TODAY IN HISTORY-APRIL 28, 2011

Today is Thursday, April 28, the 118th day of 2011. There are 247 days left in the year.

Today in History:  AP Highlight in History: On April 28, 1758, James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, was born in Virginia. AP Photo
On this date in: 1788 Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1789 The crew of the British ship Bounty mutineed, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. 1945 Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed. 1947 A six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia. 1967 Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army. AP Photo 1980 Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned over his opposition to the failed rescue mission aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran. 1990 The musical "A Chorus Line" closed after 6,137 performances on Broadway. 1994 Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had betrayed U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 1996 President Bill Clinton gave 4 1/2 hours of videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners. 2001 A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito. 2003 Apple Computer Inc. launched the iTunes store. 2004 The first photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS' "60 Minutes II." 2009 Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party.		Today's Birthdays: Supreme Court justice Elena Kagan turns 51 years old today. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Name Profession Age Harper Lee Author ("To Kill a Mockingbird") 85 James A. Baker III Former secretary of state 81 Ann-Margret Singer, actress 70 Marcia Strassman Actress ("Welcome Back, Kotter") 63 Paul Guilfoyle Actor ("CSI") 62 Jay Leno Talk show host ("The Tonight Show") 61 Kim Gordon Rock musician (Sonic Youth) 58 Mary McDonnell Actress 58 Barry Larkin Baseball player 47 John Daly Golfer 45 Jorge Garcia Actor ("Lost") 38 Elisabeth Rohm Actress ("Law and Order") 38 Penelope Cruz Actress 37 Nate Richert Actor ("Sabrina the Teenage Witch") 33 Actor Jessica Alba turns 30 years old today. AP Photo/Dan Steinberg

Thought for Today: 

"It takes a long time to understand nothing." — Edward Dahlberg, American author and critic (1900-1977).

Prayer For Today:

“A Prayer Of Surrender To God’s Will”

Father God, I am in awe of Your invitation that bids me come and offer my all.  My all seems so insignificant in comparison to Your vastness, Your Holiness, Your omnipotent power.  Though I am completely unworthy to be called Your child, You embrace me wholly with Your infinite compassion and absolute acceptance.   Though I’ve given You my heart it will be a lifetime struggle to surrender to You my all.  It is not in my own strength or capability but in Your merciful embrace that little by little I loosen my grip on the temporary to take hold of the eternal treasures that result from my intimate relationship with You, God Almighty.  Amen.