This day in history

[May 11, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Monday, May 10, the 130th day of 2010. There are 235 days left in the year.

Today's highlights in history:

On May 10, 1940, during World War II, German forces began invading the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. The same day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.

On this date:

In 1760, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, who wrote the French national anthem "La Marseillaise," was born.

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

In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, 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 in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

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

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

In 1960, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton completed its submerged navigation of the globe.

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

In 1984, the International Court of Justice said the United States should halt any actions to blockade Nicaragua's ports (the U.S. had already said it would not recognize World Court jurisdiction on this issue).

Ten years ago: High wind drove what began as a deliberately set fire into a New Mexico canyon, forcing the evacuation of the entire town of Los Alamos. (The fire had been set to contain an earlier blaze intended to clear brush.) Actor Craig Stevens, who'd starred in the 1950s TV series "Peter Gunn," died in Los Angeles at age 81.

Five years ago: A federal bankruptcy judge approved United Airlines' plan to terminate its employees' pension plans. Cheered by tens of thousands in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, President George W. Bush urged the spread of democracy across the former communist world and beyond. Germany dedicated its new national Holocaust memorial. Gunmen kidnapped the governor of Iraq's Anbar province; the governor (Raja Nawaf Farhan al-Mahalawi) was later killed.

One year ago: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a surprise one-day visit to Baghdad to discuss U.S.-Iraqi economic relations with the prime minister. Pope Benedict XVI urged Middle East Christians to persevere in their faith as 20,000 people filled a Jordanian sports stadium where the pontiff celebrated the first open-air Mass of his Holy Land pilgrimage. Russia defended its gold medal at the World Hockey Championships in Bern, Switzerland, beating Canada 2-1 in a rematch of the previous year's final.

Today's birthdays: Sportscaster Pat Summerall is 80. Author Barbara Taylor Bradford is 77. Rhythm-and-blues singer Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) is 72. TV-radio personality Gary Owens is 71. Actor David Clennon is 67. Writer-producer-director Jim Abrahams is 66. Singer Donovan is 64. Singer Dave Mason is 64. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ron Banks (The Dramatics) is 59. Actor Bruce Penhall is 53. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) is 52. Actress Victoria Rowell is 51. Rock singer Bono (BAH'-noh) (U2) is 50. Rock musician Danny Carey (Tool) is 49. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is 47. Model Linda Evangelista is 45. Rapper Young MC is 43. Actor Erik Palladino is 42. Rock singer Richard Patrick (Filter) is 42. Actor-singer Todd Lowe is 38. Country musician David Wallace (Cole Deggs and the Lonesome) is 38. Race car driver Helio Castroneves is 35. Rock musician Jesse Vest is 33. Actor Kenan Thompson is 32. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jason Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 30. Rock musician Joey Zehr (The Click Five) is 27. Singer Ashley Poole (Dream) is 25. Actress Odette Yustman is 25.

Thought for today: "Creative minds always have been known to survive any kind of bad training." -- Anna Freud, Austrian-born psychoanalyst (1895-1982)

[Associated Press]

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