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Today's highlight in history: On May 25, 1787, the
Constitutional Convention was convened in Philadelphia after enough
delegates had shown up for a quorum.
On this date:
In 1810, Argentina began its revolt against Spanish rule.
In 1895, playwright Oscar Wilde was convicted of a morals charge
in London; he was sentenced to two years in prison.
In 1935, Babe Ruth hit the 714th and final home run of his
career, for the Boston Braves, in a game against the Pittsburgh
Pirates.
In 1946, Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom as it
proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah the First.
In 1961, President Kennedy, addressing Congress, called on the
nation to work toward putting a man on the moon by the end of the
decade.
In 1968, the Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, was dedicated.
In 1976, Rep. Wayne L. Hays of Ohio admitted to a "personal
relationship" with Elizabeth Ray, a staff member who claimed she'd
received her secretarial job in order to be Hays' mistress.
In 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed
on takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare airport.
In 1986, an estimated 7 million Americans participated in "Hands
Across America," forming a line across the country to raise money
for the nation's hungry and homeless.
In 1992, Jay Leno made his debut as permanent host of NBC's
"Tonight Show," succeeding Johnny Carson.
Ten years ago: In the first round of parliamentary
elections, French voters gave the leftist opposition the biggest
share of votes in a surprising setback for President Jacques
Chirac's conservatives. Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina became
the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, marking 41 years and 10
months of service.
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 Five years ago: President Bush, during a visit to St.
Petersburg, joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in pressuring
Pakistan's president to curb cross-border violence in Kashmir and
ease tensions with neighboring India. A China Airlines jumbo jet
flying to Hong Kong crashed in the Taiwan Strait, killing all 225
people on board. A passenger train and a freight train collided in
southern Mozambique, killing 195 people.
One year ago: President Bush and British Prime Minister
Tony Blair held a White House news conference in which they
acknowledged making costly mistakes in Iraq, but vowed to keep
troops there until the fragile new government took hold. Former
Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted
in Houston of conspiracy and fraud for the company's downfall. (Lay
died in July from heart disease and his convictions were vacated;
Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in prison.) Pope Benedict XVI
began a four-day pilgrimage to Poland, the homeland of his immediate
predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
Today's birthdays: Lyricist Hal David is 86. Former opera
singer Beverly Sills is 78. Former White House news secretary Ron
Nessen is 73. Country singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall is 71. Actor Sir
Ian McKellen is 68. Actress Dixie Carter is 68. Country singer Jessi
Colter is 64. Actress-singer Leslie Uggams is 64. Movie director and
Muppeteer Frank Oz is 63. Actress Karen Valentine is 60. Rock singer
Klaus Meine (The Scorpions) is 59. Actress Patti D'Arbanville is 56.
Actress Connie Sellecca is 52. Rock singer-musician Paul Weller is
49. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 44. Actor Matt Borlenghi is 40.
Actor Joseph Reitman is 39. Rock musician Glen Drover is 38. Actress
Anne Heche is 38. Actresses Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush ("Little
House on the Prairie") are 37. Actor-comedian Jamie Kennedy is 37.
Actor Justin Henry is 36. Rapper Daz Dillinger is 34. Actress Molly
Sims is 34. Singer Lauryn Hill is 32. Actor Cillian Murphy is 31.
Actor Ethan Suplee is 31. Rock musician Todd Whitener (Tantric) is
29. Actor Corbin Allred is 28. Actress-singer Lauren Frost is 22.
Thought for today: "I hate quotations. Tell me what you
know." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet
(1803-1882).
[Text copied
from file received from AP
Digital]
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