Tuesday, May 19, 2009

19 May: Emergency Quota Act

By The Associated Press 14 mins ago Today is Tuesday, May 19, the 139th day of 2009. There are 226 days left in the year. Another Press. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: One hundred years ago, in 1909, the innovative Ballets Russes, under the direction of Sergei Diaghilev, debuted in Paris. On this date: In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded after being convicted of adultery. In 1780, a mysterious darkness enveloped much of New England and part of Canada in the early afternoon. [That's it? No "It turned out to be an eclipse" or something? Just "mysterious darkness?" That is mysterious. — Ed.] In 1921, Congress passed, and President Warren G. Harding signed, the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas for immigrants.
In 1925, Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Neb.In 1935, British soldier T.E. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia," died in Dorset, England, six days after being injured in a motorcycle crash. In 1943, in an address to the U.S. Congress, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill pledged his country's full support in the fight against Japan. In 1962, during a Democratic fundraiser at New York's Madison Square Garden, actress Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday to You" to guest-of-honor, President John F. Kennedy. In 1964, the State Department disclosed that 40 hidden microphones had been found in the U.S. embassy in Moscow. In 1967, the Soviet Union ratified a treaty with the United States and Britain banning nuclear weapons from outer space. In 1992, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits Congress from giving itself pay raises until the next congressional term, went into effect. Mary Jo Buttafuoco of Massapequa, N.Y., was shot and seriously wounded by her husband Joey's teenage lover, Amy Fisher. Fifteen years ago, in 1994, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in New York at age 64. Ten years ago: As NATO's Operation Allied Force entered its ninth week, Russia's special envoy to the Balkans called on both NATO and Yugoslavia to suspend hostilities. The Justice Department renewed its campaign to revoke John Demjanjuk's citizenship, alleging he was a Nazi death camp guard known as "Ivan the Terrible."  Five years ago: Army Reserve Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits wept and apologized after receiving a year in prison and a bad conduct discharge in the first court-martial stemming from abuse of Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib prison. Outraged relatives of World Trade Center victims heckled former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani during his appearance before the Sept. 11 commission. Two men hurled purple flour at British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons. Manmohan Singh was named India's new prime minister. Millionaire philanthropist Jack Eckerd, founder of the drugstore empire that bears his name, died in Clearwater, Fla., at age 91. One year ago: China stood still and sirens wailed to mourn the country's nearly 70,000 earthquake victims. Democrat Barack Obama picked up the endorsement of Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, less than a week after Hillary Rodham Clinton overwhelmingly won the state's primary. Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox shut down Kansas City 7-0 for the first no-hitter of the season. Today's Birthdays: PBS newscaster Jim Lehrer is 75. TV personality David Hartman is 74. Actor James Fox is 70. Actress Nancy Kwan is 70. Author-director Nora Ephron is 68. Actor Peter Mayhew is 65. Rock singer-writer Pete Townshend (The Who) is 64. Concert pianist David Helfgott is 62. Rock singer-musician Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) is 60. Singer-actress Grace Jones is 57. Rock musician Phil Rudd (AC-DC) is 55. Former baseball catcher Rick Cerone is 55. Actor Steven Ford is 53. Rock musician Iain Harvie (Del Amitri) is 47. Actor Jason Gray-Stanford is 39. Rock singer Jenny Berggren (Ace of Base) is 37. Today In Entertainment History -- In 1958, Ritchie Valens recorded "Come On, Let's Go," at his first recording session, in Los Angeles. In 1960, The Drifters recorded "Save The Last Dance For Me" in New York. In 1961, the Everly Brothers launched a new record label named Calliope. In 1976, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones crashed his car north of London. Authorities found drugs in the car, and he later was fined. In 1987, the movie "Ishtar," starring Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, made its premiere. It bombed. In 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle criticized "Murphy Brown" because he said the title character mocked the importance of fathers because she was having a baby out of wedlock. In 1999, the movie "Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace" opened nationwide. Exactly six years later, "Revenge of the Sith" opened.  Thought for Today: "There could be no honor in a sure success, but much might be wrested from a sure defeat." — T.E. Lawrence, English soldier and author (1888-1935). Copyright ©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reversed. The information contained in the AP News report may not be true, relevant, meaningful or interesting. It may, however, be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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