Moments in Time

The History Channel

• On April 4, 1812, President James Madison fires an economic salvo at the British government and enacts a 90-day embargo on trade with England. The embargo did little to forestall war: The British refused to cease harassing American ships, prompting Madison to lead America into the War of 1812.

• On April 3, 1860, the first Pony Express mail simultaneously leaves St. Joseph, Mo., heading west, and Sacramento, Calif., heading east on a 1,800-mile journey. On April 13, the westbound packet arrived in Sacramento, beating the eastbound packet by two days.

• On April 7, 1891, American showman Phineas Taylor Barnum dies in Bridgeport, Conn. The 81-year-old showman’s sense of humor never deserted him. He requested that a New York newspaper run his obituary before he died so he could enjoy reading it, and the paper obliged.

• On April 2, 1902, the first American theater devoted solely to movies opens in Los Angeles. Housed in a circus tent, the venue was dubbed “The Electric Theater.” Admission cost 10 cents for a one-hour show.

• On April 5, 1931, Fox Film Corp. drops John Wayne from its roster of actors. Wayne had played bit parts but failed to impress the studio. In 1939, Wayne finally had his breakthrough in “Stagecoach.” He went on to play in dozens of movies, including “True Grit,” for which he won an Oscar in 1969.

• On April 6, 1970, Sam Sheppard, a doctor convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in a trial that caused a media frenzy in the 1950s, dies of liver failure. After a decade in prison, Sheppard was found “not guilty” in a second trial in 1966. “The Fugitive” television series and movie were rumored to have been loosely inspired by the story.

• On April 8, 1990, director David Lynch’s surreal series, “Twin Peaks,” premieres. The show, with its bizarre characters and baffling story line, became an instant cult hit. Kyle MacLachlan starred as Dale Cooper, an FBI agent assigned to visit a small town in the Pacific Northwest to try to unravel the mystery of the murder of resident Laura Palmer.

(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.