Years Ago

Today is Wednesday, April 6, the 96th day of 2011. There are 269 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1830: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, N.Y.

1896: The first modern Olympic games formally opens in Athens, Greece.

1909: Explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson and four Inuits become the first men to reach the North Pole.

1917: Congress approves a declaration of war against Germany.

1945: During World War II, the Japanese warship Yamato and nine other vessels sail on a suicide mission to attack the U.S. fleet off Okinawa; the fleet is intercepted the next day.

1985: William J. Schroeder becomes the first artificial heart recipient to be discharged from the hospital.

1994: The presidents of Rwanda and Burundi are killed in a mysterious plane crash near Rwanda’s capital; widespread violence and killings erupt in Rwanda.

VINDICATOR FILES

1986: Analysts suggest that the timing is bad for developing a new ethanol distillery in Niles that has been proposed by U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. The price of crude oil has dropped from $28 per barrel to $12.

Youngstown area aviation officials and pilots say the FAA’s proposal to close its flight service station at Youngstown Municipal Airport could create a safety hazard.

Sister Rose Dailey is appointed by the Ursuline community to a full time ministry in peace and justice in the area.

1971: Youngstown Mayor Jack C. Hunter continues his campaign to reorganize local government by proposing a “unigovernment” in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Warren City Council passes legislation to layoff 86 city employees effective in 30 days in an economy move.

M.P. Tannehill, president of the Youngstown Chamber of Commerce, places a wreath at the statue of Volney Rogers to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Mill Creek Park.

1961: Plans for a private development foundation to sell stock to Youngstown area residents to finance a $5 million stadium and arena project are outlined to City Council.

A 57-year-old father of four, Nick Obrovac, is killed by a hit-skip driver as he rode a bicycle in Salt Spring Road near his home.

Austintown Township trustees uphold the township Zoning Commission, which unanimously refused Saramar Aluminum Co.’s application for a zone change on Mahoning Avenue.

The Kroger Co. buys three lots on Market Street between LaClede and Princeton avenues for a new supermarket.

1936: Youngstown’s $3 million slum clearance and rehousing project, once rated “number one” among federal projects, is said to be dead.

Youngstown district merchants are seeing their best pre-Easter shopping since 1930, as biweekly steel payrolls are totaling $3 million.

The Rev. George Vernon Higgins accepts the call to become rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, taking the place the Rev. I.F. Jones, who has become chaplain of a CCC camp at Yellow Springs.