Today is Wednesday, May 11, the 131st day of 2005. There are 234 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
Twenty years ago, on May 11, 1985, 55 people died when a flash fire swept a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England.
On this date:
In 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union.
In 1904, surrealist artist Salvador Dali was born in Figueras, Spain.
In 1910, Glacier National Park in Montana was established.
In 1943, during World War II, U.S. forces landed on the Aleutian island of Attu, which was held by the Japanese; the Americans took the island 19 days later.
In 1944, Allied forces launched a major offensive against German lines in Italy.
In 1946, the first CARE packages arrived in Europe, at Le Havre, France.
In 1949, Israel was admitted to the United Nations as the world body’s 59th member.
In 1973, charges against Daniel Ellsberg for his role in the “Pentagon Papers” case were dismissed by Judge William M. Byrne, who cited government misconduct.
In 1981, reggae artist Bob Marley, 36, died in a Miami hospital.
In 1996, an Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board.
Ten years ago: A United Nations conference indefinitely extended the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which was originally set to expire after 25 years.
Five years ago: Pope John Paul II named Bishop Edward M. Egan of Bridgeport, Conn., the new head of the New York archdiocese, succeeding the late Cardinal John O’Connor.
One year ago: A video on an al-Qaida-linked Web site showed the beheading of American hostage Nicholas Berg, who’d been kidnapped in Iraq. Six Israeli soldiers were killed when their armored personnel carrier was blown up by Palestinian militants in Gaza City. NBA star Kobe Bryant pleaded not guilty in a Colorado court to a rape charge. (Prosecutors later dropped the case.)
Today’s Birthdays: Comedian Mort Sahl is 78. Rock singer Eric Burdon (The Animals; War) is 64. Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo is 53. Actress Frances Fisher is 53. Actor Boyd Gaines is 52. Country musician Mark Herndon (Alabama) is 50. Actress Martha Quinn is 46. Actress Natasha Richardson is 42. Country singer-musician Tim Raybon (The Raybon Brothers) is 42. Actor Coby Bell is 30. Actor Austin O’Brien is 25. Actor Jonathan Jackson is 23.
Thought for Today: “Whether women are better than men, I cannot say — but I can say they are certainly no worse.” — Golda Meir, Israeli prime minister (1898-1978).