Today in History

May 6th Birthdays:
1856
Sigmund Freud- Austrian neurologist/father of pyschology
1868
Gaston Leroux-French writer'The Phantom of the Opera'
1915
Orson Welles-actor/director "Citizen Kane, War of The Worlds' He won Oscar as co-writer of screenplay for 'Kane', won an honorary Oscar in 1971
1931
Willie Mayes- Baseball Hall of Fame centerfielder for SF Giants, NY Mets
1945
Bob Segar- rock singer/songwriter' Against The Wind,Hollywood Nights,Old Time Rock&Roll
1961
George Clooney-actor/director/ producer 'O Brother Where Art Thou,Syriana,The Descendants,Batman His best known TV role' Dr Doug Ross on NBC medical drama'ER' He has won 2 Oscars, best supp actor'Syiana', co producer of movie' Argo'
Deaths:
1862
Henry David Thoreau- U.S. naturalist 'On Walden Pond' 44
1919
L.Frank Baun- author'The Wizard of Oz' 62
1991
Wilfred Hyde- White- British actor,'My Fair Lady,Peyton Place 87
 

This Day in History, May 7th

2000 Vladimir Putin becomes President of Russia

The former KGB officer enjoys high approval ratings in his country as living standards in Russia have improved drastically under his rule. Internationally, he has been criticized for his authoritarian style of government.

1946 Sony is founded

The company started as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering. It is now one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products.

1945 Germany's Nazi regime surrenders unconditionally
The capitulation ended World War II, one of the bloodiest conflicts of all time. According to estimates, between 40 and 71 million people died in the war and the Holocaust initiated by Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.

1915 A German U-Boat sinks the RMS Lusitania

1198 lives were lost in the attack, making it the deadliest shipwreck during World War I. The fact that some of the dead were U.S. citizens influenced the country's decision to enter the war in 1917.

1895 Alexander Popov demonstrates the world's first radio receiver
The Russian physicist had initially built the device as a lightning detector. He achieved the first radio transmission between two buildings the following year.
 

Births On This Day, May 7th 🎂

1892 Josip Broz Tito
Yugoslav marshal, politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia

1861 Rabindranath Tagore
Indian author, poet, Nobel Prize laureate

1840 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian composer

1812 Robert Browning
English poet

1711 David Hume
Scottish economist, historian, philosopher

Deaths On This Day, May 7th 🪦

2011 Seve Ballesteros
Spanish golfer

1940 George Lansbury
English politician

1840 Caspar David Friedrich
German painter

1825 Antonio Salieri
Italian composer

973 Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
 
1789
The 1st U.S. Presidential inaugral ball was held in NYC for Pres George Washington
1824
composer, Ludwig van Beethoven's '9th Choral Symphony' considered his greatest work debuts in Vienna
1915
RMS Lusitana traveling from NY- Liverpool, England is torpeoded by German U-boat off the coast of Ireland killing 1300 passengers
1966
group'Mamas&Papas' their only #1 single' Monday,Monday' debuts on music charts
1980
Paul Geidel,Jr ,the longest serving U.S. prisoner is paroled after serving 68 yrs age 86. He was convicted of 2nd degree murder in 1911 when he was 17
 
May 7th Birthdays:
1840
Pytor Tcharskovsky- Russian composer '1812 Overture', The Nutcracker: Swan Lake'
1901
Gary Cooper- actor 'Sgt York, High Noon,he won Best Actor Oscar for both of these movies
1922
Darren Mc Gavin-actor 'Nightstalker, A Christmas Story'
1938
Jimmy Ruffin- soul singer'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted'
1950
Tim Russert- U.S TV journalist host of NBC news program'Meet The Press' '91-'08
Deaths:
1951
Warner Baxter- actor 'Cisco Kid' 62
1998
Eddie Rabbitt- singer/songwriter 'I Love A Rainy Night,Kentucky Rain' 56{lung cancer}
2000
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr- actor 'Prisoner of Zenda', 'Gunga Din' 90
2011
Seve Ballesteros- Spanish PGA golfer won British Open '79,'84,'88,won U.S. Open'80,'83 54{brain cancer}
 
On This Day in History, May 8th

1984 Moscow announces that the USSR will not take part in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles

Several other countries, such as Cuba, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Vietnam joined the boycott. 4 years earlier, the United States had not sent any athletes to the Summer Olympics in Moscow.

