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From: Mary Minnich< >
Subject: [FOLKLORE-L] Today in History - May 15th
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 07:12:54 -0400


Today is Saturday, May 15th, the 135th day of 1999.
There are 230 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
On May 15th, 1930, Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty
aboard a United Airlines flight between San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

On this date:
In 1602, Cape Cod was discovered by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold.

In 1886, poet Emily Dickinson died in Amherst, Massachusetts.

In 1911, the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Company,
ruling it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

In 1918, US airmail began service between Washington, Philadelphia and New
York.

In 1942, gasoline rationing went into effect in 17 states, limiting sales to
three gallons a week for non-essential vehicles.

In 1948, hours after declaring its independence, the new state of Israel was
attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

In 1963, US astronaut L. Gordon Cooper blasted off aboard Faith Seven on the
final mission of the Project Mercury space program.

In 1969, Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned amid a controversy over
his past legal fees.

In 1972, George C. Wallace was shot by Arthur Bremer and left paralyzed
while campaigning in Laurel, Maryland, for the Democratic presidential
nomination.

In 1988, the Soviet Union began the process of withdrawing its troops from
Afghanistan, more than eight years after Soviet forces had entered the
country.

Ten years ago: Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev arrived in Beijing for
the first Sino-Soviet summit in 30 years, a visit overshadowed by
pro-democracy demonstrations led by Chinese students.

Five years ago: Supreme Court nominee Stephen G. Breyer arrived in
Washington to spend the night at the White House, while Republicans joined
Democrats in predicting swift Senate confirmation.

One year ago: Trapped in blazing shopping malls, hundreds of looters burned
to death in rioting that laid smoking waste to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta.

Today's Birthdays:
Actress Constance Cummings is 89.
Singer Eddy Arnold is 81.
Actor Joseph Wiseman is 81.
Playwright Anthony Shaffer ("Sleuth") is 73.
Playwright Peter Shaffer ("Amadeus") is 73.
Playwright Paul Zindel is 63.
Actress-singer Anna Maria Alberghetti is 63.
Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 63.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is 62.
Singer Trini Lopez is 62.
Singer Lenny Welch is 61.
Actress-singer Lainie Kazan is 59.
Actor-director Paul Rudd is 59.
Country singer K.T. Oslin is 57.
Singer-songwriter Brian Eno is 51.
Actor Chazz Palminteri is 48.
Baseball player George Brett is 46.
Actor Lee Horsley is 44.
Singer-rapper Prince Be (PM Dawn) is 29.
Actor David Charvet ("Melrose Place") is 27.
Rock musician Ahmet Zappa is 25.
Olympic gold-medal gymnast Amy Chow is 21.

Thought for Today:

"Not to discover weakness is/ The Artifice of strength..."

-- Emily Dickinson, American poet (1830-1886).

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

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