A U.S. Army Air Forces B-25B Mitchell bomber takes off from the USS Hornet (CV-8) aircraft carrier to take part in the first U.S. bombing of Japan on April 18, 1942. The surprise attack, retaliation for the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, would go down in history as the "Doolittle Raid," named after the man who commanded it, Lt. Col. James Doolittle. Photo by NARA

Today is Monday, April 18, the 109th day of 2016 with 257 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Neptune, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn.


Those born on this date are under the sign of Aries. They include Italian Duchess Lucrezia Borgia in 1480; lawyer Clarence Darrow in 1857; conductor Leopold Stokowski in 1882; musician Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown in 1924; actor Barbara Hale in 1922 (age 94), actor Hayley Mills in 1946 (age 70); actor James Woods in 1947 (age 69); actor Rick Moranis in 1953 (age 63); actor Eric Roberts in 1956 (age 60); actor Jane Leeves in 1961 (age 55); talk show host Conan O'Brien in 1963 (age 53); actor Eric McCormack in 1963 (age 53); actor Maria Bello in 1967 (age 49); actor Melissa Joan Hart in 1976 (age 40); TV personality Kourtney Kardashian in 1979 (age 37).

On this date in history:

In 1506, the cornerstone was placed for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

In 1775, American patriot Paul Revere began his famous ride through the Massachusetts countryside, crying out "The British are coming!" to rally the Minutemen.

In 1831, the University of Alabama was founded.

In 1906, an earthquake estimated at magnitude-7.8 struck San Francisco, collapsing buildings and igniting fires that destroyed much of what remained of the city. Researchers and historians concluded that about 3,000 people died in the quake and its aftermath and roughly 250,000 were left homeless.

In 1912, three days after the sinking of Titanic, her survivors arrived in New York City aboard the RMS Carpathia.

In 1923, Yankee Stadium opened in New York.

In 1942, the Doolittle Raid - Lt. Col. James Doolittle led a squadron of B-25 bombers in a surprise raid against Tokyo in response to the Japanese sneak attack against Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

In 1945, American journalist Ernie Pyle, a popular World War II correspondent, was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on the island of Ie Shima in the Pacific.

In 1949, the Republic of Ireland formally declared itself independent from Britain.

In 1970, cow's death spurs anti-litterbug fight. When Robin died the day before she was to be entered at a state fair, Edgar Grimes decided to take up the battle against roadside litter in Oregon.

In 1980, Rhodesia became the independent African nation of Zimbabwe.

In 1983, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, was severely damaged by a car-bomb explosion that killed 63 people, including 17 Americans.

In 1992, an 11-year-old Florida boy sued to "divorce" his natural parents and remain with his foster parents. The boy eventually won his lawsuit.

In 2002, former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, (D-Neb), revealed that at least 13 civilians were killed by his U.S. Navy unit in a Vietnamese village in 1969.

In 2004, in one of his first acts as Spain's prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero issued orders withdrawing all 1,300 Spanish troops from Iraq.

In 2007, More than 125 people were killed in a suicide car-bomb explosion near a Baghdad market.

In 2012, Secretary of State Leon Panetta condemned the behavior of American soldiers photographed posing with corpses of Afghan insurgents in 2010.

In 2014, an avalanche on what is known as a particularly dangerous route to the top of Mount Everest in the Himalayas killed 16 Sherpa guides.

A thought for the day: Edward W. Howe said, "If you don't learn to laugh at troubles, you won't have anything to laugh at when you grow old."