1978 Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler climb Mount Everest without an oxygen supply

Prior to the Italian and Austrian mountaineers' ascent, it was thought to be impossible to conquer the world's highest mountain without supplemental oxygen.

1970 The Beatles release the album Let It Be
The recording was the last studio album ever released by the legendary English rock band.

1927 The White Bird and its crew mysteriously disappear

French aviators, Charles Nungesser and François Coli had taken off from Paris in their Levasseur PL.8 biplane in an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight. Their disappearance remains a mystery. Charles Lindbergh succeeded two weeks later.

1886 Coca-Cola is invented
According to legend, Dr. John Styth Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, produced the syrup in a brass pot in his backyard. It was first intended as a patent medicine. Today, Coca-Cola is one of the world's most popular soft drinks and one of the most recognized trademarks.
 
Births On This Day, May 8th 🎂

1970 Naomi Klein
Canadian author, activist

1945 Keith Jarrett
American pianist, composer

1926 David Attenborough
English television host

1911 Robert Johnson
American singer-songwriter, guitarist

1884 Harry S. Truman
American colonel, politician, 33rd President of the United States

Deaths On This Day, May 8th 🪦

1990 Luigi Nono
Italian composer

1988 Robert A. Heinlein
American writer

1903 Paul Gauguin
French painter

1891 Helena Blavatsky
Russian scholar, theosophist

1873 John Stuart Mill
English economist, civil servant, philosopher
 
1541
Spanish explorer, Hernando de Solo and his expedition party discover the Mississippi River
1877
The 1st Westminster Dog Show was held in NYC,,it orginally was a show for pointer,setters,it drew 1200 dogs
1912
film/production distrubtion studio,Paramount Pictures was founded
1962
Oskar Schindler and his wife, Emilie were honored at a ceremony in Jerusalem for saving 1200 Jews during WWII
2010
Betty White becomes the oldest person to host "Saturday Night Live' age 88,she won a Emmy for guest hosting
 
May 8th Birthdays;
1884
Harry Truman- 33rd U.S. President 1945-1953
1926
David Attenborough- British naturalist/producer/ host BBC"Our Planet Series' His late brother was actor Sir Richard Attenborough
1940
Peter Benchly- author' Jaws',The Deep' both were made into movies
1951
Philip Bailey-r&b singer'Easy Lover'
Deaths:
1880
Gustave Flaubert- French novelist 'Madame Bovary' 58
1903
Paul Gaughin-French painter 54
1967
LaVerne Andrews- pop/jazz singer with her sisters 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy',Rum&Coca- Cola' 55{cancer}
1994
George Peppard- actor, 'Breakfast at Tiffanys Blue Max, best known TV role'Hannibal Smith" in TV show' The A Team' '83-'87 65
2008
Eddy Arnold- country music singer'Make the World Go Away' 89
2016
William Schallert- actor,best known TV role played Patty Duke's dad on 'Patty Duke Show' '63-'66 93
 
On This Day In History, May 9th

2012 The brand-new Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane crashes

The regional jet was the first airliner produced in Russia since the end of the USSR in 1991. The doomed flight was a demonstration tour carrying potential customers. All 45 people on board perished in the crash, which was caused by pilot error.

1997 Pete Peterson becomes the first U.S. ambassador to visit Vietnam after the end of the war
Peterson, a Vietnam veteran, devoted himself to promoting reconciliation between the two countries. About 2.5 million Vietnamese, most of them civilians, were killed during the war.

