Today in History
 

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"][CENTER]Today in History - April 30[/CENTER][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]


Today is Wednesday, April 30, the 121st day of 2008. There are 245 days left in the year.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="3"]Today's Highlight in History:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

On April 30, 1945, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun.

[B][FONT="Georgia"]On this date:[/FONT][/B]

In 1789, George Washington took office in New York as the first president of the United States.

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million.

In 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state of the Union.

In 1948, the charter of the Organization of American States was signed in Bogota, Colombia.

In 1958, the American Association of Retired Persons (later simply AARP) was founded in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus.

In 1958, Britain's Life Peerages Act 1958 allowed women to become members of the House of Lords.

In 1968, New York City police forcibly removed student demonstrators occupying five buildings at Columbia University.

In 1970, President Nixon announced the U.S. was sending troops into Cambodia, an action that sparked widespread protest.

In 1973, President Nixon announced the resignations of top aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, along with Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst and White House counsel John Dean.

In 1988, Gen. Manuel Noriega, waving a machete, vowed at a rally to keep fighting U.S. efforts to oust him as Panama's military ruler.

Ten years ago: President Clinton questioned the conduct of Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr and dismissed Republican challenges to his own character as "high level static." United and Delta airlines formed an alliance that would control one-third of all U.S. passenger seats. A man set himself on fire and shot himself to death on a Los Angeles area freeway in a scene captured on live television.

Five years ago: International mediators presented Israeli and Palestinian leaders with a new Middle East "road map," a U.S.-backed blueprint for ending 31 months of violence and establishing a Palestinian state. Mahmoud Abbas took office as Palestinian prime minister. The U.S. Navy withdrew from its disputed Vieques bombing range in Puerto Rico, prompting celebrations by islanders.

One year ago: A British judge sentenced five al-Qaida-linked men, all British citizens, to life in prison for plotting to attack London targets, including a nightclub, power plants and shopping mall, with bombs. An Israeli government probe faulted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for what it called "very severe failures" in Israel's war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Actor Tom Poston died in Los Angeles at age 85.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Cloris Leachman is 82. Singer Willie Nelson is 75. Actor Gary Collins is 70. Actor Burt Young is 68. Singer Bobby Vee is 65. Actress Jill Clayburgh is 64. Movie director Allan Arkush is 60. Actor Perry King is 60. Singer Merrill Osmond is 55. Movie director Jane Campion is 54. Actor Paul Gross is 49. Basketball coach Isiah Thomas is 47. Country musician Robert Reynolds (The Mavericks) is 46. Actor Adrian Pasdar is 43. Rapper Turbo B (Snap) is 41. Rock musician Clark Vogeler is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chris "Choc" Dalyrimple (Soul for Real) is 37. Rock musician Chris Henderson (3 Doors Down) is 37. Country singer Carolyn Dawn Johnson is 37. Rock singer J.R. Richards (Dishwalla) is 36. Actress Lisa Dean Ryan is 36. Rhythm-and-blues singer Akon is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees) is 35. Actor Johnny Galecki is 33. Singer-musician Cole Deggs (Cole Deggs and the Lonesome) is 32. Rapper Lloyd Banks is 26. Actress Kirsten Dunst is 26. Country singer Tyler Wilkinson (The Wilkinsons) is 24.

Thought for Today: "More persons, on the whole, are humbugged by believing nothing, than by believing too much." — P.T. Barnum, American showman (1810-1891).

[url]http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhZfSZI4djl_MxnRykC5lZzlBMYQD90CC5780[/url]

[B][CENTER][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"]Today in History - May 1[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER][/B]


Today is Thursday, May 1, the 122nd day of 2008. There are 244 days left in the year.

[B][FONT="Georgia"]Today's Highlight in History:[/FONT][/B]

On May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey gave the command, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley," as an American naval force destroyed a Spanish squadron in Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.

[B][FONT="Georgia"]On this date:[/FONT][/B]

In 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was created as a treaty merging England and Scotland took effect.

In 1786, Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro" premiered in Vienna.

In 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition opened to the public in Chicago.

In 1931, New York's 102-story Empire State Building was dedicated.

In 1945, a day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide, Adm. Karl Doenitz effectively became sole leader of the Third Reich with the suicide of Hitler's propaganda minister, Josef Goebbels.

In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane near Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

In 1963, James W. Whittaker became the first American to conquer Mount Everest as he and a Sherpa guide reached the summit.

In 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas. (They divorced in 1973.)

In 1978, Ernest Morial was inaugurated as the first black mayor of New Orleans.

In 1982, the 1982 World's Fair opened in Knoxville, Tenn.

Ten years ago: Eldridge Cleaver, the fiery Black Panther leader who later renounced his past and became a Republican, died in Pomona, Calif., at age 62. Former Rwandan Prime Minister Jean Kambanda pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the 1994 genocide of more than half a million Tutsis. (Kambanda was later sentenced to life in prison.)

Five years ago: President Bush, flying aboard an S-3B Viking, landed on the deck of the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the Southern California coast. With a banner strung across the bridge of the ship proclaiming "Mission Accomplished," the president declared major combat in Iraq over, but also said "difficult work" remained ahead. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake killed 177 people in Turkey.

One year ago: In only his second veto, President Bush rejected legislation to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq in a showdown with Congress over whether the war should end or escalate. Thousands of people protested across the country to demand a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

Today's Birthdays: Former astronaut Scott Carpenter is 83. Country singer Sonny James is 79. Singer Judy Collins is 69. Actor Stephen Macht is 66. Singer Rita Coolidge is 63. Actor-director Douglas Barr is 59. Actor Dann Florek is 57. Singer-songwriter Ray Parker Jr. is 54. Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen is 48. Actress Maia Morgenstern is 46. Country singer Wayne Hancock is 43. Rock musician Johnny Colt is 42. Actor Charlie Schlatter is 42. Country singer Tim McGraw is 41. Rock musician D'Arcy is 40. Movie director Wes Anderson is 39. Country singer Cory Morrow is 36. Actor Darius McCrary is 32.

