This day in history

[May 29, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Friday, May 29, the 149th day of 2009. There are 216 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On May 29, 1953, Mount Everest was conquered as Edmund Hillary, of New Zealand, and Tensing Norgay, of Nepal, became the first climbers to reach the summit.

On this date:

In 1765, Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia's House of Burgesses.

In 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th original colony to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state of the union.

In 1913, the ballet "The Rite of Spring," with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, had its chaotic world premiere in Paris.

In 1917, the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was born in Brookline, Mass.

In 1932, World War I veterans began arriving in Washington to demand cash bonuses they weren't scheduled to receive until 1945.

In 1943, Norman Rockwell's portrait of "Rosie the Riveter" appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.

In 1985, 39 people were killed at the European Champions Cup Final in Brussels, Belgium, when rioting broke out and a wall separating British and Italian soccer fans collapsed.

In 1995, Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both the House and Senate, died in Skowhegan, Maine, at age 97.

In 1998, Republican elder statesman Barry Goldwater died in Paradise Valley, Ariz., at age 89.

Ten years ago: The space shuttle Discovery completed the first-ever docking with the international space station. Olusegun Obasanjo became Nigeria's first civilian president in 15 years, ending a string of military regimes.

Five years ago: A shooting rampage by al-Qaida militants at a housing complex in Khobar, Saudi Arabia's oil hub, killed 22 people, most of them foreign oil industry workers. America dedicated a memorial to its World War II veterans on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Death claimed former Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox at age 92 and Sam Dash, former chief counsel of the Senate Select Committee on Watergate, at age 79.

One year ago: In a crushing blow to Texas' massive seizure of children from a polygamist sect's ranch, the state Supreme Court ruled that child welfare officials overstepped their authority and the children should go back to their parents. Actor-comedian Harvey Korman, Emmy winner for "The Carol Burnett Show," died in Los Angeles at age 81.

Today's birthdays: Actor Clifton James is 88. Former Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent is 71. Race car driver Al Unser is 70. CBS News Correspondent Bob Simon is 68. Actor Kevin Conway is 67. Actor Helmut Berger is 65. Rock singer Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) is 64. Actor Anthony Geary is 62. Singer Rebbie Jackson is 59. Movie composer Danny Elfman is 56. Rock musician Michael Porcaro (Toto) is 54. Singer LaToya Jackson is 53. Actor Ted Levine is 52. Actress Annette Bening is 51. Actor Rupert Everett is 50. Actor Adrian Paul is 50. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 48. Actress Lisa Whelchel is 46. Actress Tracey Bregman is 46. Rock musician Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is 42. Singer Jayski McGowan (Quad City DJ's) is 42. Rock musician Chan Kinchla (Blues Traveler) is 40. Rock musician Mark Lee (Third Day) is 36. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder ("The Boondocks") is 35. Singer Melanie Brown (Spice Girls) is 34. Rapper Playa Poncho is 34. Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony is 25.

Thought for today: "Don't call me a saint. I don't want to be dismissed so easily." -- Dorothy Day, American reformer (1897-1980)

[Associated Press]

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