1979 Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed

An Islamic revolutionary tribunal had convicted him of “contacts with Israel and Zionism” and “friendship with the enemies of God”. His execution triggered a Jewish mass exodus from Iran.

1969 Carlos Lamarca begins his fight against Brazil's military dictatorship
Lamarca was a member of the communist organization Vanguardia Popular Revolucionária (VPR) and is well known for his urban guerilla actions. Brazilian forces killed him in 1971.

1960 The first birth control pill is approved

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would add birth control as a new indication for the drug “Enovid”.
 
Births On This Day, May 9th 🎂

1949 Billy Joel
American singer-songwriter, pianist

1934 Alan Bennett
English actor, screenwriter, author

1921 Sophie Scholl
German student, activist

1837 Adam Opel
German engineer founded the Opel Company

1800 John Brown
American activist

Deaths On This Day, May 9th 🪦

2012 Vidal Sassoon
English/American hairdresser

1986 Tenzing Norgay
Nepalese mountaineer

1976 Ulrike Meinhof
German journalist, activist

1805 Friedrich Schiller
German poet, playwright, historian

1707 Dieterich Buxtehude
German/Danish organist, composer
 
9th May

1662 The first recorded Punch & Judy Show in Britain took place at Covent Garden in London.

1671 Irishman Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal the British Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Despite being caught red-handed, he was pardoned by King Charles II.

1887 Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show opened in London. His cowboy themed shows also toured Europe as well as the United States.

1896 The first 'Horseless Carriage' Show opened at the Imperial Institute in London, when ten engine-powered models went on show to the public.

1945 The Channel Islands were liberated by the British after five years of German occupation.
 
1882
Telegraph Hill RR Comp{cable cars} is organized in San Francisco
1926
aviator/explorer, Richard E. Byrd&his co -pilot Floyd Bennett claim the 1st flight over the North Pole
1960
U.S becomes the 1st country to legalize birth control pill
1989
Vice Pres,Dan Quayle in a speech at a United ***** College Fund event said' What a waste it is to lose one's mind' He meant to say'a mind is a terrible thing to waste'
2012
Mark Rothko's 'Orange, Red,Yellow, painting becomes most expensive contemporary art piece sold at auction for $86.9mil
2018
oldest viral DNA,form of hepatitis B discovered in a 7,000 yr old skeleton found in Germany
 
May 9th Birthdays:
1265
Dante Alegheri-Italian author/poet' Dante's Inferno'
1873
Howard Carter- British archeologist who found King Tutankhanmun's Tomb
1918
Mike Wallace- journalist/ reporter/interviewer on CBS news magazine '60 Minute'
1920 Richard Adams-English author' Watership Down'
1936
Albert Finney- British actor, 'Tom Jones, Two For The Road, Shoot The Moon,Erin Brockovich
1949
Billy Joel- Grammy award winning singer/songwriter 'Just The Way You Are, Piano Man,NYState of Mind
Deaths:
1914
CW Post- U.S food manufacturer of breakfast cereals 59{suicide}
1957
Ezio Pinza- Italian Opera singer-NY Met Opera, "South Pacific" 64
1986
Hershel Bernardi- actor,was voice of 'Charlie the Tuna in TV commericals 62
2009
Chuck Daly-NBA Hall of Fame Basketball coach with Detroit Pistons 78
2012
Vidal Sassoon- British hair stylist 84
2020
Little Richard-singer/songwriter/ rock n roll pioneer 'Tutti Fruitti 87
 
On Ths Day in History, May 10th

1994 Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa's first black president

Mandela's inauguration came after more than 300 years of white rule. Before becoming president, he was a pivotal figure in the fight against the racist apartheid regime and was incarcerated for 27 years.

1954 Bill Haley releases “Rock Around the Clock”
It was the first rock song to top the Billboard charts and has become a classic of the early rock era.