Thought for Today: "Think much, speak little, and write less." — Italian proverb.

[url]http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhZfSZI4djl_MxnRykC5lZzlBMYQD90CSK4O0[/url]

[B][CENTER][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"]Today in History - May 2[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER][/B]


Today is Friday, May 2, the 123rd day of 2008. There are 243 days left in the year.

[B][FONT="Georgia"]Today's Highlight in History:[/FONT][/B]

One hundred years ago, on May 2, 1908, the original version of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," with music by Albert Von Tilzer and lyrics by Jack Norworth, was copyrighted by Von Tilzer's York Music Co.

[B][FONT="Georgia"]On this date:[/FONT][/B]

In 1670, the Hudson Bay Company was chartered by England's King Charles II.

In 1863, Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville, Va.; he died eight days later.

In 1890, the Oklahoma Territory was organized.

In 1936, "Peter and the Wolf," a symphonic tale for children by Sergei Prokofiev, had its world premiere in Moscow.

In 1945, the Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin, and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria.

In 1957, Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, the controversial Republican senator from Wisconsin, died at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.

In 1957, crime boss Frank Costello narrowly survived an attempt on his life in New York; the alleged gunman, Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, was acquitted at trial after Costello refused to identify him as the shooter.

In 1960, Caryl Chessman, who became a best-selling author while on death row for kidnapping, robbery and sexual offenses, was executed at San Quentin Prison in California.

In 1965, Intelsat 1, also known as the Early Bird satellite, was first used to transmit television pictures across the Atlantic.

In 1972, after serving 48 years as head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover died in Washington at age 77.

Ten years ago: In separate radio addresses, President Clinton and congressional Republicans lambasted the Internal Revenue Service and promised more reforms to prevent future abuses by the agency. Real Quiet won the Kentucky Derby.

Five years ago: A federal court struck down most of the new campaign finance law's ban on the use of large corporate and union contributions by political parties. (However, the Supreme Court later ruled that rooting out corruption, or even the appearance of it, justified limitations on the free speech and free spending of contributors, candidates and political parties.) India and Pakistan agreed to hold talks on settling a half-century of disputes that had drawn them into three wars.

One year ago: In a defeat for anti-war Democrats, Congress failed to override President Bush's veto of legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Bush declared al-Qaida "public enemy No. 1 in Iraq."

Today's Birthdays: Actor Theodore Bikel is 84. Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 72. Actress and political activist Bianca Jagger is 63. Country singer R.C. Bannon is 63. Singer Lesley Gore is 62. Actor David Suchet is 62. Singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin is 60. Rock singer Lou Gramm (Foreigner) is 58. Actress Christine Baranski is 56. Singer Angela Bofill is 54. Actress Elizabeth Berridge is 46. Country singer Ty Herndon is 46. Rock musician Todd Sucherman (Styx) is 39. Wrestler-actor Dwayne Johnson (aka "The Rock") is 36. Actress Jenna Von Oy is 31. Actor Gaius Charles ("Friday Night Lights") is 25. Pop singer Lily Allen is 23. Olympic gold medal figure skater Sarah Hughes is 23. Actress Kay Panabaker is 18.

Thought for Today: "What experience and history teach is this: that people and governments have never learned anything from history." — Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German philosopher (1770-1831).

[url]http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhZfSZI4djl_MxnRykC5lZzlBMYQD90DM0CO1[/url]

[B][CENTER][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=5]Sunday, May 4, 2008 [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[/B]

[B][FONT=Georgia]Today is Sunday, May 4.[/FONT][/B]

[B][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]Today's highlight in history[/FONT][/CENTER]
[/B]

On May 4, 1799, Tipu Sultan is killed in a battle against 5,000 British soldiers who stormed and razed his capital, Seringapatanam.

[B][FONT=Georgia]Other events on this day:[/FONT][/B]

On May 4, 1783, Tipu Sultan was enthroned as the ruler of Mysore after the death of Haider Ali in a simple ceremony at Bednur.

On May 4, 1854, the first stamp was officially issued from Calcutta where the first modern post office was established.

On May 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln is laid to rest in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. The funeral train passed through 180 cities and mourners paid their respects to Lincoln.

On May 4, 1979, Margaret Thatcher, leader of the Conservative Party, is sworn in as Britain's first female prime minister.

On May 4, 1992, India and Russia sign a five-year agreement on trade and economic cooperation.

On May 4, 1994, Fourth developmental launch of ASLV. 113 kg Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2) was launched by fourth developmental flight of ASLV-D4 from Sriharikota.

On May 4, 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat reached agreement in Cairo on the first stage of Palestinian self-rule. It was the first direct agreement between Israel and the Palestinians and it acknowledged Israel's right to exist.

On May 4, 1995, the fourth ASLV-D4 blasts off from Sriharikota, successfully placing the SROSS-C2 satellite in orbit.

[URL="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080048779"]http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080048779[/URL]

May 4 is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 241 days remaining until the end of the year.

