Today in History - May 22
By The Associated Press
Thu May 22, 12: 01 AM ET
Today is Thursday, May 22, the 143rd day of 2008. There are 223 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On May 22, 1968, the nuclear-powered U.S. submarine Scorpion, with 99 men aboard, sank in the Atlantic Ocean. (The remains of the sub were later found on the ocean floor 400 miles southwest of the Azores.)
On this date:
In 1813, composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany.
In 1868, a major train robbery took place near Marshfield, Ind., as members of the Reno gang made off with $96,000 in loot.
In 1907, actor-director Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England.
In 1939, the foreign ministers of Germany and Italy, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Galeazzo Ciano, signed a "Pact of Steel" committing the two countries to a military alliance.
In 1947, the Truman Doctrine was enacted as Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey.
In 1969, the lunar module of Apollo 10 flew to within nine miles of the moon's surface in a dress rehearsal for the first lunar landing.
In 1972, President Nixon began a visit to the Soviet Union, during which he and Kremlin leaders signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
In 1972, the island nation of Ceylon became the republic of Sri Lanka.
In 1979, Canadians voted in parliamentary elections that put the Progressive Conservatives in power, ending the 11-year tenure of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
In 1992, after a reign lasting nearly 30 years, Johnny Carson hosted NBC's "Tonight Show" for the last time.
Ten years ago: Federal Judge Norma Holloway Johnson ruled that Secret Service agents could be compelled to testify before the grand jury in the Monica Lewinsky investigation. Voters in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland turned out in force to cast ballots giving resounding approval to a Northern Ireland peace accord.
Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council gave the U.S. and Britain a mandate to rule Iraq, ending 13 years of economic sanctions. Annika Sorenstam became the first woman since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945 to tee off against the men on the pro tour, playing in the first round of the Colonial golf tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. (Sorenstam missed the cut the next day by four shots.)
One year ago: British prosecutors accused former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi of murder in the radioactive poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. (Russia, however, has refused to extradite Lugovoi.) Two-time Olympic gold medalist speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno and his professional dance partner, Julianne Hough, won ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
Today's Birthdays: Movie reviewer Judith Crist is 86. Singer Charles Aznavour is 84. Actor Michael Constantine is 81. Conductor Peter Nero is 74. Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 70. Actor Frank Converse is 70. Actor Michael Sarrazin is 68. Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw is 68. Actress Barbara Parkins is 66. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 58. Actor-producer Al Corley is 52. Singer Morrissey is 49. Actress Ann Cusack is 47. Country musician Dana Williams (Diamond Rio) is 47. Rock musician Jesse Valenzuela is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Johnny Gill (New Edition) is 42. Rock musician Dan Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 41. Model Naomi Campbell is 38. Actress Anna Belknap is 36. Actress Alison Eastwood is 36. Singer Donell Jones is 35. Actress A.J. Langer is 34. Olympic gold-medal speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno is 26.
Thought for Today: "Freedom is the right to do what you ought to do." — Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, American religious leader (1895-1979).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080522/...n_hi/history_1