Saturday, May 16, 2009

16 May: Royal Wedding

By The Associated Press 2 hrs 40 mins ago Today is Saturday, May 16, the 136th day of 2009. There are 229 days left in the year. Also from the AP, & their A/V. UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History: In 1770, Marie Antoinette, age 14, married the future King Louis XVI of France, who was 15. On this date:
In 1866, Congress authorized minting of the first 5-cent piece, also known as the "Shield nickel." In 1868, the Senate failed by one vote to convict President Andrew Johnson as it took its first ballot on the 11 articles of impeachment against him. (He was acquitted of all charges.) In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized by Pope Benedict XV. In 1939, the government began its first food stamp program in Rochester, N. Y. In 1948, CBS News correspondent George Polk, who'd been covering the Greek civil war between Communist and nationalist forces, was found slain in Solonica Harbor. In 1960, a Big Four summit conference in Paris collapsed on its opening day as the Soviet Union leveled spy charges against the U.S. in the wake of the U-2 incident. In 1975, Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Twenty five years ago, in 1984, comedian Andy Kaufman died in Los Angeles at age 35. Twenty years ago, in 1989, during his visit to Beijing, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, formally ending a 30-year rift between the two Communist powers. Ten years ago: The Justice Department said preliminary figures from the FBI indicated a decline in serious crime in 1998 for the seventh consecutive year. Five years ago: The United States announced a new initiative to speed up the approval process for new combination AIDS drugs that was designed to bring cheap, easy-to-use treatment to millions of people in Africa and the Caribbean. Pope John Paul II named six new saints, including Gianna Beretta Molla, revered by abortion foes because she'd refused to end her pregnancy despite warnings it could kill her. (Beretta Molla, an Italian pediatrician, died in 1962 at age 39, a week after giving birth to her fourth child.) In 2005, Army Specialist Sabrina Harman was convicted at Fort Hood, Texas, of six of the seven charges she faced for her role in the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. (She was later sentenced to six months in prison.)One year ago: President George W. Bush visited Saudi Arabia, where he failed to win help from Saudi leaders to relieve skyrocketing American gas prices. Osama bin Laden said in an audio statement that al-Qaida would continue its holy war against Israel and its allies until the liberation of Palestine. U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Tyrone L. Hadnott, accused of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl in Okinawa, Japan, was found guilty of abusive sexual conduct by a U.S. military court and sentenced to four years in prison. Robert Mondavi, the patriarch of California wine country, died in Yountville at age 94. Today's Birthdays: Actor George Gaynes is 92. Actor Harry Carey Jr. is 88. Jazz musician Billy Cobham is 65. Actor Bill Smitrovich is 62. Actor Pierce Brosnan is 56. Actress Debra Winger is 54. Soviet-born gymnast Olga Korbut is 54. Actress Mare Winningham is 50. Rock musician Boyd Tinsley (The Dave Matthews Band) is 45. Rock musician Krist Novoselic is 44. Singer Janet Jackson is 43. Country singer Scott Reeves (Blue County) is 43. Actor Brian F. O'Byrne is 42. R&B singer Ralph Tresvant (New Edition) is 41. Actor David Boreanaz is 40. Political correspondent Tucker Carlson is 40. Actress Tracey Gold is 40. Retired tennis star Gabriela Sabatini is 39. Country singer Rick Trevino is 38. Musician Simon Katz is 38. Actress Tori Spelling is 36. Today In Entertainment History -- Eighty years ago, in 1929, the first Academy Awards were presented during a banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The movie "Wings" won "best production," while Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor were named best actor and best actress. In 1946, the musical "Annie Get Your Gun," featuring songs by Irving Berlin, opened on Broadway. Ethel Merman starred in the show. In 1960, Berry Gordy formed Motown Records. In 1966, the album "Blonde on Blonde" by Bob Dylan was released. Also, the Beach Boys released their groundbreaking album, "Pet Sounds." Forty years ago, in 1969, Pete Townshend of The Who spent a night in jail in New York after being charged with assault. The Who was performing when a fire broke out next door. A plainclothes policeman jumped on stage to warn the crowd, but Townshend, not knowing it was a policeman, booted him off stage. Twenty five years ago, in 1984, comedian Andy Kaufman died at the age of 35. In 1985, actress Margaret Hamilton died at the age of 82. She's probably best known for playing the Wicked Witch in "The Wizard of Oz." In 1986, country singer Johnny Paycheck was convicted of shooting and wounding a man after an argument in a bar in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison and was released in 1991. In 1990, Sammy Davis Junior died in Los Angeles at age 64 after a long battle with throat cancer. The entertainment world also lost "Muppets" creator Jim Henson that same day. He died in New York at age 53. In 2000, Prince announced he was dropping the unpronounceable symbol for his name and going back to being called Prince. In 2002, "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones" opened. In 2005, the series finale of "Everybody Loves Raymond" aired on CBS. Thought for Today: "The best actors do not let the wheels show." — Henry Fonda, American actor (born this day 1905, died 1982). Copyright ©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reversed. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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