This day in history

[May 25, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Wednesday, May 25, the 145th day of 2011. There are 220 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy told a joint session of Congress: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." (That goal was accomplished eight years later with the Apollo 11 mission.)

On this date:

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began meeting in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.

In 1810, Argentina began its revolt against Spanish rule with the forming of the Primera Junta in Buenos Aires.

In 1895, playwright Oscar Wilde was convicted of a morals charge in London; he was sentenced to two years in prison.

In 1911, Mexican President Porfirio Diaz resigned; he went into exile in France for the rest of his life.

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 I.

In 1968, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was dedicated by Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.

In 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed on takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare airport.

In 1981, daredevil Dan Goodwin, wearing a Spiderman costume, scaled the outside of Chicago's Sears Tower in 7 1/2 hours.

In 1986, an estimated 7 million Americans participated in "Hands Across America" to raise money for the nation's hungry and homeless.

Ten years ago: A federal appeals court panel lifted an injunction against publication of "The Wind Done Gone," Alice Randall's satirical retelling of "Gone With The Wind" from a black viewpoint.

Five years ago: President George W. 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 2006 from heart disease and his convictions were vacated; Skilling faces resentencing after his original 24-year sentence was overturned.) Pope Benedict XVI began a four-day pilgrimage to Poland, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

One year ago: President Barack Obama ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border. NFL owners voted to hold the 2014 Super Bowl in New Jersey. Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls and her professional dance partner, Derek Hough, won the 10th season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

Today's birthdays: Lyricist Hal David is 90. Former White House news secretary Ron Nessen is 77. Country singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall is 75. Actor Sir Ian McKellen is 72. Country singer Jessi Colter is 68. Actress-singer Leslie Uggams is 68. Movie director and Muppeteer Frank Oz is 67. Actress Karen Valentine is 64. Rock singer Klaus Meine (The Scorpions) is 63. Actress Patti D'Arbanville is 60. Actress Connie Sellecca is 56. Rock singer-musician Paul Weller is 53. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 48. Actor Matt Borlenghi is 44. Actor Joseph Reitman is 43. Rock musician Glen Drover is 42. Actress Anne Heche (haych) is 42. Actresses Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush (TV: "Little House on the Prairie") are 41. Actor-comedian Jamie Kennedy is 41. Actor Justin Henry is 40. Rapper Daz Dillinger is 38. Actress Molly Sims is 38. Singer Lauryn Hill is 36. Actor Cillian Murphy is 35. Actor Ethan Suplee (soo-PLEE') is 35. Rock musician Todd Whitener is 33. Actor Corbin Allred is 32. Actress-singer Lauren Frost is 26.

Thought for today: "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet (1803-1882)

[Associated Press]

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