Today in History: Wednesday, April 12, 2017

AP Highlight in History:  On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began as Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.   AP Photo/Fort Sumter National Monument
On this date in: 1606 England's King James I decreed the design of the original Union Flag, which combined the flags of England and Scotland. 1877 The catcher for Harvard's baseball team, James Tyng, wore a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It is believed to be the first time a catcher's mask was used during a game. 1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga., at age 63. AP Photo 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before making a safe landing. AP Photo 1981 The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its first test flight. 1983 Harold Washington was elected Chicago's first African-American mayor. 1999 U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright found President Bill Clinton in contempt of court for giving "intentionally false" testimony in a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. 2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned under pressure from the country's divided military. (He was returned to office two days later.) 2004 Barry Bonds hit his 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for third on baseball's career list. (Bonds is now the career leader in home runs.) 2009 American cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. Navy snipers who shot and killed three of the hostage-takers.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Country musician Vince Gill turns 60 years old today. AP Photo/Chris Pizzello Name Profession Age Montserrat Caballe Opera singer 84 Herbie Hancock Jazz musician 77 John Kay Rock singer (Steppenwolf) 73 Ed O'Neill Actor ("Modern Family," "Married ... With Children") 71 Dan Lauria Actor ("The Wonder Years") 70 David Letterman Talk show host 70 Scott Turow Author 68 David Cassidy Actor, singer ("The Partridge Family") 67 Andy Garcia Actor 61 Amy Ray Folk singer, musician (Indigo Girls) 53 Nicholas Brendon Actor ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") 46 Shannen Doherty Actress 46 Jennifer Morrison Actress ("House M.D.") 38 Matt McGorry Actor ("Orange is the New Black") 31 Brendon Urie Rock musician (Panic at the Disco) 30 Saoirse Ronan Actress ("Atonement," "The Lovely Bones") 23 Actress Claire Danes turns 38 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini