MOMENTS IN TIME

• On April 2, 1917, Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman ever elected to Congress, takes her seat in the U.S. Capitol as a representative from Montana. The same day, President Wilson urged a declaration of war against Germany. Rankin was one of only 50 representatives who voted against the declaration.

• On April 3, 1956, Elvis sings his first RCA recording, "Heartbreak Hotel," on NBC's "Milton Berle Show." By April 21, the song had become Elvis' first No. 1 single.

• 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 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." Wayne 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 7, 1776, Navy Captain John Barry, commander of the American warship Lexington, makes the first American naval capture of a British vessel when he takes command of the British warship HMS Edward off the coast of Virginia.

• 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.