Today is Tuesday, May 10, the 130th day of 2005. There are 235 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
On this date:
In 1774, Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.
In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.
In 1865, Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga.
In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was given the job of FBI director.
In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.
In 1940, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.
In 1968, preliminary Vietnam peace talks began in Paris.
In 1978, Britain’s Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon announced they were divorcing after 18 years of marriage.
In 1994, the state of Illinois executed serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela took the oath of office to become South Africa’s first black president.
Ten years ago: An elevator accident in Orkney, South Africa, killed 104 miners. Terry Nichols was charged in the Oklahoma City bombing. Former President Bush’s office released his letter of resignation from the National Rifle Association in which Bush expressed outrage over its reference to federal agents as “jack-booted government thugs.”
Five years ago: High wind drove what began as a deliberately set fire into a New Mexico canyon, forcing the evacuation of the entire town of Los Alamos and its 11,000 residents. (The fire had been set to contain an earlier blaze intended to clear brush.) Actor Craig Stevens, who’d starred in the 1950’s TV series “Peter Gunn,” died in Los Angeles at age 81.
One year ago: President Bush reacted with “deep disgust and disbelief” during a Pentagon visit as he examined new photos and video clips of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners. Citigroup agreed to pay $2.65 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by WorldCom investors who’d lost billions when the company went bankrupt in an accounting scandal.
Today’s Birthdays: Sportscaster Pat Summerall is 75. R&B singer Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) is 67. TV and radio personality Gary Owens is 66. Writer-producer-director Jim Abrahams is 61. Singer Donovan is 59. Singer Dave Mason is 59. R&B singer Ron Banks (The Dramatics) is 54. Rock singer Bono (U2) is 45. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is 42. Model Linda Evangelista is 40. Rock musician Krist Novoselic (Nirvana, Eyes Adrift) is 40. Rapper Young MC is 38. Actor Erik Palladino is 37. Rock musician Jesse Vest (Tantric) is 28. Actor Kenan Thompson is 27. R&B singer Jason Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 25. Singer Ashley Poole (Dream) is 20.
Thought for Today: “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” — William James, American psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910).