Today In History
Today is Friday, May 24, the 144th day of 2019. There are 221 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1844: Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message “What hath God wrought” from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America’s first telegraph line.
ON THIS DATE
› 1775: John Hancock was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, succeeding Peyton Randolph.
› 1937: In a set of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Social Security Act of 1935.
› 1941: The German battleship Bismarck sank the British battle cruiser HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, killing all but three of the 1,418 men on board.
› 1962: Astronaut Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard Aurora 7.
› 1968: The Rolling Stones single “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was released in the United Kingdom by Decca Records.
› 1976: Britain and France opened trans-Atlantic Concorde supersonic transport service to Washington.
› 1991: The feminist film drama “Thelma & Louise,” starring Susan Sarandon (as Louise) and Geena Davis (as Thelma), was released by MGM.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Actor-comedian-impressionist Stanley Baxter is 93. Jazz musician Archie Shepp is 82. Comedian Tommy Chong is 81. Singer Bob Dylan is
78. Actor Gary Burghoff is 76. Singer Patti LaBelle is 75. Actress Priscilla Presley is 74. Country singer Mike Reid is 72. Actor Jim Broadbent is
70. Actor Alfred Molina is
66. Singer Rosanne Cash is 64. Actor Cliff Parisi is 59. Actress Kristin Scott Thomas is 59. Rock musician Jimmy Ashhurst (Buckcherry) is 56. Rock musician Vivian Trimble is 56. Actor John C. Reilly is 54. Actor Dana Ashbrook is 52. Actor Eric Close is 52. Actor Carl Payne is 50. Rock musician Rich Robinson is 50. Actor Dash Mihok is 45. Actor Bryan Greenburg is
41. Actor Billy L. Sullivan is 39. Actor-rapper Jerod Mixon (aka Big Tyme) is 38. Rock musician Cody Hanson (Hinder) is 37. Dancer-choreographer-singer Mark Ballas is 33. Country singer Billy Gilman is 31. Rapper/ producer G-Eazy is 30. Actress Brianne Howey is 30. Actor Cayden Boyd is 25.