[B][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4]Events[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][LIST][*]1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae.[*]1415 - Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance.[*]1471 - Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Tewkesbury – Edward IV defeats a Lancastrian Army and kills Edward, Prince of Wales.[*]1493 - Pope Alexander VI divides the New World between Spain and Portugal along the Demarcation Line.[*]1494 - Christopher Columbus lands in Jamaica.[*]1626 - Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland (present day Manhattan Island) aboard the See Meeuw.[*]1675 - King Charles II of England orders the construction of the Royal Greenwich Observatory.[*]1686 - Municipality of Ilagan was founded in the Philippines.[*]1799 - Fourth Anglo-Mysore War: The Battle of Seringapatam – The siege of Seringapatam ends when the city is assaulted and the Tipu Sultan killed by the besieging British army, under the command of General George Harris.[*]1814 - Emperor Napoleon I of France arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile.[*]1814 - King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decrete of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism.[*]1855 - American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua.[*]1859 - The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking the counties of Devon and Cornwall in England.[*]1863 - American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with a Union retreat.[*]1869 - The Naval Battle of Hakodate takes place in Japan.[*]1871 - The National Association, the first professional baseball league, opens its first season in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[*]1886 - Haymarket Square Riot: A bomb is thrown at policemen trying to break up a labor rally in Chicago, Illinois, United States, killing eight and wounding 60. The police fire into the crowd.[*]1904 - Construction begins by the United States on the Panama Canal.[*]1904 - Charles Stewart Rolls meets Frederick Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester England.[*]1910 - The Royal Canadian Navy is created.[*]1912 - Italy occupies the Greek island of Rhodes.[*]1919 - May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan.[*]1930 - British police arrest Mahatma Gandhi and place him in Yeravda Central Prison.[*]1932 - In Atlanta, Georgia, mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion.[*]1942 - World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea begins with an attack by aircraft from the United States aircraft carrier Yorktown on Japanese naval forces at Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese forces had invaded Tulagi the day before.[*]1945 - World War II: The liberation of the Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg by the British Army.[*]1945 - World War II: The surrender of the North Germany Army to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.[*]1946 - In San Francisco Bay, US Marines from the Treasure Island Marine Barracks stop a two-day riot at Alcatraz federal prison. Five people are killed in the riot.[*]1949 - The entire Torino football (soccer) team (except for one player who did not take the trip due to an injury) is killed in a plane crash at the Superga hill at the edge of Turin, Italy.[*]1953 - Ernest Hemingway is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.[*]1961 - American civil rights movement: The "Freedom Riders" begin a bus trip through the South.[*]1970 - Vietnam War: Kent State shootings – the Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after the ROTC building was burnt down, opens fire killing four students and wounding nine others. The students were protesting the United States' invasion of Cambodia.[*]1972 - The Don't Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to "Greenpeace Foundation".[*]1974 - An all-female Japanese team reaches the summit of Manaslu, becoming the first women to climb an 8,000-meter peak.[*]1979 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[*]1980 - President Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia dies in Ljubljana at the age of 87.[*]1982 - 20 sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield (D80) is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War.[*]1988 - The PEPCON disaster rocks Henderson, Nevada, as tons of space shuttle fuel detonates during a fire.[*]1989 - Iran-Contra Affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and acquitted of nine other charges. The convictions, however, are later overturned on appeal.[*]1990 - Latvia proclaims the renewal of its independence after the Soviet occupation.[*]1994 - Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign a peace accord regarding Palestinian autonomy granting self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.[*]1998 - A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.[*]2000 - Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London.[*]2001 - Pope John Paul II follows Saint Paul's footsteps across the Mediterranean, from Greece to Syria to Malta.[*]2001 - The Milwaukee Art Museum addition, the first Santiago Calatrava-designed structure in the United States, opens to the public.[*]2002 - An EAS Airlines BAC 1-11-500 crashes in a suburb of Kano, Nigeria shortly after takeoff killing more than 148 people.