Editorials

Today is Tuesday, April 16, the 106th day of 2002. There are 259 days left in the year. 

Highlight in History  

On April 16, 1947, the French ship Grandcamp blew up at the harbor in Texas City, Texas; another ship, the Highflyer, exploded the following day. The blasts and resulting fires killed 576 people. 

On this date: 

In 1789, President-elect Washington left Mount Vernon, Va., for his inauguration in New York. 

In 1862, a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia became law. 

In 1912, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. 

In 1917, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin returned to Russia after exile. 

In 1935, the radio comedy “Fibber McGee and Molly” premiered on the NBC Blue Network. 

In 1945, in his first speech to Congress, President Truman pledged to carry out the war and peace policies of his late predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

In 1945, U.S. troops reached Nuremberg, Germany, during the World War II. 

In 1947, financier and presidential confidant Bernard M. Baruch said in a speech at the South Carolina statehouse: “Let us not be deceived — we are today in the midst of a cold war.” 

In 1962, Walter Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of “The CBS Evening News.” 

In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the moon. 

Ten years ago: 

The House ethics committee listed 303 current and former lawmakers who had overdrawn their House bank accounts. 

Five years ago: Police in Israel recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for breach of trust in an influence-trading scandal. (Prosecutors later decided not to pursue charges against Netanyahu, citing a lack of proof.) 

One year ago: 

Israel launched an air strike against a strategic Syrian radar station in Lebanon, killing three Syrian soldiers. The Oregonian of Portland won two Pulitzer Prizes, including public service for its examination of widespread abuses by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. In breaking news reporting, The Miami Herald won for its coverage of the pre-dawn raid by federal agents who took custody of Elian Gonzalez; the story also produced the breaking news photography award for Alan Diaz of The Associated Press. Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”; David Auburn won for his play “Proof.” Lee Bong-ju of South Korea won the 105th Boston Marathon. Catherine Ndereba of Kenya won the women’s race for the second consecutive year. 

Today’s Birthdays:  

Actor Les Tremayne is 89. Actor Barry Nelson is 82. Actor-director-author Peter Ustinov is 81. Actor Peter Mark Richman is 75. Actress-singer Edie Adams is 73. Jazz musician Herbie Mann is 72. Singer Bobby Vinton is 67. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II is 62. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 55. Singer Gerry Rafferty is 55. Actress Ellen Barkin is 48. Singer Jimmy Osmond is 39. Rock singer David Pirner (Soul Asylum) is 38. Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence is 37. Actor Jon Cryer is 37. Rock musician Dan Rieser is 36. Actor Peter Billingsley is 30. Actor Lukas Haas is 26.