Today in History - May 21

By The Associated Press
Wed May 21, 12: 01 AM ET

Today is Wednesday, May 21, the 142nd day of 2008. There are 224 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis near Paris, completing the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

On this date:

In 1542, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto died while searching for gold along the Mississippi River.

In 1832, the first Democratic National Convention got under way, in Baltimore.

In 1840, New Zealand was declared a British colony.

In 1892, the opera "Pagliacci," by Ruggero Leoncavallo, was first performed, in Milan, Italy.

In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

In 1924, 14-year-old Bobby Franks was murdered in a "thrill killing" committed by Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb, two students at the University of Chicago.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean as she landed in Northern Ireland, about 15 hours after leaving Newfoundland.

In 1956, the United States exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.

In 1959, the musical "Gypsy," inspired by the life of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, opened on Broadway.

In 1979, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the slayings of Mayor George Moscone and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk.

Ten years ago: Teen gunman Kip Kinkel opened fire inside Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore., killing two students, a day after killing his parents. (Kinkel was sentenced to nearly 112 years in prison for the slayings.) In the wake of deadly anti-government protests, Indonesia President Suharto stepped down after 32 years in power and was succeeded by Vice President B.J. Habibie. Frank and Shirley Capaci of Streamwood, Ill., announced they were the holders of a winning Powerball ticket worth $195 million.

Five years ago: Christie Whitman resigned as Environmental Protection Agency administrator. The most devastating earthquake to hit Algeria in two decades killed at least 2,200 people. Ruben Studdard edged Clay Aiken to win the second "American Idol" competition on Fox.

One year ago: The Supreme Court ruled that parents don't need to hire a lawyer to sue public school districts over their children's special education needs. The Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert for the diabetes drug Avandia, marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, which disputed a report saying it was linked to a greater risk of heart attack.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Jeanne Bates ("Ben Casey") is 90. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 67. Actor Richard Hatch ("Battlestar Galactica") is 63. Musician Bill Champlin (Chicago) is 61. Singer Leo Sayer is 60. Actress Carol Potter is 60. Comedian/radio talk show host Al Franken is 57. Actor Mr. T is 56. Music producer Stan Lynch is 53. Actor Judge Reinhold is 51. Actor-director Nick Cassavetes is 49. Actor Brent Briscoe is 47. Actress Lisa Edelstein is 40. Actress Fairuza Balk is 34. Rapper Havoc (Mobb Deep) is 34. Actress Ashlie Brillault is 21. Actor Scott Leavenworth is 18. Actress Sarah Ramos is 17.

Thought for Today: "Being frustrated is disagreeable, but the real disasters of life begin when you get what you want." — Irving Kristol, American editor.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080521/...n_hi/history_1