Today is Monday, May 29, the 149th day of 2006. There are 216 days left in the year. This is the Memorial Day Observance.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 29, 1765, Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia’s House of Burgesses. Responding to a cry of “Treason!” Henry declared, “If this be treason, make the most of it!”
On this date:
In 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th original colony to ratify the United States Constitution.
In 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state of the union.
In 1903, comedian Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England.
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 for another 13 years.
In 1943, Norman Rockwell’s portrait of “Rosie the Riveter” appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
In 1953, Mount Everest was conquered as Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensing Norkay of Nepal became the first climbers to reach the summit.
In 1985, 35 people were killed in rioting that erupted between British and Italian spectators at the European Cup soccer final in Brussels, Belgium.
In 1995, Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both the House and the 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: Israelis went to the polls for an election that resulted in a narrow victory for opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu over Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
Five years ago: Four followers of Osama bin Laden were convicted in New York of a global conspiracy to murder Americans, including the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 224 people. President Bush, meeting in Los Angeles with California Gov. Gray Davis, rejected a plea for federal caps on soaring electricity bills. The Supreme Court ruled that disabled golfer Casey Martin could use a cart to ride in tournaments.
One year ago: French voters soundly rejected the European Union’s proposed constitution, which was also defeated by the Dutch days later. In a deadly rampage at two farmhouses in Bellefontaine, Ohio, 18-year-old Scott Moody shot his grandparents, his mother and two friends before turning the gun on himself. Dan Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 as Danica Patrick’s electrifying run fell short (she finished fourth).
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Clifton James is 85. Former Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent is 68. Race car driver Al Unser Sr. is 67. CBS News Correspondent Bob Simon is 65. Actor Kevin Conway is 64. Actor Helmut Berger is 62. Rock singer Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) is 61. Actor Anthony Geary is 59. Singer Rebbie Jackson is 56. Movie composer Danny Elfman is 53. Rock musician Michael Porcaro (Toto) is 51. Singer LaToya Jackson is 50. Actor Ted Levine is 49. Actress Annette Bening is 48. Actor Rupert Everett is 47. Actor Adrian Paul is 47. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 45. Actress Lisa Whelchel is 43. Actress Tracey Bregman is 43. Rock musician Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is 39. Singer Jayski McGowan (Quad City DJ’s) is 39. Rock musician Chan Kinchla (Blues Traveler) is 37. Rock musician Mark Lee (Third Day) is 33. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder (“The Boondocks”) is 32. Singer Melanie Brown (Spice Girls) is 31. Rapper Playa Poncho is 31.
Thought for Today: “Haven’t you ever noticed how highways always get beautiful near the state capital?” — Shirley Ann Grau, American author.