Today in History.....April 27

On this day in …

* 1805, during the First Barbary War, an American-led force of Marines and mercenaries captured the city of Derna, on the shores of Tripoli

* 1865, the steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., killing more than 1,400 Union prisoners of war

* 1937, the nation's first Social Security checks were distributed.

* 1973, during the Watergate scandal, Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray resigned

* 1978, convicted Watergate defendant John D. Ehrlichman was released from an Arizona prison after serving 18 months

* 1982, the trial of John W. Hinckley Jr., who had shot four people, including President Reagan, began in Washington. (The trial ended with Hinckley's acquittal by reason of insanity.)

* 1986, a video pirate calling himself "Captain Midnight"
interrupted a movie on HBO with a printed message protesting de-scrambling fees. (Captain Midnight turned out to be John R.
MacDougall of Florida, who was fined and placed on probation.)

* 1996, tens of thousands of refugees streamed home to southern Lebanon after a U.S.-brokered cease-fire silenced the guns in the 16-day Israel-Hezbollah war

* 2001, the U.S. Navy resumed military exercises on Vieques island in Puerto Rico, drawing protesters

* 2005, touting technology as a way to solve the country's energy problems, President Bush called for construction of more nuclear power plants and urged Congress to give tax breaks for fuel-efficient hybrid and clean-diesel cars. ALSO: Russian President Vladimir Putin became the first Kremlin leader to visit Israel. The Airbus A380, the world's largest jetliner, made its maiden fligh