Today is Saturday, May 26, the 146th day of 2007. There are 219 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
One hundred years ago, on May 26, 1907, actor John Wayne was born Marion Morrison in Winterset, Iowa.
On this date:
In 1521, Martin Luther was declared a heretic by the Edict of Worms because of his religious beliefs and writings.
In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned king of Italy in Milan.
In 1868, the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson ended with his acquittal.
In 1913, Actors’ Equity Association was organized in New York.
In 1940, the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, began during World War II.
In 1960, UN Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge accused the Soviets of hiding a microphone inside a wood carving of the Great Seal of the United States that had been presented to the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
In 1969, the Apollo 10 astronauts returned to Earth after a successful eight-day dress rehearsal for the first manned moon landing.
In 1972, President Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow. (The U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2002.)
In 1977, George Willig scaled the outside of the South Tower of New York’s World Trade Center; he was arrested at the top of the 110-story building.
In 1981, 14 people were killed when a Marine jet crashed onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off Florida.
Ten years ago: France’s deeply unpopular prime minister, Alain Juppe, announced he would resign, a day after the country’s governing center-right coalition suffered major losses in first-round parliamentary elections. President Clinton left for Paris to sign a new agreement between NATO and Russia.
Five years ago: Fourteen people were killed when barges being pushed by a towboat crashed into the piers of the Interstate 40 bridge in Oklahoma, causing part of the structure to fall into the Arkansas River. President Bush visited Paris, where he met with French President Jacques Chirac. Alvaro Uribe was elected Colombia’s president. Helio Castroneves won his second straight Indianapolis 500 despite a protest filed by Paul Tracy. Roman Polanski’s film “The Pianist” won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
One year ago: Air Force General Michael Hayden won confirmation to be the 20th CIA director in a 78-15 Senate vote.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor James Arness is 84. Actor Alec McCowen is 82. Sportscaster Brent Musberger is 68. Rock singer-musician Levon Helm (The Band) is 67. Country musician Gates Nichols (Confederate Railroad) is 63. Rock musician Garry Peterson (Guess Who) is 62. Singer Stevie Nicks is 59. Actress Pam Grier is 58. Actor Philip Michael Thomas is 58. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 58. Former astronaut Sally K. Ride is 56. Actress Margaret Colin is 50. Country singer-songwriter Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 48. Actor Doug Hutchison is 47. Actress Genie Francis is 45. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 45. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 43. Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 41. Rock musician Phillip Rhodes is 39. Actor Joseph Fiennes is 37. Rhythm-and-blues singer Joey Kibble (Take 6) is 36. Actor-producer-writer Matt Stone is 36. Contemporary Christian musician Nathan Cochran is 29.
Thought for Today: “Courage is being scared to death — and saddling up anyway.” — John Wayne, American actor (1907-1979).