This Day in History

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy told Congress: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achiev- ing 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 (Inde- pendence 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 Com- mission v. Dorsey, struck down a Louisiana law prohibiting in- terracial boxing matches. (The case had been brought by Jo- seph Dorsey Jr., a black professional boxer.)

In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Ed- ward County, ordered the Virginia county to reopen its public schools, which officials had closed in an attempt to cir- cumvent 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 victo- ry 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 “To- night Show,” succeeding Johnny Carson.

In 2005, Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen won Senate confirmation as a federal appeals judge after a fe- rocious 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 con- victions were vacated; Skilling was resentenced to 14 years in prison after his original 24-year sentence was overturned.)