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From: Mary Minnich< >
Subject: [FOLKLORE-L] Today in History - May 10th.
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 06:50:40 -0400


Today is Monday, May tenth, the 130th day of 1999.
There are 235 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
One hundred years ago, on May tenth, 1899, movie musical star Fred Astaire
was born in Omaha, Nebraska.

On this date:
In 1774, Louis the 16th ascended the throne of France.

In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held
fortress at Ticonderoga, New York.

In 1818, American patriot Paul Revere died in Boston.

In 1865, Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in
Irwinville, Georgia.

In 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the
completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was given the job of FBI director.

In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.

In 1941, Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on
what he claimed was a peace mission. (Hess ended up serving a life sentence
at Spandau prison until 1987, when he apparently committed suicide.)

In 1968, preliminary Vietnam peace talks began in Paris.

In 1978, Britain's Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon announced they
were divorcing after 18 years of marriage.

Ten years ago: In Panama, the government of General Manuel Antonio Noriega
announced it had nullified the country's elections, whech independent
observers said the opposition had won by a three-to-one margin.

Five years ago: The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John
Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys. Nelson Mandela took the
oath of office to become South Africa's first black president. An annular,
or "ring," eclipse cast a moving shadow across the United States.

One year ago: The FAA grounded older models of the Boeing 737 after
mandatory inspections of some aircraft found extensive wear in power lines
running through their wing fuel tanks. Sinn Fein (shin fayn) leader Gerry
Adams won full backing for the Northern Ireland peace accord in a
fundamental reversal of decades-old policy.

Today's Birthdays:
Former House Speaker Carl Albert is 91.
Sportscaster Pat Summerall is 69.
TV and radio personality Gary Owens is 63.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) is 61.
Writer-producr-director Jim Abrahams is 55.
Singer Donovan Leitch is 53.
Singer Dave Mason is 53.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Ron Banks (The Dramatics) is 48.
Rock singer Bono (U2) is 39.
Rock musician Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) is 34.
Rapper Young MC is 32.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Jason Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 19.

Thought for Today:

"A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands
and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his
brain and his heart is an artist."

-- Louis Nizer, American lawyer (1902-1994).

(Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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