[/LIST][B][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4]Births[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][LIST][*]1008 - Khajeh Abdollah Ansari, The Persian Sufi (d. 1088)[*]1008 - King Henry I of France (d. 1060)[*]1654 - Kangxi Emperor of China (d. 1722)[*]1655 - Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian maker of musical instruments (d. 1731)[*]1715 - Richard Graves, English writer (d. 1804)[*]1733 - Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, political scientist, and sailor (d. 1799)[*]1752 - John Brooks, 11th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1825)[*]1767 - Tyagaraja, Composer of Indian classical Carnatic music (d. 1847)[*]1772 - Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus, German publisher (d. 1823)[*]1781 - Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher (d. 1832)[*]1796 - Horace Mann, American educator (d. 1859)[*]1796 - William H. Prescott, American historian (d. 1859)[*]1820 - Julia Tyler, First Lady of the United States (d. 1889)[*]1822 - Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Quebec politician (d. 1915)[*]1825 - Thomas Henry Huxley, English scientist (d. 1895)[*]1825 - Augustus Le Plongeon, French antiquitarian (d. 1908)[*]1826 - Frederic Edwin Church, American painter (d. 1900)[*]1827 - John Hanning Speke, British explorer (d. 1864)[*]1852 - Alice Pleasance Liddell, English schoolgirl model for Alice in Wonderland (d. 1934)[*]1864 - Marie Booth, the third daughter of William and Catherine Booth (d. 1937)[*]1870 - Alexandre Benois, Russian artist (d. 1960)[*]1873 - Joe De Grasse, Canadian film director (d. 1940)[*]1889 - Francis Cardinal Spellman, American religious leader (d. 1967)[*]1903 - Luther Adler, American stage actor (d. 1984)[*]1904 - Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer (official Date of Birth) (d. 1975)[*]1908 - Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist (d. 1968)[*]1913 - Lady Katherine Brandram, née Princess of Greece and Denmark[*]1916 - Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian author and activist (d. 2006)[*]1918 - Tanaka Kakuei, Japanese political leader (d. 1993)[*]1918 - Thomas Mead, Australian politician and journalist (d. 2004)[*]1919 - Dory Funk, Professional wrestler (d. 1973)[*]1921 - Edo Murtić, Croatian painter (d. 2005)[*]1923 - Ed Cassidy, American musician (Spirit)[*]1923 - Eric Sykes, British actor and comedian[*]1923 - Godfrey Quigley, British actor (d. 1994)[*]1923 - Assi Rahbani, Lebanese composer and author[*]1925 - Maurice R. Greenberg, American businessman[*]1928 - Maynard Ferguson, Canadian musician (d. 2006)[*]1928 - Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt[*]1928 - Wolfgang von Trips, German racing driver (d. 1961)[*]1929 - Audrey Hepburn, Anglo-Dutch actress (d. 1993)[*]1929 - Sidney Lamb, American linguist[*]1930 - Roberta Peters, American soprano[*]1931 - Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor[*]1931 - Thomas Stuttaford, British doctor and writer[*]1933 - J. Fred Duckett, Texan sports announcer and teacher[*]1936 - El Cordobés, Spanish matador[*]1937 - Ron Carter, American jazz bassist[*]1937 - Dick Dale, American guitarist[*]1937 - Mr. Fuji, Former professional wrestler[*]1938 - Tyrone Davis, American soul singer (d. 2005)[*]1938 - Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer[*]1939 - Paul Gleason, American actor (d. 2006)[*]1939 - Amos Oz, Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist[*]1939 - Léon Rochefort, Quebec ice hockey player[*]1940 - Robin Cook, American novelist[*]1941 - George Will, American writer[*]1942 - Nickolas Ashford, American record producer, songwriter, and musician (Ashford and Simpson)[*]1943 - Mikhail Chemiakin, Russian painter[*]1944 - Roger Rees, British-born actor[*]1945 - Narasimhan Ram, Indian journalist[*]1946 - John Watson, Northern Irish racecar driver[*]1948 - Hurley Haywood, American race car driver, and three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans[*]1949 - John Force, American race car driver[*]1949 - Stella Parton, American country music singer[*]1949 - Graham Swift, British author[*]1950 - Darryl Hunt, English musician (The Pogues)[*]1951 - Colin Bass, British bassist (Camel)[*]1951 - Jackie Jackson, American singer and musician (The Jackson 5)[*]1951 - Gérard Jugnot, French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer[*]1951 - Mick Mars, American guitarist (Mötley Crüe)[*]1952 - Michael Barrymore, English comedian, actor, quiz master and entertainer[*]1954 - Pia Zadora, American actress[*]1955 - Robert Ellis Orrall, American singer[*]1956 - David Guterson, American author[*]1956 - Ulrike Meyfarth, German athlete[*]1956 - Ken Oberkfell, American baseball player[*]1958 - Delbert Fowler, American and Canadian professional football player[*]1958 - Keith Haring, American graphical artist (d. 1990)[*]1959 - Scott Armstrong, American professional wrestling referee[*]1959 - Randy Travis, American musician[*]1961 - Luis Herrera, Colombian cyclist[*]1961 - Ishita Bhaduri, Indian (Bengali) Poet[*]1962 - Oleta Adams, American singer[*]1964 - Mónica Bardem, Spanish actress[*]1964 - Zsuzsa Mathe, Hungarian painter and visual artist, founder of transrealism[*]1964 - Rocco Siffredi, Italian porn actor[*]1967 - Ana Gasteyer, American actress[*]1968 - Julian Barratt, English comedian and musician, one half of The Mighty Boosh[*]1968 - Kate Garraway, English GMTV Presenter[*]1969 - Micah Aivazoff, Canadian ice hockey player[*]1969 - Ryan Shamrock, American wrestling valet[*]1970 - Gregg Alexander, American musician (New Radicals)[*]1971 - Joe Borowski, American baseball player[*]1971 - Luiz Garcia, Jr., Brazilian racing driver[*]1972 - Manny Aybar, Dominican baseball player[*]1972 - Mike Dirnt, American musician (Green Day)[*]1973 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentine footballer[*]1973 - John Madden, Canadian ice hockey player[*]1974 - Miguel Cairo, Venezuelan baseball player[*]1975 - Laci Peterson, American murder victim (d. 2002)[*]1976 - Ben Grieve, American baseball player[*]1976 - Jason Michaels, American baseball player[*]1977 - Emily Perkins, Canadian actress[*]1977 - Mariano Pernía, Argentine-Spanish footballer[*]1979 - Lance Bass, American singer (*NSYNC)[*]1979 - Wes Butters, British broadcaster[*]1979 - Lesley Vainikolo, Tongan born rugby union and rugby league player[*]1980 - Andrew Raycroft, NHL goalie[*]1981 - Eric Djemba-Djemba, Cameroon footballer[*]1982 - Kleopas Giannou, Greek footballer[*]1982 - Hector King, Mexican singer-songwriter[*]1982 - Markus Rogan, Austrian swimmer[*]1982 - Rasheeda,American hiphop singer[*]1983 - Trisha Krishnan, Indian actress[*]1983 - Derek Roy, Canadian ice hockey player[*]1984 - Manjural Islam, Bangladeshi test cricket player (d. 2007)[*]1984 - Kevin Slowey, American baseball player[*]1984 - Montell Owens, American football player[*]1985 - Anthony Fedorov, American singer[*]1985 - Ravinder Bopara, English cricketer[*]1987 - Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish footballer[*]1987 - Jorge Lorenzo, Spanish motorcycle racer


