This Day in History

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, orbiting the earth once before landing safely via parachute after a planned ejection from his space capsule.

Also on this date:

In 1861, the U.S. Civil War began as Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, at age 63; he was succeeded by Vice President Harry S. Truman.

In 1954, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded "Rock Around the Clock," a song often cited as bringing rock 'n' roll music into the mainstream when it was popularized in the film "The Blackboard Jungle" the following year.

In 1955, the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was declared safe and effective following nearly a year of field trials undertaken by about 1.8 million American child volunteers dubbed "polio pioneers."

In 1963, civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, charged with contempt of court and parading without a permit. (During his time behind bars, King wrote his "Letter from Birmingham Jail.")

In 1981, the NASA Space Shuttle program began as Space Shuttle Columbia, the world's first reusable spacecraft, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center.

Today's Birthdays: Musician Herbie Hancock is 85. Musician John Kay (Steppenwolf) is 81. Actor Ed O'Neill is 79. TV host David Letterman is 78. Author Scott Turow is 76. Actor Andy Garcia is 69. Movie director Walter Salles (SAL'-ihs) is 69. Country musician Vince Gill is 68. Actor-comedian Retta is 55. Actor Claire Danes is 46. Actor Jennifer Morrison is 46. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is 44. Model-actor Brooklyn Decker is 38. Actor-comedian Ilana Glazer is 38. Actor Saoirse (SUR'-shuh) Ronan is 31.