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Today In History: May 21
Today’s Highlight in History: On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh landed his “Spirit of St. Louis” near Paris, completing the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He took off the day before from New York’s Roosevelt Field in Long Island. He flew 3,610 miles in 33 1/2 hours.
On this date:
•In 1542, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto died while searching for gold along the Mississippi River.
•In 1758, 10-year-old Mary Campbell was abducted from her home in Cumberland County, Pa., by Lenape Indians; she was returned to a European settlement when she was 16.
•In 1832, the first Democratic National Convention got under way, in Baltimore. President Andrew Jackson was the incumbent, (the current president running for re-election) and the Democrats nominated Martin Van Buren as the vice presidential candidate.
•In 1840, New Zealand was declared a British colony.
•In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. She served as its president from 1882 to 1904. The purposes of the organization include “giving relief to and serving as a medium of communication between members of the American armed forces and their families and providing national and international disaster relief and mitigation.”
•In 1892, the opera “Pagliacci,” by Ruggero Leoncavallo, was first performed, in Milan, Italy.
•In 1901, Connecticut became the first state to enact a speed limit law. The limit was 12 mph on highways and 8 mph within the city.
•In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean as she landed in Northern Ireland, about 15 hours after leaving Newfoundland. She received a gold medal from the National Geographic Society and was the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
•In 1956, the United States exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
•In 1979, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the slayings of Mayor George Moscone and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk; outrage over the verdict sparked rioting. (White was sentenced to seven years, eight months in prison; he ended up serving five years and committed suicide in 1985.)
Ten years ago: Yah Lin “Charlie” Trie, friend and fundraiser of President Bill Clinton, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and agreed to cooperate in an investigation of illegal Asian donations to the Democrats. (Trie was sentenced to four months of home detention and three years’ probation.)
Five years ago: Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp., struggling to survive, announced it would cut 11,000 jobs.
One year ago: Oil prices blew past $130 a barrel and gas prices climbed above $3.80 a gallon. Israel and Syria unexpectedly announced the resumption of peace talks after an eight-year break. David Cook won “American Idol” in a landslide over David Archuleta.
Today’s Birthdays: R&B singer Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 68. Actor Richard Hatch (“Battlestar Galactica”) is 64. Musician Bill Champlin (Chicago) is 62. Comedian, radio host-turned-politician Al Franken is 58. Actor Mr. T is 57. Actor-director Nick Cassavetes is 50. Actress Sarah Ramos is 18.
Thought for Today: “Our present addiction to pollsters and forecasters is a symptom of our chronic uncertainty about the future ... We watch our experts read the entrails of statistical tables and graphs the way the ancients watched their soothsayers read the entrails of a chicken.” — Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983).
On this date:
•In 1542, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto died while searching for gold along the Mississippi River.
•In 1758, 10-year-old Mary Campbell was abducted from her home in Cumberland County, Pa., by Lenape Indians; she was returned to a European settlement when she was 16.
•In 1832, the first Democratic National Convention got under way, in Baltimore. President Andrew Jackson was the incumbent, (the current president running for re-election) and the Democrats nominated Martin Van Buren as the vice presidential candidate.
•In 1840, New Zealand was declared a British colony.
•In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. She served as its president from 1882 to 1904. The purposes of the organization include “giving relief to and serving as a medium of communication between members of the American armed forces and their families and providing national and international disaster relief and mitigation.”
•In 1892, the opera “Pagliacci,” by Ruggero Leoncavallo, was first performed, in Milan, Italy.
•In 1901, Connecticut became the first state to enact a speed limit law. The limit was 12 mph on highways and 8 mph within the city.
•In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean as she landed in Northern Ireland, about 15 hours after leaving Newfoundland. She received a gold medal from the National Geographic Society and was the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
•In 1956, the United States exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
•In 1979, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the slayings of Mayor George Moscone and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk; outrage over the verdict sparked rioting. (White was sentenced to seven years, eight months in prison; he ended up serving five years and committed suicide in 1985.)
Ten years ago: Yah Lin “Charlie” Trie, friend and fundraiser of President Bill Clinton, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and agreed to cooperate in an investigation of illegal Asian donations to the Democrats. (Trie was sentenced to four months of home detention and three years’ probation.)
Five years ago: Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp., struggling to survive, announced it would cut 11,000 jobs.
One year ago: Oil prices blew past $130 a barrel and gas prices climbed above $3.80 a gallon. Israel and Syria unexpectedly announced the resumption of peace talks after an eight-year break. David Cook won “American Idol” in a landslide over David Archuleta.
Today’s Birthdays: R&B singer Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 68. Actor Richard Hatch (“Battlestar Galactica”) is 64. Musician Bill Champlin (Chicago) is 62. Comedian, radio host-turned-politician Al Franken is 58. Actor Mr. T is 57. Actor-director Nick Cassavetes is 50. Actress Sarah Ramos is 18.
Thought for Today: “Our present addiction to pollsters and forecasters is a symptom of our chronic uncertainty about the future ... We watch our experts read the entrails of statistical tables and graphs the way the ancients watched their soothsayers read the entrails of a chicken.” — Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983).
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| Today In History: May 22 |
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