Today in history

Today is Thursday, April 23, the 113th day of 2015. There are 252 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight:

On April 23, 2005, the recently created video-sharing website YouTube uploaded its first clip. Titled “Me at the Zoo,” the video consisted of 18 seconds of YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo, commenting on the animals’ “really, really, really long, uh, trunks.” (Today, YouTube claims more than 1 billion users and says that 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute.)

On this date:

In 1616, English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare, 52, died on what has been traditionally regarded as the anniversary of his birth in 1564.

In 1789, President-elect George Washington and his wife, Martha, moved into the first executive mansion, the Franklin House, in New York.

In 1791, the 15th president of the United States, James Buchanan, was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.

In 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt delivered his famous “Man in the Arena” speech at the Sorbonne in Paris.

In 1914, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, then called Weeghman Park, hosted its first major league game as the Chicago Federals defeated the Kansas City Packers 9-1.

In 1935, Poland adopted a constitution which gave new powers to the presidency.

In 1940, about 200 people died in the Rhythm Night Club Fire in Natchez, Mississippi.

In 1954, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first of his 755 major-league home runs in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. (The Braves won, 7-5.)

In 1965, the Four Tops’ single “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” was released by Motown.

In 1985, the Coca-Cola Co. announced it was changing the secret flavor formula for Coke (negative public reaction forced the company to resume selling the original version).

In 1995, sportscaster Howard Cosell died in New York at age 77.

In 2007, Boris Yeltsin, the first freely elected Russian president, died in Moscow at age 76.

Ten years ago: Leaders of China and Japan met in Jakarta, Indonesia, to try to settle their nations’ worst dispute in three decades, but failed to reach an agreement in the bitter feud over Tokyo’s handling of its World War II atrocities. Silvio Berlusconi was sworn in as head of Italy’s 60th postwar government. Renowned British actor Sir John Mills died in Denham, England, at age 97.

Five years ago: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the nation’s toughest illegal immigration law, saying “decades of inaction and misguided policy” had created a “dangerous and unacceptable situation”; opponents said the law would encourage discrimination against Hispanics. The Coast Guard suspended a three-day search for 11 workers missing after an explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Actress Sandra Bullock filed divorce papers in Austin, Texas, to end her five-year marriage to Jesse James.

One year ago: Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a law allowing legally owned guns in bars without restriction and in some churches, schools and government buildings under certain circumstances. Facebook reported its earnings had nearly tripled and revenue had grown sharply in the first quarter, surpassing Wall Street’s expectations. Mark Shand, 62, the brother-in-law of the Prince of Wales and a chairman of an elephant conservation group, died in New York after sustaining a serious head injury in a fall.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Alan Oppenheimer is 85. Actor David Birney is 76. Actor Lee Majors is 76. Hockey Hall of Famer Tony Esposito is 72. Irish nationalist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey is 68. Actress Blair Brown is 67. Writer-director Paul Brickman is 66. Actress Joyce DeWitt is 66. Actor James Russo is 62. Filmmaker-author Michael Moore is 61. Actress Judy Davis is 60. Actress Valerie Bertinelli is 55. Actor Craig Sheffer is 55. Actor-comedian-talk show host George Lopez is 54. Rock musician Gen is 51. U.S. Olympic gold medal skier Donna Weinbrecht is 50. Actress Melina Kanakaredes is 48. Rock musician Stan Frazier (Sugar Ray) is 47. Country musician Tim Womack (Sons of the Desert) is 47. Actor Scott Bairstow is 45. Actor-writer John Lutz is 42. Actor Barry Watson is 41. Rock musician Aaron Dessner (The National) is 39. Rock musician Bryce Dessner (The National) is 39. Actor-writer-comedian John Oliver is 38. Actor Kal Penn is 38. MLB All-Star Andruw Jones is 38. Actress Jaime King is 36. Pop singer Taio Cruz is 32. Actor Aaron Hill is 32. Actor Jesse Lee Soffer is 31. Actress Rachel Skarsten is 30. Singer-songwriter John Fullbright is 27. Tennis player Nicole Vaidisova is 26. Actor Dev Patel is 25. Actor Matthew Underwood is 25. Actor Camryn Walling is 25.

Thought for today: “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” — Andy Warhol, American pop artist (1928-1987).

Associated Press