[B][SIZE=4][FONT=Georgia]Deaths[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][LIST][*]1436 - Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, Swedish statesman (b. 1390s)[*]1471 - Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (killed in battle) (b. 1453)[*]1471 - Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, English military commander (executed)[*]1506 - Husayn Bayqarah, ruler of Herat (b. 1438)[*]1519 - Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino (b. 1492)[*]1566 - Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490)[*]1615 - Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish mathematician (b. 1561)[*]1626 - Arthur Lake, Bishop of Bath and Wells, English bishop and Bible translator (b. 1569)[*]1677 - Isaac Barrow, English mathematician (b. 1630)[*]1684 - John Nevison, English highwayman (b. 1639)[*]1729 - Louis-Antoine, Cardinal de Noailles, French cardinal (b. 1651)[*]1734 - James Thornhill, English painter[*]1737 - Eustace Budgell, English writer (b. 1686)[*]1774 - Anthony Ulrich II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (b. 1714)[*]1776 - Jacques Saly, French sculptor (b. 1717)[*]1790 - Matthew Tilghman, American delegate to the Continental Congress (b. 1718)[*]1799 - Tipu Sultan, Indian military leader (b. 1750)[*]1811 - Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (b. 1776)[*]1824 - Joseph Joubert, French essayist and moralist (b. 1754)[*]1849 - Hokusai, Japanese artist (b. 1760)[*]1858 - Aimé Bonpland, French explorer and botanist (b. 1773)[*]1859 - Joseph Diaz Gergonne, French mathematician (b. 1771)[*]1880 - Edward Clark, Governor of Texas (b. 1815)[*]1901 - John Jones Ross, Canadian politician (b. 1831)[*]1903 - Goce Delchev, a revolutionary from the Balkans - leader of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (b. 1872)[*]1916 - Joseph Mary Plunkett, Irish revolutionary (b. 1887)[*]1919 - Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak politician, French general and astronomer (b. 1880)[*]1922 - Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian Bolshevik politician (b. 1888)[*]1937 - Noel Rosa, Brazilian songwriter (b. 1910)[*]1938 - Carl von Ossietzky, German pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1889)[*]1945 - Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (b. 1880)[*]1955 - George Enescu, Romanian composer (b. 1881)[*]1961 - Anita Stewart, American film actress (b. 1895)[*]1969 - Osbert Sitwell, English writer (b. 1892)[*]1970 - Allison Krause - Kent State victim (b. 1951)[*]1970 - Jeffrey Miller - Kent State victim (b. 1950)[*]1970 - Sandra Scheuer - Kent State victim (b. 1949)[*]1970 - William Schroeder (b. 1950)[*]1971 - Seamus Elliott, Irish cyclist (b. 1934)[*]1972 - Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1886)[*]1973 - Jane Bowles, American writer and playwright (b. 1917)[*]1975 - Moe Howard, American actor and comedian (b. 1897)[*]1980 - Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)[*]1984 - Bob Clampett, American cartoonist (b. 1913)[*]1984 - Diana Dors, British actress (b. 1931)[*]1985 - Clarence Wiseman, the 10th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1907)[*]1987 - Paul Butterfield, American blues harmonica player (b. 1942)[*]1992 - Gregor Mackenzie, Labour Party (UK) politician (b. 1927)[*]2001 - Bonnie Lee Bakley, American murder victim (b. 1956)[*]2005 - David Hackworth, U.S. Army officer and military journalist (b. 1930)[/LIST][*]1987 - Anjeza Shahini, Albanian singer[*]1994 - Pauline Ducruet, daughter of HSH Princess Stéphanie of Monaco[*]1994 - Alexander Gould, American actor[/LIST][B][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4]Holidays and observances[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][LIST][*]International Firefighters' Day[*]Latvia - Day of adoption of the Declaration of independence[*]The Netherlands - Remembrance of the Dead.[*]People's Republic of China - Youth Day (青年节, commemorating May Fourth Movement).[*]Republic of China - Literary Day (文藝節, commemorating May Fourth Movement).[*]Japan - Greenery Day[/LIST][B][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4]in the Roman Catholic Church:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][LIST][*]Saint Judas Cyriacus[*]Saint Florian[*]Saint Godehard[*]Saint Ethelred[*]Saint Sacerdos of Limoges[*]Saint Venerius[*]Saint John Houghton, Saint Robert Lawrence, Saint Augustine Webster, Saint Richard Reynolds; all put to death in 1535.[*]Saint Monica of Hippo (d. 387)[/LIST]
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_4"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_4[/URL]

