Today In History

1906: A devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires. About 700 people died.

1942: An air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.

1945: Famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, 44, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima.

1949: The Irish republic was proclaimed.

1983: 62 people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by a suicide bomber.

Ten years ago: President Reagan used his weekly radio address to express hope the superpowers could reach an agreement to sharply reduce the threat of intermediate-range nuclear weapons.

Five years ago: Serbia issued a protest to the United States, accusing Washington of siding with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia in the Yugoslav crisis.

xxxx