Moments in Time The History Channel

+ On April 17, 1790, American statesman, printer, scientist and writer Benjamin Franklin dies in Philadelphia at age 84. In his scientific papers Franklin coined many terms still used in discussing electricity, including positive, negative, battery and conductor.

+ On April 20, 1841, Edgar Allen Poe's story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" first appears in Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine. The tale is generally considered to be the first detective story, and like the later Sherlock Holmes stories is narrated by the detective's roommate.

+ On April 22, 1886, Ohio passes a statute that makes seduction unlawful for all men over the age of 21 who work as teachers or instructors of women. The penalty for disobeying the law ranged from two to 10 years in prison.

+ On April 19, 1903, Eliot Ness, the man best known for using the tax code to take down Al Capone, is born. Ness led the charge against gin joints,

speakeasies and other illegal institutions. Along the way, Treasury agents gathered the information that led to Capone's conviction for tax evasion.

+ On April 21, 1918, in the skies over Vauz sur Somme, France, Manfred von Richthofen, the notorious German flying ace known as "The Red Baron," is killed by Allied fire. He was 25 years old.

+ On April 18, 1945, journalist Ernie Pyle, America's most popular war correspondent, is killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on the island of Ie Shima in the Pacific. Pyle, who won the Pulitzer Prize a year earlier, always wrote about the experiences of enlisted men rather than the battles they participated in.

+ On April 23, 1956, Elvis makes his first appearance in Las Vegas. The audience, mostly middle-aged, was so unimpressed with the rock-and-roll star that his two-week run was canceled after only a week.

(c) 2006 King Features Synd., Inc.