[B][CENTER][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"]Today in History - May 5[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER][/B]



Today is Monday, May 5, the 126th day of 2008. There are 240 days left in the year.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]Today's Highlight in History:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

On May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America's first space traveler as he made a 15-minute sub-orbital flight in a capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]On this date:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

In 1818, political philosopher Karl Marx was born in Prussia.

In 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte, 51, died in exile on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic.

In 1862, Mexican forces loyal to Benito Juarez defeated French troops sent by Napoleon III in the Battle of Puebla.

In 1891, Carnegie Hall (then named "Music Hall") had its official opening night in New York City.

In 1904, Cy Young pitched the American League's first perfect game as the Boston Americans defeated the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0.

In 1925, John T. Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.

In 1942, during World War II, Japanese forces landed on the Philippine island of Corregidor.

In 1945, in the only fatal attack of its kind during World War II, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing the pregnant wife of a minister and five children.

In 1958, the Arkansas Gazette received the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis; James Agee was posthumously honored for his novel "A Death in the Family."

In 1981, Irish Republican Army hunger-striker Bobby Sands died at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland in his 66th day without food.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]Ten years ago:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] An exasperated Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called on Israel to agree to hand over an additional 13 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians, on top of the 27 percent already relinquished; Israel, however, continued to balk at the proposal.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]Five years ago:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] Searchers using dogs and heavy equipment went from one crumbled home to another after tornado-packed storms flattened communities in four Midwestern states. In Colombia, a botched rescue attempt resulted in the deaths of a state governor, former defense minister and eight other hostages being held by rebels; three hostages survived. Walter Sisulu, the quiet giant of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle for five decades, died in Johannesburg at age 90.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]One year ago:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] A Kenya Airways jet crashed in southern Cameroon, killing all 114 people on board. Street Sense roared from next-to-last in a 20-horse field to win the Kentucky Derby. Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Oscar De La Hoya to win the WBC 154-pound title at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]Today's Birthdays:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
Actress Pat Carroll is 81. AFL-CIO president John J. Sweeney is 74. Saxophonist Ace Cannon is 74. Country singer-musician Roni Stoneman is 70. Actor Michael Murphy is 70. Actor Lance Henriksen is 68. Comedian-actor Michael Palin is 65. Actor John Rhys-Davies is 64. Actor Roger Rees is 64. Rock correspondent Kurt Loder is 63. Rock musician Bill Ward (Black Sabbath) is 60. Actor Richard E. Grant is 51. Broadcast journalist John Miller is 50. Rock singer Ian McCulloch (Echo and the Bunnymen) is 49. NBC News anchor Brian Williams is 49. TV personality Kyan Douglas is 38. Actress Tina Yothers is 35. Singer Craig David is 27. Actress Danielle Fishel is 27. Rock singer Skye Sweetnam is 20. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chris Brown is 19.

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]Thought for Today:[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] "Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people." — Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, "father" of America's nuclear navy (1900-1986).

[url]http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhZfSZI4djl_MxnRykC5lZzlBMYQD90FG1L80[/url]

[B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"][CENTER]Today in History - May 6[/CENTER][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]


Today is Tuesday, May 6, the 127th day of 2008. There are 239 days left in the year.

[B]Today's Highlight in History:[/B]

On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-filled German dirigible Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, N.J., killing 35 of the 97 people on board and a Navy crewman on the ground.

[B]On this date:[/B]

In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the Union.

In 1889, the Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.

In 1910, Britain's King Edward VII died.

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration began operating.

In 1942, during World War II some 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese.

In 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford, England, in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds.

In 1960, Britain's Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong-Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey. (They divorced in 1978.)

In 1981, Yale architecture student Maya Ying Lin was named winner of a competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In 1994, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand formally opened the Channel Tunnel between their countries.

In 2002, right-wing Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was shot and killed in Hilversum, Netherlands. (Volkert van der Graaf was later convicted of killing Fortuyn and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.)

[B]Ten years ago:[/B] U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, chairman of the House fund-raising inquiry, apologized to GOP colleagues for the furor over his release of selected portions of tapes of former Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell's prison conversations; Burton's top investigator departed, ordered fired by House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Astronomers announced the detection of a gamma ray burst in a galaxy 12 billion light years away that was equal to the energy expended by the sun in 1 trillion years.

[B]Five years ago: [/B]Sen. Bob Graham of Florida launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination by accusing President Bush of retreating from the war on terrorism to "settle old scores" between the Bush family and Iraq's Saddam Hussein. White House budget chief Mitchell Daniels announced his resignation. Kmart Corporation emerged from bankruptcy after more than 15 months of Chapter 11 protection.

[B]One year ago:[/B] Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy won the French presidency by a comfortable margin over socialist opponent Segolene Royal.

[B]Today's Birthdays:[/B] Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays is 77. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is 74. Rock singer Bob Seger is 63. Singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore is 63. Actor Alan Dale is 61. Actor Ben Masters is 61. Actor Gregg Henry is 56. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is 55. TV personality Tom Bergeron is 53. Actress Roma Downey is 48. Rock singer John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants) is 48. Actor George Clooney is 47. Actor Clay O'Brien is 47. Rock singer-musician Tony Scalzo (Fastball) is 44. Actress Leslie Hope is 43. Rock musician Mark Bryan (Hootie and the Blowfish) is 41. Rock musician Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) is 37. Actress Adrianne Palicki is 25.

[B]Thought for Today:[/B] "How glorious it is — and also how painful — to be an exception." — Alfred de Musset, French author (1810-1857).

[url]http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhZfSZI4djl_MxnRykC5lZzlBMYQD90G3TDO0[/url]

[B][CENTER][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"]Today in History — May 7 [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER][/B]


Today is Monday, May 7, the 127th day of 2007. There are 238 days left in the year.

[B]Today’s Highlight in History:[/B]

On May 7, 1915, nearly 1,200 people died when a German torpedo sank the British liner Lusitania off the Irish coast.
[B]
On this date:[/B]

In 1789, the first inaugural ball was held in New York in honor of President and Mrs. George Washington.

In 1825, composer Antonio Salieri died in Vienna, Austria.

In 1833, composer Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany.

In 1840, composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in the Ural region of Russia.

In 1941, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded “Chattanooga Choo Choo” for RCA Victor.

In 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France.

In 1954, the 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces.

In 1975, President Ford formally declared an end to the Vietnam era. In Ho Chi Minh City — formerly Saigon — the Viet Cong celebrated its takeover.

In 1977, Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby, the first of his Triple Crown victories.

In 1984, a $180 million out-of-court settlement was announced in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans who charged they’d suffered injury from exposure to the defoliant.

[B]Ten years ago:[/B] The Army accused its top enlisted man, Sgt. Major of the Army Gene McKinney, of sexual misconduct. (At his court-martial, McKinney was acquitted of sexual misconduct, but found guilty of obstruction of justice.) Chrysler Corp. and United Auto Workers agreed to a new contract, ending a damaging 28-day engine-plant strike.

