Today in History

Thursday, May 19, 2022 Today is Thursday, May 19, the 139th day of 2022. There are 226 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:

On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England’s King Henry VIII, was beheaded after being convicted of adultery.

On this date:

In 1780, a mysterious darkness enveloped much of New England and part of Canada in the early afternoon.

In 1913, California Gov. Hiram Johnson signed the Webb-hartley Law prohibiting “aliens ineligible to citizenship” from owning farm land, a measure targeting Asian immigrants, particularly Japanese.

In 1920, ten people were killed in a gun battle between coal miners, who were led by a local police chief, and a group of private security guards hired to evict them for joining a union in Matewan, a small “company town” in West Virginia.

In 1921, Congress passed, and President Warren G. Harding signed, the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas for immigrants.

In 1943, in his second wartime address to the U.S. Congress, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill pledged his country’s full support in the fight against Japan; that evening, Churchill met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House, where the two leaders agreed on May 1, 1944 as the date for the D-day invasion of France (the operation ended up being launched more than a month later).

In 1962, film star Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday to You” to President John F. Kennedy during a Democratic fundraiser at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In 1967, the Soviet Union ratified a treaty with the United States and Britain, banning nuclear and other weapons from outer space as well as celestial bodies such as the moon. (The treaty entered into force in October 1967.) In 1993, the Clinton White House set off a political storm by abruptly firing the entire staff of its travel office; five of the seven staffers were later reinstated and assigned to other duties.

In 1994, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in New York at age 64.

In 2003, Worldcom Inc. agreed to pay investors $500million to settle civil fraud charges.

In 2018, Britain’s Prince Harry wed American actress Meghan Markle in a service that reflected Harry’s royal heritage and his bride’s biracial roots, as well as their shared commitment to put a more diverse, modern face on the monarchy.

In 2020, a Trump administration policy of quickly expelling most migrants stopped along the border because of the COVID-19 pandemic was indefinitely extended. Ten years ago: Chen Guangcheng (chehn gwahng-chung), a blind Chinese legal activist, was hurriedly taken from a hospital and put on a plane for the United States, closing a nearly monthlong diplomatic tussle that had tested U.s.-china relations.

Five years ago: Sweden dropped a rape investigation of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who remained holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London to avoid arrest and possible extradition to the United States to face charges stemming from the publication of thousands of pages of classified documents. Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., whose penchant for sexting strangers ended his political career, pleaded guilty in Manhattan to a sex charge, tearfully apologizing for communications with a 15-year-old girl. (Weiner received a 21-month prison sentence.) Iran’s moderate President Hassan Rouhani (HAHSAHN’ roh-hah’-nee) trounced a hard-line challenger to secure reelection.

One year ago: The House voted to create an independent commission on the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, sending the legislation to the Senate. (Senate Republicans would block creation of the panel.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from the United States to wind down the operation.

Today’s Birthdays: TV personality David Hartman is 87. Actor James Fox is 83. Actor Nancy Kwan is 83. Rock singer-composer Pete Townshend (The Who) is

77. Concert pianist David Helfgott is 75. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Archie Manning is 73. Singer-actor Grace Jones is 71. Rock musician Phil Rudd is 68. Actor Steven Ford is 66. Actor Toni Lewis is

62. Rock musician Iain Harvie (Del Amitri) is 60. Actor Polly Walker is 56. Actor Jason Graystanford is 52. Gospel singer Israel Houghton is 51. Rock singer Jenny Berggren (Ace of Base) is

50. Former race car driver Dario Franchitti is 49. TV personality Kim Zolciak Biermann (TV: “Real Housewives of Atlanta”) is 44. Country/rock singer Shooter Jennings is 43. Actor Drew Fuller is 42. Actor-comedian Michael Che (chay) (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 39. Christian rock musician Tim Mctague (Underoath) is 39. Actor Eric Lloyd is 36. Pop singer Sam Smith is 30. Actor Nolan Lyons is 21.

Friday, May 20, 2022 Today is Friday, May 20, the 140th day of 2022. There are 225 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:

On May 20, 1956, the United States exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.

On this date:

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which was intended to encourage settlements west of the Mississippi River by making federal land available for farming.

In 1916, the Saturday Evening Post published its first Norman Rockwell cover; the illustration shows a scowling boy dressed in his Sunday best, dutifully pushing a baby carriage past a couple of boys wearing baseball uniforms. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on his historic solo flight to France.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. (Because of weather and equipment problems, Earhart set down in Northern Ireland instead of her intended destination, France.)

In 1948, Chiang Kai-shek (chang ky-shehk) was inaugurated as the first president of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

In 1959, nearly 5,000 Japaneseamericans had their U.S. citizenships restored after choosing to renounce them during World War II.

In 1961, a white mob attacked a busload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, prompting the federal government to send in U.S. marshals to restore order. In 1969, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Ap Bia Mountain, referred to as “Hamburger Hill” by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.

In 1985, Radio Marti, operated by the U.S. government, began broadcasting; Cuba responded by attempting to jam its signal. In 2009, in a rare, bipartisan defeat for President Barack Obama, the Senate voted overwhelmingly, 90-6, to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay open for the foreseeable future and forbid the transfer of any detainees to facilities in the United States.

In 2015, four of the world’s biggest banks — Jpmorgan Chase, Citigroup’s banking unit Citicorp, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland — agreed to pay more than $5billion in penalties and plead guilty to rigging the currency markets.

In 2020, President Donald Trump threatened to hold up federal funds for two election battleground states (Michigan and Nevada) that were making it easier to vote by mail during the pandemic. Police ticketed seven people for cutting hair during a protest against coronavirus restrictions outside the Michigan Capitol, where about a dozen barbers and hair stylists defied stay-at-home orders to give free haircuts.

