.1970) - Mike Barz, American meteorologist and TV anchor
(b.1974) - Jenna Jameson, American porn star
(b.1977) - Gerard Way, American musician (My Chemical Romance)
(b.1979) - Keshia Knight Pulliam, American actress
(b.1979) - Albert Hammond, Jr., American guitarist (The Strokes)
(b.1979) - Keith Nobbs, American actor
(b.1980) - Yoanna House, American model
(b.1981) - Dennis Sarfate, American baseball player
(b.1986) - Brian Larsen, American musician and record producer
(b.1986) - Leighton Meester, American actress
(b.1987) - Jesse McCartney, American actor and singer
(b.1990) - Kristen Stewart, American actress ___________________________________________________________

(d.1876) - Charles Goodyear, American politician (b. 1804)
(d.1959) - Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect (b. 1867)
(d.1963) - Eddie Edwards, American jazz trombonist (b. 1891)
(d.1976) - Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer, pianist (b. 1903)
(d.1976) - Phil Ochs, American singer (b. 1940)
(d.1988) - Brook Benton, American singer (b. 1931)
(d.1988) - David Prater, American singer (Sam & Dave) (b. 1937)
(d.1991) - Martin Hannett, record producer (b. 1948)
(d.1996) - Richard Condon, American novelist (b. 1915)
(d.1996) - James W. Rouse, American real estate developer, activist, and philanthropist (b. 1914)
(d.1997) - Helene Hanff, American writer (b. 1916)
(d.1997) - Mae Boren Axton, American singer and songwriter (b. 1914)
(d.1998) - Tom Cora, American cellist and composer (b. 1953)
(d.2001) - Willie Stargell, American baseball player (b. 1940)
(d.2002) - Pat Flaherty, American racecar driver (b. 1926)
(d.2006) - Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, and official (b. 1916)