Today in History

Today is Wednesday, April 1, the 91st day of 2015. There are 274 days left in the year. This is April Fool's Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 1, 1945, American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World War II. (U.S. forces succeeded in capturing the Japanese island on June 22.)

On this date:

In 1789, the U.S. House of Representatives held its first full meeting in New York; Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first House speaker.

In 1815, Prussian/German statesman Otto von Bismarck was born in Schoenhausen.

In 1865, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan routed Confederate soldiers under the command of Maj. Gen. George Pickett in the Battle of Five Forks in Virginia.

In 1933, Nazi Germany staged a daylong national boycott of Jewish-owned businesses.

In 1954, the United States Air Force Academy was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 1962, the Katherine Anne Porter novel "Ship of Fools," an allegory about the rise of Nazism in Germany, was published by Little, Brown & Co. on April Fool's Day.

In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and television, to take effect after Jan. 1, 1971.

In 1972, the first Major League Baseball players' strike began; it lasted 12 days.

In 1984, recording star Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father, Marvin Gay (cq) Sr. in Los Angeles, the day before his 45th birthday. (The elder Gay pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, and received probation.)

In 1992, the National Hockey League Players' Association went on its first-ever strike, which lasted 10 days.

Ten years ago: The Vatican reported that Pope John Paul II was near death, his breathing shallow and his heart and kidneys failing. President Bill Clinton's former national security adviser, Sandy Berger, pleaded guilty to sneaking classified documents out of the National Archives; he was later sentenced to two years' probation.

Five years ago: Roman Catholic cardinals across Europe used their Holy Thursday sermons to defend Pope Benedict XVI from accusations he'd played a role in covering up sex abuse scandals. Dayton denied the previous year's national champs another title as the Flyers beat North Carolina 79-68 to win the NIT. Actor John Forsythe, 92, died in Santa Ynez, California.

One year ago: Mocking his critics, President Barack Obama boasted that 7.1 million people had signed up for his health care law, and said "the debate over repealing this law is over." Congress demanded answers from General Motors' new CEO, Mary Barra, on why the automaker had taken 10 years to recall cars with a faulty ignition switch linked at that time to 13 traffic deaths; Barra acknowledged that the company took too long to act.

Thought for Today: "The only sin is mediocrity." — Martha Graham, American modern dance pioneer (born 1894, died this date in 1991).

(Above Advance for Use Wednesday, April 1)