This day in history

[May 21, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Thursday, May 21, the 141st day of 2009. 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 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

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

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; outrage over the verdict sparked rioting. (White was sentenced to seven years, eight months in prison; he ended up serving five years and committed suicide in 1985.)

Ten years ago: Presidential friend and fundraiser Yah Lin "Charlie" Trie pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and agreed to cooperate in an investigation of illegal Asian donations to the Democrats. (Trie was sentenced to four months of home detention and three years' probation.) A luxury cruise liner, the Sun Vista, sank off Malaysia's western coast; nearly 1,100 passengers and crew escaped with no casualties. Susan Lucci won a Daytime Emmy Award for best actress on her 19th try.

Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council approved a peacekeeping force of 5,600 troops for Burundi to help the African nation finally end a 10-year civil war. Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp., struggling to survive, announced it would cut 11,000 jobs.

One year ago: Oil prices blew past $130 a barrel and gas prices climbed above $3.80 a gallon. Israel and Syria unexpectedly announced the resumption of peace talks after an eight-year break. David Cook won "American Idol" in a landslide over David Archuleta.

Today's birthdays: R&B singer Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 68. Rock musician Hilton Valentine (The Animals) is 66. Actor Richard Hatch ("Battlestar Galactica") is 64. Musician Bill Champlin (Chicago) is 62. Singer Leo Sayer is 61. Actress Carol Potter is 61. Comedian, radio host-turned-politician Al Franken is 58. Actor Mr. T is 57. Music producer Stan Lynch is 54. Actor Judge Reinhold is 52. Actor-director Nick Cassavetes is 50. Actor Brent Briscoe is 48. Actress Lisa Edelstein is 41. Actress Fairuza Balk is 35. Rapper Havoc (Mobb Deep) is 35. Actress Ashlie Brillault is 22. Actor Scott Leavenworth is 19. Actress Sarah Ramos is 18.

Thought for today: "Our present addiction to pollsters and forecasters is a symptom of our chronic uncertainty about the future ... We watch our experts read the entrails of statistical tables and graphs the way the ancients watched their soothsayers read the entrails of a chicken." -- Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983)

[Associated Press]

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