Today In History
Today is Tuesday, May 8, the 128th day of 2018. There are 237 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1978: David R. Berkowitz pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom to murder, attempted murder and assault in connection with the “Son of Sam” shootings that claimed six lives and terrified New Yorkers. (Berkowitz was sentenced to six consecutive life prison terms.)
ON THIS DATE
› 1429: The Siege of Orleans during the Hundred Years’ War ended as English troops withdrew after being defeated by French forces under Joan of Arc.
› 1541: Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
› 1794: Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was executed on the guillotine during France’s Reign of Terror.
› 1921: Sweden’s Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty.
› 1945: President Harry S. Truman announced on radio that Nazi Germany’s forces had surrendered, and that “the flags of freedom fly all over Europe.”
› 1962: The musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” opened on Broadway.
› 1996: South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for blacks and whites.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough is 92. Singer Toni Tennille is 78. Actor James Mitchum is
77. Country singer Jack Blanchard is 76. Jazz musician Keith Jarrett is
73. Actor Mark Blankfield is 70. Singer Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind and Fire) is
67. Rock musician Chris Frantz (Talking Heads) is 67. Rockabilly singer Billy Burnette is 65. Rock musician Alex Van Halen is 65. Actor David Keith is 64. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is 57. Actress Melissa Gilbert is 54. Rock singer Darren Hayes is 46. Singer Enrique Iglesias is 43. Blues singer-musician Joe Bonamassa is 41. Actor Matt Davis is 40. Singer Ana Maria Lombo (Eden’s Crush) is 40. Actor Elyes Gabel is 35. Actor Domhnall Gleeson is 35. Neo-soul drummer Patrick Meese (Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats) is 35. Actress Julia Whelan is
34. Actress Nora Anezeder is 29.