[Possibly the dullest day ever? The Highlight in History at the AP website: "On May 9, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration approved use of a birth control pill." Man, just nothing. — Ed.]
On this date:
In 1502, Christopher Columbus left Cadiz, Spain, on his fourth and final trip to the Western Hemisphere.
In 1883, Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset was born in Madrid.
In 1913, the 17th amendment to the Constitution, providing for the popular election of U.S. senators, was ratified.
In 1926, Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett made what they claimed was the first airplane flight over the North Pole. (Evidence suggests they may have missed their target by 150 miles.)
In 1936, Italy annexed Ethiopia. [How'd that work out for you, Benito? Haile Selassie kicked your wop-a-dago ass, huh? — Ed.]
In 1945, U.S. officials announced that a midnight entertainment curfew was being lifted immediately.
In 1961, FCC chairman Newton N. Minow deplored the majority of television programming as a "vast wasteland" in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee opened public hearings on whether to recommend the impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon.
In 1978, the bullet-riddled body of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro, who'd been abducted by the Red Brigades, was found in an automobile in Rome. [Does this give any left-wing extremists any ideas? — Ed.]
In 1980, 35 people were killed when a freighter rammed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida, causing a 1,400-foot section to collapse.
In 1987, 183 people were killed when a New York-bound Polish jetliner crashed while attempting an emergency return to Warsaw.
In 1994, South Africa's newly elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black president.
Ten years ago: A chartered bus carrying members of a casino club on a Mother's Day gambling excursion ran off a highway in New Orleans, killing 22 people. Furious Chinese demonstrators hurled rocks and debris into the U.S. Embassy in a second day of protests against NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.
Five years ago: A bomb destroyed the VIP section at a stadium during a Victory Day celebration in the Chechen capital of Grozny, killing some two dozen people, including the province's president, Akhmad Kadyrov. Canada rallied to beat Sweden for the second straight year in the gold-medal game at the world hockey championships, 5-3. Comedian Alan King died in New York at age 76.
One year ago: Democrat Barack Obama picked up the backing of nine superdelegates, all but erasing Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead. Jury selection began in the Chicago trial of R&B superstar R. Kelly, accused of videotaping himself having sex with a girl as young as 13. (Kelly was later acquitted on all counts.) Journalist-feminist Nuala O'Faolain, who'd gained international fame with her outspoken memoir "Are You Somebody?" in 1966, died in Dublin at age 68.
Today's Birthdays: CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace is 91. Actress Geraldine McEwan is 77. Actor-writer Alan Bennett is 75. Rock musician Nokie Edwards (The Ventures) is 74. Actor Albert Finney is 73. Actress-turned-politician Glenda Jackson is 73. Musician Sonny Curtis (Buddy Holly and the Crickets) is 72. Producer-director James L. Brooks is 69. Singer Tommy Roe is 67. Singer-musician Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield and Poco) is 65. Actress Candice Bergen is 63.
Pop singer Clint Holmes is 63. Actor Anthony Higgins is 62. Singer Billy Joel is 60. Blues singer-musician Bob Margolin is 60. Rock singer-musician Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) is 59. Actress Alley Mills is 58. Actress Wendy Crewson is 53. Actor John Corbett is 48. Singer Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) is 47. Rapper Ghostface Killah is 39. Country musician Mike Myerson (Heartland) is 38. R&B singer Tamia is 34. Rock musician Dan Regan (Reel Big Fish) is 32. Rock singer Pierre Bouvier (Simple Plan) is 30. Actress Rosario Dawson is 30. Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb is 30. Actress Rachel Boston is 27. Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder is 25. TV personality Audrina Patridge is 24.
Today In Entertainment History -- In 1965, Bob Dylan played the first of two sold-out performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Both shows had sold out in less than four hours. Donovan and The Beatles were in the audience for opening night.
In 1970, Lynyrd Skynyrd first performed "Free Bird" in public, at the grand opening of the Jacksonville Art Museum in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1974, Bruce Springsteen performed a concert in Cambridge, Mass., that prompted rock critic Jon Landau to write, "I saw rock and roll future and it's name is Bruce Springsteen." [He was right. The future of rock & roll was nothing. — Ed.]
In 1978, singer Fee Waybill of The Tubes fell off the stage during a concert in England and broke his leg. [As opposed to Frank Zappa, who was pushed off a stage & broke his leg in London in 1972. Six yrs. earlier, yet. — Ed.]
In 1982, the musical "Nine," inspired by the Federico Fellini film "8 1/2," opened on Broadway. [Inflation. It was everywhere. — Ed.]
Twenty years ago, in 1989, country singer Keith Whitley was found dead at his Nashville-area home. A coroner ruled he died of an overdose of alcohol. He was 33.
In 1990, singer Sinead O'Connor refused to appear with comedian Andrew Dice Clay on "Saturday Night Live."
In 1994, singer Willie Nelson was arrested on a misdemeanor drug charge after police in Hewitt, Texas, found the butt of a joint in the ashtray of his Mercedes-Benz.
In 2000, singer Marc Anthony married former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres in Las Vegas. They have since divorced. [Good thing too, considering he's currently married to what's 'er name (Jenny?) from the block. — Ed.]Thought for Today: "There is nothing to fear except the persistent refusal to find out the truth, the persistent refusal to analyze the causes of happenings." — Dorothy Thompson, American journalist and author (1894-1961).
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