Today: 2 May

By The Associated Press 1 hr 41 mins ago Today is Saturday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2009. There are 243 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On May 2, 1945, the Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin, and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria. On this date: In 1519, artist Leonardo da Vinci died at Cloux, France, at 67. In 1670, the Hudson Bay Company was chartered by England's King Charles II. In 1863, Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville, Va.; he died eight days later. In 1890, the Oklahoma Territory was organized. In 1908, the original version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," with music by Albert Von Tilzer and lyrics by Jack Norworth, was copyrighted by Von Tilzer's York Music Co. In 1936, "Peter and the Wolf," a symphonic tale for children by Sergei Prokofiev, had its world premiere in Moscow. Seventy years ago, in 1939, New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games played came to an end when the ailing slugger removed himself from the lineup.In 1957, Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, the controversial Republican from Wisconsin, died at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. In 1960, Caryl Chessman, who became a best-selling author while on death row for kidnapping, robbery and sexual offenses, was executed at San Quentin Prison in California. In 1965, Intelsat 1, also known as the Early Bird satellite, was first used to transmit television pictures across the Atlantic. In 1972, J. Edgar Hoover died in Washington at age 77 after serving 48 years as head of the FBI. Ten years ago: Yugoslav authorities handed over to the Rev. Jesse Jackson three American prisoners of war who'd been held for a month. Actor Oliver Reed died in Malta at age 61 while making the movie "Gladiator." Five years ago: American truck driver Thomas Hamill escaped from his kidnappers in Iraq; that same day, nine U.S. servicemen were killed across the country. Martin Torrijos, the son of a former dictator, won Panama's first presidential vote since the handover of the Panama Canal in December 1999. One year ago: President George W. Bush sent lawmakers a $70 billion request to fund U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into the following spring. Al-Jazeera TV cameraman Sami al-Haj was released from U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and returned home to Sudan after six years in prison. Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, leading to an eventual official death toll of 84,537, with 53,836 listed as missing. Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws across the United States, died in Milford, Va., at age 68. Today's Birthdays: Actor Theodore ["Rance Muhammitz"] Bikel is 85. Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 73. Actress and political activist Bianca Jagger is 64. Country singer R.C. Bannon is 64. Singer Lesley Gore is 63. Actor David Suchet is 63. Singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin is 61. Rock singer Lou Gramm (Foreigner) is 59. Actress Christine Baranski is 57. Singer Angela Bofill is 55. Movie director Steven Daldry ("The Reader") is 49. Actress Elizabeth Berridge is 47. Country singer Ty Herndon is 47. Rock musician Todd Sucherman (Styx) is 40. Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is 37. Soccer star David Beckham is 34. Actress Jenna Von Oy is 32. Actor Gaius Charles ("Friday Night Lights") is 26. Pop singer Lily Allen is 24. Olympic gold medal skater Sarah Hughes is 24.  Today in Entertainment History -- In 1932, Jack Benny's first radio show debuted on the NBC Blue Network. In 1957, Elvis Presley recorded the song "Jailhouse Rock," the title song to his next movie. In the film, Elvis choreographed the dance sequence that accompanied the song. In 1960, Ben E. King left The Drifters to go solo. In 1967, Capitol Records announced that The Beach Boys had abandoned their "Smile" album project. In 1979, "Quadrophenia," the film based on The Who's album of the same name, opened in London. On the same day, The Who played its first concert with new drummer Kenney Jones, who replaced the late Keith Moon. In 1980, the South African government banned the Pink Floyd song "Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)." The song, which includes children chanting the chorus, "We don't need no education," had been adopted as the anthem for black children who boycotted schools because of inferior education standards. In 1982, Adam and the Ants disbanded after singer Stuart Goddard decided to go solo rather than find replacements for his departed bassist and drummer. Goddard then became known as Adam Ant. Thought for Today: "Even a liar tells a hundred truths to one lie; he has to, to make the lie good for anything." — Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887). 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.