Fun On this date in history...

The obvious prototype for Kenobi vs. Grevious:

 

If I may...

ON MAY 8th:

In 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.

In 1794, Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was executed on the guillotine during France's Reign of Terror.

In 1884, Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the U.S., was born in Lamar, MO.

Be vewy, vewy quiet. In 1889, actor/voice artist Arthur Q. Bryan was born in Brooklyn, NY. He’s best-known for doing the voice of Elmer Fudd for the Warner Bros. cartoon series.

In 1912, Paramount Pictures was founded as the Famous Players Film Company.

In 1913, director/animator/puppeteer Bob Clampett, best-known for his work at Termite Terrace, was born in San Diego, CA.

In 1915, Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby.

In 1920, graphic designer/filmmaker Saul Bass was born in New York City.

In 1921, Sweden's Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty.

In 1926, actor/comedian Don Rickles was born in Queens, NY. Please do not call someone a hockey puck to mark the occasion.

In 1927, while attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli disappeared after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.

In 1940, actor/musician/singer/songwriter Ricky Nelson was born in Teaneck, NJ.

In 1942, during World War II, the Battle of the Coral Sea came to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lexington.

In 1942, the horror movie “The Corpse Vanishes”, starring Bela Lugosi in his low budget days, was released in the U.S.

In 1945, the Setif Massacre began in Algeria as French authorities clashed with protesters celebrating the surrender of Nazi Germany and calling for freedom from colonial rule; tens of thousands of Algerians are believed to have died in weeks of violence.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced on radio that Nazi Germany's forces had surrendered, and that "the flags of freedom fly all over Europe."

Also in 1945, the program “On a Note of Triumph” was broadcast on CBS radio. Produced for V-E Day, it was written by Norman Corwin and narrated by Martin Gabel.

In 1955, actor/director Stephen Furst was born in Norfolk, VA. You probably know him as either a pledge at Delta Tau Chi, or as the eventual Emperor of the Centauri Republic.

In 1958, Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.

Also in 1958, the Hammer Horror movie “Horror of Dracula”, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, was released in the U.S.

In 1962, the musical comedy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", starring Zero Mostel, opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theater.

In 1964, the Hammer Horror movie “The Evil of Frankenstein”, starring Peter Cushing, was released in the U.S.

In 1969, the drama “Easy Rider”, starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1970, the album “Let it Be”, the Beatles’ last studio album, was released in the U.K.

In 1971, Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali at New York's Madison Square Garden. It was Ali's first defeat of his pro career.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon announced that he had ordered the mining of Haiphong Harbor during the Vietnam War.

In 1973, militant American Indians who'd held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for ten weeks surrendered.

In 1984, the Soviet Union announced it would boycott the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Also in 1984, a gunman entered the Quebec National Assembly and opened fire, killing three and wounding 13. Rene Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the assembly, succeeded in calming him, for which he would later receive the Cross of Valour.

In 1999, The Citadel, South Carolina's formerly all-male military school, graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Ruth Mace.

In 2012, principal photography was completed on the sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness”.

In 2015, in the U.K., the Conservative Party won a majority in the 2015 general election, enabling them to lead without requiring a coalition government, with David Cameron being reelected as Prime Minister. The same day, Ed Milliband (Labour Party), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democratic Party) and Nigel Farage (UK Independence Party) resigned their respective leadership positions.

 

Surely someone has a gif of Vir looking up at the head on the pole, smiling, and waving.

 

Ask and ye shall receive...

 

And I just heard this today:

In 2016, actor William Schallert died in Pacific Palisades, CA at age 93. In addition to a wide variety of roles, he was best-known for playing Martin Lane on “The Patty Duke Show”. He also served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1979-1981.

 

If I may...

ON MAY 9th:

In 1754, a political cartoon in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette depicted a snake cut into eight pieces, each section representing a part of the American colonies; the caption read, "JOIN, or DIE."

In 1864, Union Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick was killed by a Confederate sniper during the Civil War Battle of Spotsylvania in Virginia.

In 1887, Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opened in London.

In 1893, psychologist/author William Moulton Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman, was born in Saugus, MA.

