|
 Today's
highlight in history:
One hundred years ago, on May 20, 1908, actor James Stewart was born in Indiana, Pa.
On this date:
In 1506, explorer Christopher Columbus died in Spain.
In 1861, North Carolina voted to secede from the Union.
In 1902, the United States ended a three-year military presence in Cuba as the Republic of Cuba was established under its first elected president, Tomas Estrada Palma.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on his historic solo flight to France.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. (Because of weather and equipment problems, Earhart set down in Northern Ireland instead of her intended destination, France.)
In 1939, trans-Atlantic mail service began as a Pan American Airways plane, the Yankee Clipper, took off from Port Washington, N.Y., bound for Europe.
In 1961, a white mob attacked a busload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the federal government to send in U.S. marshals to restore order.
In 1969, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Ap Bia Mountain, referred to as "Hamburger Hill" by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.
In 1988, Laurie Dann, 30, walked into a Winnetka, Ill., elementary school classroom, where she shot to death 8-year-old Nicholas Corwin and wounded several other children. After wounding a young man at his home, Dann took her own life.
In 1993, an estimated 93 million people tuned in for the final first-run episode of "Cheers" on NBC.
Ten years ago: The government unveiled the design for the new $20 bill, featuring a larger and slightly off-center portrait of Andrew Jackson. In Beverly Hills, Calif., Hollywood royalty bid farewell to Frank Sinatra, who had died almost a week earlier at age 82, in a private, invitation-only funeral.
[to top of second column] |
Five years ago: The Bush administration, concerned that a wave of attacks overseas could spread to the United States, raised the terrorism alert level to orange. The United States banned all beef imports from Canada after a lone case of mad cow disease was discovered in the heart of Canada's cattle country.
One year ago: President Bush welcomed NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to his Crawford, Texas, ranch, to review strategy on a flurry of issues. A gunman fired nearly 300 shots during a rampage in Moscow, Idaho, that killed three people and wounded three others. (The shooter, Jason Hamilton, took his own life.) A pair of investment firms agreed to acquire Alltel Corp., the fifth-biggest U.S. wireless company and owner of the nation's largest geographic network, in a deal worth $27.5 billion.
Today's birthdays: Actor James McEachin is 78. Actor Anthony Zerbe is 72. Actor David Proval is 66. Singer Joe Cocker is 64. Singer-actress Cher is 62. Actor-comedian Dave Thomas is 59. Musician Warren Cann is 56. Actor Dean Butler is 52. Ron Reagan is 50. Rock musician Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go's) is 50. Actor Bronson Pinchot is 49. Singer Susan Cowsill is 49. Actor John Billingsley is 48. Actor Tony Goldwyn is 48. Singer Nick Heyward is 47. TV personality Ted Allen is 43. Actress Mindy Cohn is 42. Rock musician Tom Gorman (Belly) is 42. Actress Gina Ravera is 42. Actor Timothy Olyphant is 40. Rapper Busta Rhymes is 36. Actor Matt Czuchry is 31. Actress Angela Goethals is 31. Rhythm-and-blues singer Naturi Naughton is 24.
Thought for today: "If I had my career over again? Maybe I'd say to myself, speed it up a little."
-- James Stewart, American actor (1908-1997)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
 |
