Today In History

Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2019. There are 224 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 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.

ON THIS DATE

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

› 1863: The Seventhday Adventist Church was officially organized.

› 1868: Ulysses S. Grant was nominated for president by the Republican National Convention in Chicago.

› 1881: Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

› 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).

› 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.

› 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.

› 1972: Michelangelo’s Pieta, on display at the Vatican, was damaged by a hammer-wielding man who shouted he was Jesus Christ.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Rhythm and blues singer Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 78. Rock musician Hilton Valentine (The Animals) is 76. Musician Bill Champlin is 72. Singer Leo Sayer is 71. Actress Carol Potter is 71. Former Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is 68. Actor Mr. T is 67. Music producer Stan Lynch is 64. Actor Judge Reinhold is 62. Actor-director Nick Cassavetes is 60. Actor Brent Briscoe is 58. Actress Lisa Edelstein is 53. Actress Fairuza Balk is 45. Rock singer-musician Mikel Jollett (Airborne Toxic Event) is 45. Rapper Havoc (Mobb Deep) is 45. Rock musician Tony LoGerfo (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) is 36. Actor Sunkrish Bala is 35. Actor David Ajala is 33. Actress Ashlie Brillault is 32. Country singer Cody Johnson is 32. Actor Scott Leavenworth is 29. Actress Sarah Ramos is 28.