3 May: Up The Irish

By The Associated Press 2 hrs 41 mins. ago Today is Sunday, May 3, the 123rd day of 2009. There are 242 days left in the year. From the AP, yet not quite the same. Their A/V. And the UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On May 3, 1909, a wireless news dispatch was transmitted from The New York Times to the Chicago Tribune in the first such communication between the two cities. On this date: In 1469, political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy. In 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city. In 1916, Irish nationalist Padraic Pearse and two others were executed by the British for their roles in the Easter Rising. In 1933, Nellie T. Ross became the first female director of the U.S. Mint. In 1944, U.S. wartime rationing of most grades of meats ended. In 1945, during World War II, Allied forces captured Rangoon, Burma, from the Japanese. In 1948, the Supreme Court, in Shelley v. Kraemer, ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks or members of other racial groups were legally unenforceable. The "CBS Evening News" premiered, with Douglas Edwards as anchor. In 1978, "Sun Day" fell on a Wednesday as thousands of people extolling the virtues of solar energy held events across the country. In 1979, Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher was chosen to become Britain's first female prime minister as the Tories ousted the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections.  In 1986, in NASA's first post-Challenger launch, an unmanned Delta rocket lost power in its main engine shortly after liftoff, forcing safety officers to destroy it by remote control. In 1988, the White House acknowledged that first lady Nancy Reagan had used astrological advice to help schedule President Ronald Reagan's activities. In 1989, former national security aide Oliver North was found guilty on three charges but innocent of nine others in the Iran-Contra scandal. Ten years ago: Some 70 tornadoes roared across Oklahoma and Kansas, killing 46 people and injuring hundreds. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 11,000, just 24 trading days after passing 10,000. Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with President Bill Clinton at the White House during the first official U.S. visit by a Japanese premier in 12 years. Five years ago: The U.S. military said it had reprimanded seven officers in the abuse of inmates at Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, the first known punishments in the case; two of the officers were relieved of their duties. Former postmaster general Marvin Runyon died in Nashville, Tenn., at age 79. One year ago: Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton by seven votes in the Guam Democratic presidential caucuses, meaning the candidates split the pledged delegate votes. Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby by 4 3/4 lengths. (Filly Eight Belles finished second and then broke both front ankles; she was euthanized on the track.) Today's Birthdays: Folk singer Pete Seeger is 90. Actress Ann B. Davis is 83. Singer Frankie Valli is 75. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 63. Pop singer Mary Hopkin is 59. Singer Christopher Cross is 58. Rock musician David Ball (Soft Cell) is 50. Today in Entertainment History In 1937, Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel, "Gone With the Wind." In 1960, the musical "The Fantasticks" opened off-Broadway, beginning a record run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 performances. In 1968, The Beach Boys began a US tour that featured the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. For the most part, audiences were turned off by the Maharishi's lectures, so half of the tour dates were canceled. In 1969, Jimi Hendrix was arrested at Toronto International Airport for possession of narcotics. He was released on $10,000 bail. [And a yr. & a half to live. — Ed.] In 1971, Grand Funk Railroad agreed to meet with reporters, despite their previously rocky relationship with the press. The band's manager invited 150 reporters, but only six showed up. [Yes, the manager was a real dilrod. We've mercifully forgotten his name. — Ed.] In 1976, Paul McCartney performed his first US concert in ten years when he opened his "Wings Over America" tour. In 1978, the movie "FM" premiered in Los Angeles. More people bought the soundtrack than saw the movie. In 1986, Dolly Parton opened Dollywood Amusement Park near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. In 1988, Madonna debuted on Broadway in "Speed the Plow." She received mixed reviews. In 1991, the last episode of "Dallas" aired on CBS. In 2002, the movie "Spider-Man" opened. In 2003, "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc married Melissa McKnight in Hawaii after five years of engagement. They split after three years of marriage. Thought for Today: "God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other." — Reinhold Niebuhr, American clergyman and author (1892-1971). [God, eat shit & leave us alone, we're begging you. — Ed.]

[Try the UPI Daily Dose:] A thought for the day: Gore Vidal said, "Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates." 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. Copyright ©2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reversed.