Samantha Smith was an American schoolgirl from Manchester, Maine who was called America's Youngest Ambassador in the USA and the Goodwill Ambassador in the USSR during her lifetime. She became famous in these two countries and well-known worldwide after writing a letter to the Soviet leader Yuri Andropov during the Cold War period and receiving a reply from Andropov which included a personal invitation to visit the Soviet Union, which Smith accepted. Assisted by extensive media attention in both countries, she participated in peacemaking activities in some other countries after her visit to the Soviet Union, wrote a book and co-starred in a television series before her death in an air crash.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Smith

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1503: Christopher Columbus and his crew became the first Europeans to visit the Cayman Islands. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayman_Islands)

1768: John Wilkes was imprisoned for criticizing King George III, sparking riots in London. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes)

1857: The Sepoy Rebellion broke out in colonial India, threatening the rule of the British East India Company. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rebellion_of_1857)

1869: The First Transcontinental Railroad of North America was completed with a golden spike ceremony.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Railroad_%28North_Americ...)

1941: World War II: Nazi leader Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland, claiming to be on a peace mission. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"The world is more malleable than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape." -- Bono (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bono)