1941 Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland to broker a peace agreement

Hess was captured and interrogated. He was the last in a long line of prominent figures to be incarcerated in the Tower of London. Hitler characterized his peace mission four years before the end of World War II as treason.

1933 Nazis ceremonially burn about 25,000 allegedly “un-German” books
The book burnings were part of the right-wing German Student Union's Action against the Un-German Spirit. Among the burnt books were works by Albert Einstein, Bertolt Brecht, Sigmund Freud, and Franz Kafka.

1869 In the United States, the first coast to coast railroad is completed
The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroad systems were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah, using a “Golden Spike”. This last spike is now housed in the Cantor Arts Museum at Stanford University.
 

Births On This Day, May 10th 🎂


1977 Nick Heidfeld
German race car driver

1960 Bono
Irish singer-songwriter, actor, activist

1957 Sid Vicious
English singer, bass player

1946 Donovan
Scottish/English singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actor

1899 Fred Astaire
American actor, singer, dancer

Deaths On This Day, May 10th 🪦

1977 Joan Crawford
American actress

1897 Andrés Bonifacio
Filipino activist

1863 Stonewall Jackson
American general

1818 Paul Revere
American military officer

1774 Louis XV of France
 
1869
The Transcontential Railroad is completed at Promontory Summit,Utah connecting Central Pacific railroad with Union Pacific
1924
J. Edgar Hoover is appointed head of the F.B.I would be director for 48 yrs until his death in 1972
1940
Winston Churchill succeeds Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister. He held this job twice, 1940-1945, 1951-1955
1968
Vietnam Peace Talks between United States&Vietnam begin in Paris,France
1994
at still life painting by French painter, Paul Cezanne was sold in NYC for $28.6 mill
 
May 10 th Birthdays:
1888
Max Steiner- film movie composer-King Kong, Casablanca, Gone With The Wind'
1899
Fred Astaire- stage/screen dancer/actor 'Easter Parade,Swingtime"
1911
Bel Kaufman- author' Up The Down Staircase'
1930
Pat Summerall- NFL football player with NY Giants, CBS/Fox/ESPN sportscaster
1946
Dave Mason- British singer/songwriter' We Just Disagree'
1955
Chris Berman- ESPN sportscaster
1960
Bono{born Paul Hewson} singer/songwriter with Irish band'U2" "I Still Dont Know What I'm Looking For,Beautiful Day
Deaths:
1818
Paul Revere- U.S. silversmith/patriot who alerted colonial militia of approachment of British forces before the battle of Lexington&Concord 83
1977
Joan Crawford- actress' Mildred Pierce,Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte,.she won Best Actress Oscar for 'Pierce' 74
1999
Shel Silverstein- writer/cartoonist 68
2021
Norman Lloyd- actor/producer best known TV role' Dr Auschlander' on NBC medical drama,'St Elsewhere' 106
 
10th May

1768 John Wilkes (English radical, journalist, and politician) was imprisoned for writing an article for the North Briton newspaper severely criticizing King George III. This action provoked rioting in London.

1773 The British Parliament passed the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by granting it a monopoly on the North American tea trade.

1857 A revolt by Sepoys at Meerut started the Indian Mutiny by Indian soldiers serving in the British Army.

1915... a Zeppelin airship dropped over 100 incendiary bombs on Southend.

1916 Explorer Ernest Shackleton and companions reached the Falkland island of South Georgia after sailing 800 miles in 16 days in an open boat. They were looking for help for the remaining members of their party marooned on Elephant island, Antarctica.

1919 The first scheduled commercial air service in Britain began. The flight from Manchester to Southport cost 4 guineas one way and was run by A.V.Roe.
 
This Day In History, May 11th

1998 India executes a series of nuclear weapons tests

The detonations raised fears of a nuclear conflict in the area and sparked international protests. On May 13, 1998, India officially declared itself a nuclear power.

