TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, the 130th day of 2017. There are 235 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1869, a golden spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. In 1774, Louis XVI acceded to the throne of France.
In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.
In 1863, during the Civil War, Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson died of pneumonia, a complication resulting from being hit by friendly fire eight days earlier during the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia. In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.
In 1940, during World War II, German forces began invading the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. The same day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.
In 1941, Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission. (Hess ended up serving a life sentence at Spandau Prison until 1987, when he apparently committed suicide at age 93.)
In 1960, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton completed its submerged navigation of the globe.
In 1977, Academy Award-winning actress Joan Crawford died in New York.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela took the oath of office in Pretoria to become South Africa’s first black president. The state of Illinois executed serial killer John Wayne Gacy, 52, for the murders of 33 young men and boys.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Author Barbara Taylor Bradford is 84. Rhythmand-blues singer Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) is 79. Singers Donovan and Dave Mason, and singer-songwriter Graham Gouldman (10cc) are 71. Actress Victoria Rowell is 58. Rock singer Bono (U2) is 57. Model Linda Evangelista is 52. Rapper Young MC is 50. Actor Erik Palladino is 49. Actor Lenny Venito is 48. Actor Dallas Roberts is 47. Rock musician Jesse Vest is 40. Actor Kenan Thompson is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jason Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 37. Actress Lindsey Shaw is 28. Actress Lauren Potter is 27.