[B]Five years ago:[/B] Authorities arrested 21-year-old college student Luke J. Helder in a series of rural mailbox bombings that left six people wounded in Illinois and Iowa. (Helder has since been found incompetent to stand trial.) A China Northern Airlines jetliner crashed into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people; Chinese authorities later blamed a saboteur who’d set a fire on board. An EgyptAir jetliner with 62 people aboard crashed in Tunisia, killing

14. Fifteen Israelis were killed by a suicide bomber at a pool hall in suburban Tel Aviv. Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew died at age 28, 25 years to the day after his victory in the Kentucky Derby.

[B]One year ago:[/B] Iran’s hard-line parliament threatened to pass legislation that would force the Tehran government to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

[B]Today’s Birthdays:[/B] Singer Teresa Brewer is 76. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is 75. Singer Jimmy Ruffin is 68. Singer Johnny Maestro is 68. Actress Robin Strasser is 62. Singer-songwriter Bill Danoff is 61. Rhythm-and-blues singer Thelma Houston is 61. Rock musician Bill Kreutzmann (The Dead) is 61. Rock musician Prairie Prince is 57. NBC newsman Tim Russert is 57. Actor Robert Hegyes is 56. Movie writer-director Amy Heckerling is 53. Actor Michael E. Knight is 48. Rock musician Phil Campbell (Motorhead) is 46. Country musician Rick Schell is 44. Rock singer-musician Chris O’Connor (Primitive Radio Gods) is 42. Actress Traci Lords is 38. Singer Eagle-Eye Cherry is 35. Actor Breckin Meyer is 33. Actor Taylor Abrahamse is 16.

[B]Thought for Today:[/B] “To delight in war is a merit in the soldier, a dangerous quality in the captain, and a positive crime in the statesman.” — George Santayana, Spanish-American philosopher (1863-1952).

URL: [url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18404934/[/url]

[FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"][B][CENTER]Today in History - May 8[/CENTER][/B][/SIZE][/FONT]

Today is Thursday, May 8, the 129th day of 2008. There are 237 days left in the year.

[B]Today's Highlight in History:[/B]

On May 8, 1945, President Truman announced in a radio address that World War II had ended in Europe.

[B]On this date:[/B]

In 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.

In 1794, Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was executed on the guillotine during France's Reign of Terror.

In 1846, the first major battle of the Mexican-American War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas; U.S. forces led by General Zachary Taylor were able to beat back the invading Mexican forces.

In 1884, the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, was born near Lamar, Mo.

In 1958, Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.

In 1962, the musical comedy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" opened on Broadway.

In 1970, antiwar protests took place across the United States and around the world; in New York, construction workers broke up a demonstration on Wall Street.

In 1973, militant American Indians who'd held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks surrendered.

In 1978, David R. Berkowitz pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom to murder, attempted murder and assault in connection with one of the "Son of Sam" shootings that had terrified New Yorkers.

In 1988, science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein died in Carmel, Calif., at age 80.

[B]Ten years ago: [/B]Big Tobacco settled with the state of Minnesota for $6.6 billion as the state's lawsuit was about to go to a jury; Minnesota became the fourth state to settle with the tobacco industry over the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses.

[B]Five years ago:[/B] The Senate unanimously endorsed adding to NATO seven former communist nations: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. A federal grand jury indicted Chinese-born California socialite Katrina Leung on charges that she'd illegally taken, copied and kept secret documents obtained from an FBI agent. (A federal judge later dismissed the case against Leung, rebuking prosecutors for misconduct.) A Russian-built cargo plane lost a door over Congo, hurling more than 100 Congolese soldiers and their families to their deaths.

[B]One year ago:[/B] The Pentagon announced that it had notified more than 35,000 Army soldiers to be prepared to deploy to Iraq beginning in the fall. Bitter enemies from Northern Ireland's bloody past joined forces atop a new Northern Ireland government.

[B]Today's Birthdays:[/B] Comedian Don Rickles is 82. Naturalist Sir David Attenborough is 82. Singer Toni Tennille is 68. Actor James Mitchum is 67. Country singer Jack Blanchard is 66. Jazz musician Keith Jarrett is 63. Singer Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind and Fire) is 57. Rock musician Chris Frantz (Talking Heads) is 57. Rockabilly singer Billy Burnette is 55. Rock musician Alex Van Halen is 55. Actor David Keith is 54. Actor Stephen Furst is 54. Actress Melissa Gilbert is 44. Rock musician Dave Rowntree (Blur) is 44. Country musician Del Gray is 40. Rock singer Darren Hayes is 36. Singer Enrique Iglesias is 33. Singer Ana Maria Lombo (Eden's Crush) is 30. Actress Julia Whelan is 23.

[B]Thought for Today:[/B] "What you see is news, what you know is background, what you feel is opinion." — Lester Markel, American editor (1894-1977).

[url]http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhZfSZI4djl_MxnRykC5lZzlBMYQD90HFH2O0[/url]

[B][CENTER][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"]Today in History - May 9 [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER][/B]


Today is Friday, May 9, the 130th day of 2008. There are 236 days left in the year.

[B]Today's Highlight in History:[/B]

On May 9, 1754, a cartoon in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette showed a snake cut into sections, each part representing an American colony; the caption read, "JOIN, or DIE."

[B]On this date:[/B]

In 1883, Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset was born in Madrid.

In 1936, Italy annexed Ethiopia.

In 1945, U.S. officials announced that a midnight entertainment curfew was being lifted immediately.

In 1958, "Vertigo," Alfred Hitchcock's eerie thriller starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, premiered in San Francisco, the movie's setting.