1996 ValuJet flight 592 crashes into the Florida Everglades shortly after takeoff
All 110 people on board lost their lives in the crash that was caused by a fire in the cargo compartment.

1985 56 football fans die in a stadium fire
During a match against Lincoln City, the wooden stand at Valley Parade football ground went up in flames. The exits were locked. A burning cigarette thrown into a waste bin has been determined as the probable cause of the disaster.

1981 The musical Cats is premiered
The piece sparked a musical craze around the world and catapulted the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to stardom.

868 The earliest surviving dated printed book is produced in China
The “Diamond Sutra” is one of the most important texts in Mahayana Buddhism. The British Library in London presently houses the copy.
 
Births On This Day, May 11th 🎂

1918 Richard Feynman
American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

1904 Salvador Dalí
Spanish painter

1888 Irving Berlin
American composer

1861 Frederick Russell Burnham
American soldier, adventurer

1838 Walter Goodman
English painter, illustrator, author

Deaths On This Day, May 11th 🪦

2001 Douglas Adams
English/American author, playwright

1988 Kim Philby
British spy, Soviet double agent

1981 Bob Marley
Jamaican/American singer-songwriter, guitarist

1778 William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1760 Alaungpaya
Burmese king
 
11th May

1685 18 year old Margaret Wilson was executed by drowning for refusing to swear an oath declaring James VII (James II of England) as head of the church. She died along with Margaret McLachlan. Known as the Wigtown Martyrs they are buried in Wigtown Churchyard.

1812 Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is shot and killed by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons. Bellingham was a businessman who believed he had been unjustly imprisoned for debt in Russia. On his return to England he tried to get compensation from the Government, only to be repeatedly turned down. Perceval is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated in office.

1820 The launch of HMS Beagle, the ship that took Charles Darwin on his scientific voyage to test his theories on evolution.

1963 British businessman Greville Wynne, aged 44, accused of spying for the West was sentenced to eight years' detention by a Moscow tribunal.
 
1820
the launch of HMS Beagle ship which would later take Charles Darwin on his famous scientific voyage
1927
Louis B. Meyer, head of MGM studios forms the Academy of Motion Picture Arts&Science.He wanted an org that would advance arts&sciences in movies. The Academy is known around the world for producing the 'Oscars' every year
1968
single' MacArthur Park 'is released with actor/singer,Richard Harris,the single was 7 min long It came from the album'A Tramp Shining' all songs were written by composer Jimmy Webb.It hit #2 on the music charts
1969
British comedy troupe'Monty Python' was formed with actors/comedians :John Cleese, Michael Pallin,Eric Idle,Graham Chapman,Terry Gilliam,Terry Jones
1989
Kenya announces worldwide ban on ivory to preserve its elephant herds
2015
at Sotheby's auction house in NYC, a record price of $179.3 mil for a Picasso painting 'The Women of Algiers' was sold
 
May 11th Birthdays:
1888
Irving Berlin-Russian/U.S. composer considered by many one of the greatest songwriters in history,his songs include:
'God Bless America, Always,White Christmas,Cheek to Cheek"
1904
Salvador Dali- Spanish surrealist painter
1920
Denver Pyle- actor, best known TV role,'Uncle Jesse Duke' in CBS show' Dukes of Hazzard'
1927
Mort Sahl- standup comedian/political satrist
1941
Eric Burton- rock singer with group'Animals' 'House of the Rising Sun,War,Spill The Wine'
Deaths:
1960
John D.Rockefeller,Jr- U.S financier/philanthropist 86
1981
Bob Marley- Jamican reggae musician 'One Love,Three Little Birds' 36{brain&lung cancer}
1985
Chester Gould,cartoonist'Dick Tracy' 84
2001
Douglas Adams- British author' Hitchiker's Guide to Galaxy' 49
2020
Jerry Stiller actor/comedian 92
 


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