TODAY IN HISTORY

Monday, April  30, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On April 30, 1945, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1789 George Washington took office in New York as the first president of the United States. 1803 The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. 1812 Louisiana became the 18th state. 1859 "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens was first published in serial form in a literary magazine. 1900 Hawaii was organized as a U.S. territory. 1939 The New York World's Fair opened. 1958 The American Association of Retired Persons was founded in Washington, D.C. 1970 President Richard Nixon announced the United States was sending troops into Cambodia.  Read the original AP story 1975 The South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces.  Read the original AP story AP Photo 1993 Top-ranked women's tennis player Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a man who ran onto the court during a match in Hamburg, Germany. 1997 ABC aired the "coming out" episode of the sitcom "Ellen," in which the title character, played by Ellen DeGeneres, admitted she is a lesbian. 2001 Chandra Levy, a federal government intern, went missing in Washington, D.C. (Her remains were found more than a year later in a city park.) 2003 Mahmoud Abbas took office as the first Palestinian prime minister. 2005 Missing Georgia woman Jennifer Wilbanks, the so-called "runaway bride," turned up in Albuquerque, N.M. 2009 Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection. 2009 British forces exited Iraq.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory") turns 37 years old today. AP Photo/Dan Steinberg Name Profession Age Cloris Leachman Actress ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Phyllis") 86 Willie Nelson Country singer 79 Gary Collins Talk show host 74 Burt Young Actor 72 Bobby Vee Singer 69 Merrill Osmond Singer (The Osmonds) 59 Jane Campion Director ("The Piano") 58 Stephen Harper Prime minister of Canada 53 Isiah Thomas Basketball Hall of Famer 51 Adrian Pasdar Actor ("Heroes") 47 Akon R&B singer 39 Kunal Nayyar Actor ("Big Bang Theory") 31 Kirsten Dunst Actress 30 Actress Dianna Agron ("Glee") turns 26 years old today. AP Photo/Dan Steinberg