TODAY IN HISTORY - APRIL 5TH

1614 – In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.

1621 – The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to England.

1792 – United States President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.

1858 – Washington Atlee Burpee, Canadian businessman, founded Burpee Seeds (d. 1915) is born.

1908 – Bette Davis, American actress (d. 1989) is born.

1915 – Boxing challenger Jess Willard knocks out Jack Johnson in Havana, Cuba to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

1916 – Gregory Peck, American actor, political activist, and producer (d. 2003) is born.

1922 – The American Birth Control League, forerunner of Planned Parenthood, is incorporated.

1923 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company begins production of balloon-tires.

1933 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs two executive orders: 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps, and 6102 "forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates" by U.S. citizens.

1936 – Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado kills 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.

1943 – World War II: American bomber aircraft accidentally cause more than 900 civilian deaths, including 209 children, and 1,300 wounded among the civilian population of the Belgian town of Mortsel. Their target was the Erla factory one kilometer from the residential area hit.

1949 – Fireside Theater debuts on television.

1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, kills 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States.

1951 – Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for spying for the Soviet Union.

1973 – Pharrell Williams, American rapper, producer, and fashion designer (N.E.R.D, The Neptunes, and All City Chess Club) is born.

1992 – Sam Walton, American businessman, founded Walmart and Sam's Club (b. 1918) dies.

1994 – American musician Kurt Cobain commits suicide.

2007 – Darryl Stingley, American football player and scout (b. 1951) dies.

2008 – Charlton Heston, American actor, director, and political activist (b. 1923) dies.

2010 – Twenty-nine coal miners are killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.