In 1901, Australia opened its first parliament in Melbourne.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, acting on a joint congressional resolution, signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

In 1931, astronaut Vance D. Brand, CM pilot for the Apollo spacecraft of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, was born in Longmont, CO.

In 1936, Italy annexed Ethiopia.

In 1941, the German submarine U-110 was captured by the Royal Navy. On board was the latest Enigma cryptography machine which Allied cryptographers later used to break coded German messages.

In 1942, the SS murdered 588 Jewish residents of the Podolian town of Zinkiv (Khmelnytska oblast, Ukraine). The Zoludek Ghetto (in Belarus) was destroyed and all its inhabitants murdered or deported.

In 1945, with World War II in Europe at an end, Soviet forces liberated Czechoslovakia from Nazi occupation.

Also in 1945, the Channel Islands were liberated by the British after five years of German occupation.

In 1951, the U.S. conducted its first thermonuclear experiment as part of Operation Greenhouse by detonating a 225-kiloton device on Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific nicknamed "George."

In 1958, the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “Vertigo” had world premiere in San Francisco.

In 1961, in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton N. Minow decried the majority of television programming as a "vast wasteland."

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 1973, the dystopian thriller “Soylent Green”, starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson, was released in the U.S.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee opened public hearings on whether to recommend the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. (The committee ended up adopting three articles of impeachment against the president, who resigned before the full House took up any of them.)

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 of the southbound span to collapse.

Also in 1980, in Norco, CA, five masked gunmen held up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer were killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles were destroyed in the chase.

In 1994, South Africa's newly elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black president.

In 2002, the pilot episode of "CSI: Miami" aired as an episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. And that (sunglasses on), was only the beginning. YEEEEEAAAAAH!

In 2005, President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany with a lavish military parade in Moscow. President Bush then traveled to the republic of Georgia, the first American chief executive to visit.

 

If I may...

ON MAY 10th:

In 1508, Michelangelo was formally hired by Pope Julius II to paint the Sistene Chapel ceiling.

In 1773, the Parliament of Great Britain passed the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by granting it a monopoly on the North American tea trade.

In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, NY.

Also in 1775, representatives from the Thirteen Colonies began the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1863, during the Civil War, Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died of pneumonia, a complication resulting from being hit by friendly fire eight days earlier during the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia.

In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured by Union forces in Irwinville, GA.

In 1869, a golden spike was driven in Promontory, UT, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

In 1876, the Centennial Exposition was opened in Philadelphia, PA by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro II.

In 1888, composer Max Steiner, best-known for his film music, was born in Vienna, Austria.

In 1894, composer/conductor Dimitri Tiomkin was born in Kremenchuk in what is now Ukraine.

In 1899, actor/singer/dancer Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, NE.

In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was named acting director of the Bureau of Investigation (later known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI).

In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.

In 1935, writer/script editor Terrance Dicks was born in East Ham, Essex, England. He’s best-known for his work on “Doctor Who”, particularly the many, many episode novelizations he’s written.

In 1937, playwright/screenwriter Jonathan Hales was born in London. He’s best-known for his work with Lucasfilm, including co-writing the screenplay for “Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones”.

In 1940, during World War II, German forces began invading the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France.

Also in 1940, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.

In 1941, Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland to try to negotiate a peace deal between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany. He was taken prisoner the next day.

In 1943, actor David Clennon was born in Waukegan, IL. Among his many roles is the less-sneering, more ambitious version of Adm. Motti in the “Star Wars” radio adaptation.

In 1960, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton completed its submerged navigation of the globe.

In 1962, Marvel Comics published the first issue of “The Incredible Hulk”.

In 1963, the Rolling Stones began their first recording session in London for Decca Records. The band recorded the Chuck Berry song "Come On" and Willie Dixon's "I Want to Be Loved."

In 1969,The National and American Football Leagues announced their plans to merge for the 1970-71 season.

In 1975, Sony began selling its Betamax home videocassette recorder in Japan.

In 1984, the International Court of Justice said the United States should halt any actions to blockade Nicaragua's ports (the U.S. had already said it would not recognize World Court jurisdiction on this issue).

In 1994, Nelson Mandela took the oath of office in Pretoria to become South Africa's first black president.