Ten years ago: A two-day NATO summit hosted by President Barack Obama opened in Chicago. Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Chicago, airing grievances about war, climate change and a wide range of other complaints. Abdel Baset al-megrahi (Ahb’-dehl Bah’-seht Ah’-lee ahl-meh-grah’-hee), 60, the only man convicted in connection with the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, died in Tripoli, Libya. Robin Gibb, 62, who along with his brothers Maurice and Barry, defined the disco era as part of the Bee Gees, died in London.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump opened a five-stop overseas tour, his first since taking office, receiving a lavish royal welcome in Saudi Arabia.

One year ago: Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire, ending a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill. CNN said it was inappropriate for news anchor Chris Cuomo to have been involved in phone calls with the staff of his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the governor decided how to respond to sexual harassment allegations. (CNN would fire Chris Cuomo in December 2021 over his role in helping his older brother.)

Today’s Birthdays: Actor-author James Mceachin is 92. Actor Anthony Zerbe is 86. Actor David Proval is 80. Singer-actor Cher is

76. Actor-comedian Dave Thomas is 74. Rock musician Warren Cann is 72. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-idaho, is 71. Former New York Gov. David Paterson is 68. Delaware Gov. John Carney is 66. Actor Dean Butler is 66. Tv-radio personality Ron Reagan is 64. Rock musician Jane Wiedlin (The Go-go’s) is 64. Actor Bronson Pinchot is

63. Singer Susan Cowsill is 63. Actor John Billingsley is 62. Actor Tony Goldwyn is 62. Singer Nick Heyward is 61. TV personality Ted Allen is 57. Actor Mindy Cohn is

56. Rock musician Tom Gorman (Belly) is 56. Actor Gina Ravera is

56. Actor Timothy Olyphant is 54. Former race car driver Tony Stewart is 51. Rapper Busta Rhymes is 50. Actor Daya Vaidya is 49. Actor Matt Czuchry (ZOO-KREE’) is 45. Actor Angela Goethals is

45. Actor-singer Naturi Naughton is 38. Country singer Jon Pardi is 37.

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Today is Saturday, May 21, the 141st day of 2022. There are 224 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

On this date:

In 1471, King Henry VI of England died in the Tower of London at age 49.

In 1542, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto died while searching for gold along the Mississippi River.

In 1924, in a case that drew much notoriety, 14-year-old Bobby Franks was murdered in a “thrill killing” carried out by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb (Bobby’s cousin).

In 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis monoplane near Paris, completing the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 33 1⁄2 hours. In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean as she landed in Northern Ireland, about 15 hours after leaving Newfoundland.

In 1941, a German U-boat sank the American merchant steamship SS Robin Moor in the South Atlantic after the ship’s passengers and crew were allowed to board lifeboats.

In 1955, Chuck Berry recorded his first single, “Maybellene,” for Chess Records in Chicago.

In 1972, Michelangelo’s Pieta, on display at the Vatican, was damaged by a hammer-wielding man who shouted he was Jesus Christ. In 1979, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the slayings of Mayor George Moscone (mahs-koh’nee) and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk; outrage over the verdict sparked rioting. (White was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison; he ended up serving five years and took his own life in 1985.)

In 1991, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during national elections by a suicide bomber.

In 2000, death claimed actor Sir John Gielgud at age 96 and author Dame Barbara Cartland at age 98.

In 2020, President Donald Trump visited a Ford Motor Co. plant outside Detroit that had been repurposed to manufacture ventilators; he did not publicly wear a face mask but said he had worn one while out of public view. A Michigan judge sided with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a challenge by Republican lawmakers to her authority to order sweeping restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama and other world leaders meeting in Chicago locked in place an Afghanistan exit path that would keep their troops fighting there for two more years. Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi (DAH-ROON’ Rah’-vee), who used a webcam to spy on his gay roommate, Tyler Clementi, who then committed suicide, was sentenced to 30 days in jail (he served 20). A Yemeni man detonated a bomb during a rehearsal for a military parade, killing 96 fellow soldiers; alqaida’s branch in Yemen claimed responsibility.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump, visiting Riyadh, implored Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries to extinguish “Islamic extremism” emanating from the region. North Korea fired a solid-fuel ballistic missile, saying the test was hailed as perfect by leader Kim Jong Un. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus received its final standing ovation as it performed its last show at the Nassau County Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, ending a 146-year run.

One year ago: Thousands of Palestinians rallied after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war; the 11days of fighting left more than 250people dead, the vast majority Palestinians, and brought widespread destruction to the Gaza Strip. President Joe Biden said there had been no shift in his commitment to Israel’s security, but that a two-state solution that includes a state for Palestinians remained “the only answer” to that conflict. Authorities said the two Bureau of Prisons workers who were supposed to be guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself in a New York jail had admitted that they falsified records, but that they would be spared prison time under a deal with federal prosecutors; the workers were accused of sleeping and browsing the internet instead of monitoring Epstein.

Today’s Birthdays: R&B singer Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 81. Musician Bill Champlin is

75. Singer Leo Sayer is 74. Actor Carol Potter is 74. Former Sen. Al Franken, D-minn., is 71. Actor Mr. T is 70. Music producer Stan Lynch is 67. Actor Judge Reinhold is 65. Actor-director Nick Cassavetes is 63. Actor Lisa Edelstein is 56. Actor Fairuza Balk is

48. Rock singer-musician Mikel Jollett (Airborne Toxic Event) is

48. Rapper Havoc (Mobb Deep) is

48. Rock musician Tony Logerfo (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) is 39. Actor Sunkrish Bala is

38. Actor David Ajala is 36. Actor Ashlie Brillault is 35. Country singer Cody Johnson is 35. Actor Scott Leavenworth is 32. Actor Sarah Ramos is 31.