Today in history
Today is Monday, May 21, the 141st day of 2018. There are 224 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 21, 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 ½ hours. On this date:
In 1542, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto died while searching for gold along the Mississippi River.
In 1868, Ulysses S. Grant was nominated for president by the Republican national convention in Chicago.
In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.
In 1917, the Great Atlanta Fire broke out, burning 300 acres, destroying nearly 2,000 buildings and displacing some 10,000 residents.
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 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 1945, actors Humphrey Bogart, 45, and Lauren Bacall, 20, were married at Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio (it was his fourth marriage, her first, and would last until Bogart’s death in 1957).
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 1982, during the Falklands War, British amphibious forces landed on the beach at San Carlos Bay.
In 1991, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during national elections by a suicide bomber.
In 1998, a teen gunman opened fire inside Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing two students, a day after he killed his parents. (The shooter was sentenced to nearly 112 years in prison.) In the wake of deadly protests, Indonesian President Suharto stepped down after 32 years in power.
Ten years ago: Oil prices blew past $130 a barrel for the first time and gas prices climbed above $3.80 a gallon. Israel and Syria unexpectedly announced the resumption of peace talks after an eight-year break. David Cook won “American Idol” in a landslide over David Archuleta.
Five years ago: Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman told the Senate Finance Committee he first learned in the spring of 2012 that agents had improperly targeted political groups that vehemently opposed President Barack Obama’s policies, saying he decided to let the inspector general look into the matter. Singer Kellie Pickler and pro partner Derek Hough were named “Dancing with the Stars” champions.
One year ago: President Donald Trump, visiting Riyadh, implored Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries to extinguish “Islamic extremism” emanating from the region, describing a “battle between good and evil” rather than a clash between the West and Islam. 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.