Today in History - May 24
By The Associated Press
Sat May 24, 12: 01 AM ET
Today is Saturday, May 24, the 145th day of 2008. There are 221 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan, was dedicated by President Chester Arthur and New York Gov. Grover Cleveland, and opened to traffic.
On this date:
In 1819, Queen Victoria was born in London.
In 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message, "What hath God wrought" from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America's first telegraph line.
In 1935, the first major league baseball game to be played at night took place at Cincinnati's Crosley Field as the Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1.
In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British dreadnought Hood in the North Atlantic.
In 1958, United Press International was formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
In 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard Aurora 7.
In 1976, Britain and France opened trans-Atlantic Concorde supersonic transport service to Washington.
In 1977, in a surprise move, the Kremlin ousted Soviet President Nikolai Podgorny from the Communist Party's ruling Politburo.
In 1980, Iran rejected a call by the World Court in The Hague to release the American hostages.
In 2001, 23 people died when the floor of a Jerusalem wedding hall collapsed beneath dancing guests in a horrifying scene captured on video.
Ten years ago: A Greek film, "Eternity and a Day," won the Golden Palm at the 51st Cannes Film Festival, while the runner-up Grand Prize went to "Life is Beautiful," directed by and starring Italy's Roberto Benigni.
Five years ago: Furious crowds hurled debris and insults at Algeria President Abdelaziz Bouteflika when he visited a town devastated by a deadly earthquake. The U.S.-led coalition ordered Iraqis to give up their weapons by mid-June. British actress Rachel Kempson, matriarch of the Redgrave acting dynasty, died in Millbrook, N.Y., four days short of her 93rd birthday.
One year ago: Bowing to President Bush, Congress passed an emergency war spending bill that did not include a provision ordering troops home from Iraq beginning in the fall of 2007. Ohio death row inmate Christopher Newton was executed by injection; it took him 16 minutes to die, more than twice the usual amount of time, once chemicals began flowing into his veins, which the execution team had had trouble locating.
Today's Birthdays: Comedian Tommy Chong is 70. Singer Bob Dylan is 67. Singer Patti LaBelle is 64. Actress Priscilla Presley is 63. Country singer Mike Reid is 61. Actor Jim Broadbent is 58. Actor Alfred Molina is 55. Singer Rosanne Cash is 53. Actress Kristin Scott Thomas is 48. Rock musician Jimmy Ashhurst (Buckcherry) is 45. Rock musician Vivian Trimble is 45. Actor John C. Reilly is 43. Actor Eric Close is 41. Rapper-recording executive Heavy D is 41. Rock musician Rich Robinson is 39. Actor Billy L. Sullivan is 28. Actor-rapper Big Tyme is 25. Country singer Billy Gilman is 20. Actor Cayden Boyd is 14.
Thought for Today: "Responsibility educates." — Wendell Phillips, American abolitionist (1811-1884).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080524/...n_hi/history_1