TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Monday, May 25, the 146th day of 2020. There are 220 days left in the year. This is Memorial Day.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy told Congress: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”
On this date:
■ In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.
■ In 1810, Argentina began its revolt against Spanish rule with the forming of the Primera Junta in Buenos Aires.
■ In 1935, Babe Ruth hit his last three career home runs — Nos. 712, 713 and 714 — for the Boston Braves in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. (The Pirates won, 11-7.)
■ In 1946, Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom as it proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah I.
■ In 1959, the U.S. Supreme Court, in State Athletic Commission v. Dorsey, struck down a Louisiana law prohibiting interracial boxing matches. (The case had been brought by Joseph Dorsey Jr., a black professional boxer.)
■ In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, ordered the Virginia county to reopen its public schools, which officials had closed in an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka desegregation ruling.
■ In 1965, Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round of their world heavyweight title rematch in Lewiston, Maine. (Ali’s victory generated controversy over whether he’d truly connected when he sent Liston crashing to the canvas with a right to the head, or whether it was a “phantom punch,” implying that the fight had been fixed.)
■ In 1992, Jay Leno made his debut as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” succeeding Johnny Carson.
■ In 2005, Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen won Senate confirmation as a federal appeals judge after a ferocious four-year battle.
■ In 2006, former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted in Houston of conspiracy and fraud for the company’s downfall. (Lay died in July 2006 from heart disease and his convictions were vacated; Skilling was resentenced to 14 years in prison after his original 24-year sentence was overturned.)
■ In 2008, NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the Red Planet to begin searching for evidence of water; the spacecraft confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site.
■ In 2018, Harvey Weinstein was charged in New York with rape and another sex felony in the first prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him; the once-powerful movie producer turned himself in to face the charges and was released on $1 million bail after a court appearance. (Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault; he is serving a 23-year prison sentence.)
Ten years ago: President Barack Obama ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border. NFL owners voted to hold the 2014 Super Bowl at Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls and her professional dance partner, Derek Hough, won the 10th season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
Five years ago: On Memorial Day, President Barack Obama saluted Americans who had died in battle, telling listeners at Arlington National Cemetery the country must “never stop trying to fully repay them” for their sacrifices. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced to eight months in prison for unlawfully accepting money from a U.S. supporter.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Sir Ian McKellen is 81. Movie director and Muppeteer Frank Oz is 76. Actress Karen Valentine is 73. Actress Connie Sellecca is 65. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 57. Actress Anne Heche (haych) is 51. Actresses Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush (TV: “Little House on the Prairie”) are 50. Actorcomedian Jamie Kennedy is 50.
Thought for Today: “History is something that never happened, written by someone who wasn’t there.” — Author unknown.