In 1961, FCC chairman Newton N. Minow decried the majority of television programming as a "vast wasteland" in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee opened public hearings on whether to recommend the impeachment of President Nixon.

In 1978, the bullet-riddled body of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro, who'd been abducted by the Red Brigades, was found in an automobile in the center of Rome.

In 1980, 35 people were killed when a freighter rammed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida, causing a 1,400-foot section to collapse.

In 1982, the musical "Nine," inspired by the Federico Fellini film "8 1/2," opened on Broadway.

In 1987, 183 people were killed when a New York-bound Polish jetliner crashed while attempting an emergency return to Warsaw.

[B]Ten years ago: [/B]Indonesian President Suharto left his troubled country for a summit in Egypt with a warning his army would quell violence over his 32-year rule and the worsening economy.

[B]Five years ago:[/B] The United States and its allies asked the U.N. Security Council to give its stamp of approval to their occupation of Iraq. The Republican-led House approved 222-203 a $550 billion tax cut package. Louisiana Democrat Russell B. Long, who greatly influenced tax laws during nearly four decades in the Senate, died at age 84. In Cleveland, a camouflage-clad gunman fired hundreds of rounds as he roamed the halls of Case Western Reserve University's business school, killing one person. (Suspect Biswanath Halder was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison).

[B]One year ago:[/B] Vice President Dick Cheney pressed Iraq's leaders to do more to reduce violence and achieve political reconciliation in a visit to Baghdad that was punctuated by an explosion that shook windows at the U.S. Embassy where Cheney was visiting. Pope Benedict XVI began his first trip to Latin America as he arrived in Brazil.

[B]Today's Birthdays:[/B] CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace is 90. Actress Geraldine McEwan is 76. Actor-writer Alan Bennett is 74. Rock musician Nokie Edwards (The Ventures) is 73. Actor Albert Finney is 72. Actress-turned-politician Glenda Jackson is 72. Musician Sonny Curtis (Buddy Holly and the Crickets) is 71. Producer-director James L. Brooks is 68. Singer Tommy Roe is 66. Singer-musician Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield and Poco) is 64. Actress Candice Bergen is 62. Pop singer Clint Holmes is 62. Actor Anthony Higgins is 61. Singer Billy Joel is 59. Blues singer-musician Bob Margolin is 59. Rock singer-musician Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) is 58. Actress Alley Mills is 57. Actress Wendy Crewson is 52. Actor John Corbett is 47. Singer Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) is 46. Rapper Ghostface Killah is 38. Country musician Mike Myerson (Heartland) is 37. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tamia is 33. Rock musician Dan Regan (Reel Big Fish) is 31. Rock singer Pierre Bouvier (Simple Plan) is 29. Actress Rosario Dawson is 29. Actress Rachel Boston is 26. TV personality Audrina Patridge is 23.

[B]Thought for Today:[/B] "We cannot put off living until we are ready." — Jose Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher (1883-1955).

[url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history[/url]

[B][CENTER][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="5"]Today in History - May 10 [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER][/B]


Today is Saturday, May 10, the 131st day of 2008. There are 235 days left in the year.

[B]Today's Highlight in History:[/B]

One hundred years ago, on May 10, 1908, the first Mother's Day observance in the United States, inspired by Anna Jarvis, took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia.

[B]On this date:[/B]

In 1774, Louis XVI acceded to the throne of France.

In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.

In 1865, Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga.

In 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

In 1908, Carl Albert, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for six years, was born in North McAlester, Okla.

In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was given the job of FBI director.

In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.

In 1940, during World War II, German forces began invading the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. That same day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.

In 1968, preliminary Vietnam peace talks began in Paris.

In 1978, Britain's Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon announced they were divorcing after 18 years of marriage.

[B]Ten years ago:[/B] The FAA grounded older models of the Boeing 737 after mandatory inspections of some aircraft found extensive wear in power lines running through their wing fuel tanks. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams won full backing for the Northern Ireland peace accord in a fundamental reversal of decades-old policy.

[B]Five years ago:[/B] The leader of Iraq's largest Shiite Muslim group, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, returned triumphantly to his U.S.-occupied homeland after two decades in Iranian exile. The New York Times announced on its Web site that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had "committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud," according to an investigation conducted by the paper.

[B]One year ago:[/B] British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced he would step down June 27. The Democratic-controlled House, by a vote of 255-171, defeated legislation to require the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within nine months. A federal jury in Santa Ana, Calif., convicted Chinese-born engineer Chi Mak of conspiring to export U.S. defense technology to China. (Mak was later sentenced to 24 1/2 years in federal prison.)

[B]Today's Birthdays:[/B] Sportscaster Pat Summerall is 78. Author Barbara Taylor Bradford is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) is 70. TV-radio personality Gary Owens is 69. Actor David Clennon is 65. Writer-producer-director Jim Abrahams is 64. Singer Donovan is 62. Singer Dave Mason is 62. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ron Banks (The Dramatics) is 57. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., is 50. Actress Victoria Rowell is 49. Rock singer Bono (U2) is 48. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is 45. Model Linda Evangelista is 43. Rapper Young MC is 41. Actor Erik Palladino is 40. Country musician David Wallace (Cole Deggs and the Lonesome) is 36. Race car driver Helio Castroneves is 33. Rock musician Jesse Vest is 31. Actor Kenan Thompson is 30. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jason Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 28. Rock musician Joey Zehr (The Click Five) is 25. Singer Ashley Poole (Dream) is 23.

[B]Thought for Today:[/B] "Nothing recedes like success." — Walter Winchell, American columnist and broadcaster (1897-1972).

[url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history&printer=1;_ylt=AniKSuoZiXbm.AfGujwu6mdgR9AF[/url]