Also in 1994, the state of Illinois executed serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.

In 1995, 104 miners were killed in an elevator accident in Orkney, South Africa.

Also in 1995, former President George H.W. Bush's office released his letter of resignation from the National Rifle Association in which Bush expressed outrage over an NRA fund-raising letter's reference to federal agents as "jack-booted thugs." (NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre apologized a week later.)

In 2000, the science fiction movie “Battlefield Earth”, starring John Travolta and based on L. Ron Hubbard’s novel, premiered in the U.S.

 

If I may...

ON MAY 11th:

In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor of New Netherland.

In 1659, the Massachusetts General Court banned the observance of Christmas under penalty of stiff fines. The law stood for over twenty years.

In 1816, the American Bible Society was formed.

In 1846, President James K. Polk asked for and received a Declaration of War against Mexico, starting the Mexican-American War

In 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union.

In 1862, during the Civil War, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was scuttled by its crew off Craney Island, VA, to prevent it from falling into Union hands.

In 1888, composer/lyricist Irving Berlin was born in Tyumen, Russian Empire.

In 1911, actor/comedian Phil Silvers was born in Brooklyn. It would be years before he’d earn his stripes, or go looking for the Big W.

In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded during a banquet at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

In 1931, the thriller “M”, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre, premiered in Berlin.

In 1935, the Rural Electrification Administration was created as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs.

Also in 1935, actor Doug McClure was born in Glendale, CA. He should not be confused with Troy McClure.

In 1943, “Yankee Doodle Mouse”, the first of eight Tom & Jerry cartoons to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject was released in the U.S .

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces launched a major offensive against Axis lines in Italy.

In 1945, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill was attacked and severely damaged by two kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa; according to the U.S. Navy's official website, 346 men were killed, 43 were left missing, and 264 were wounded.

In 1953, a tornado devastated Waco, TX, claiming 114 lives.

In 1955, the horror movie “Bride of the Monster”, starring Bela Lugosi and directed by Ed Wood, premiered in Hollywood.

That’s right, Arthur. In 1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets auditioned for “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts”, but were rejected.

In 1960, Israeli agents captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 1973, the espionage trial of Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo in the "Pentagon Papers" case came to an end as Judge William M. Byrne dismissed all charges, citing government misconduct.

In 1985, 56 people died when a flash fire swept a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England.

In 1987, Klaus Barbie went on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.

In 1996, an Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board.

In 1993, Joel Hodgson announced that he was leaving as host of “Mystery Science Theater 3000”.

In 1997, Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeated Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.

In 2001, author/screenwriter/script editor Douglas Adams died in Santa Barbara, CA at age 49.

In 2010, Conservative leader David Cameron, at age 43, became Britain's youngest prime minister in almost 200 years after Gordon Brown stepped down and ended 13 years of Labour government.

 

If I may...

ON MAY 12th:

In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, the besieged city of Charleston, SC surrendered to British forces.

In 1870, an act creating the Canadian province of Manitoba was given royal assent, to take effect in July.

In 1907, author Leslie Charteris, creator of The Saint, was born in Singapore.

In 1922, a 20-ton meteor crashed near Blackstone, Virginia.

In 1925, baseball player/manager/coach Yogi Berra was born in St. Louis, MO.

In 1928, composer/singer/songwriter/producer Burt Bacharach was born in Kasas City, MO.

In 1932, the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr., the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was found in a wooded area near Hopewell, New Jersey.

In 1936, journalist/TV host Tom Snyder, best-known for his NBC-TV program “Tomorrow”, was born in Milwaukee, WI.

In 1937, Britain's King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey; his wife, Elizabeth, was crowned as queen consort.

Also in 1937, comedian/actor George Carlin was born in Manhattan. Board policy prohibits me from posting his “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television” routine.

In 1946, author L. Neil Smith was born in Denver, CO. “Star Wars” fans should remember him for his series of Lando Calrissian novels.

In 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade, which the Western powers had succeeded in circumventing with their Berlin Airlift.

In 1950, actor Bruce Boxleitner was born in Elgin, IL. He’s well-known for playing John “Nuke ‘em Johnny” Sheridan on “Babylon 5”, and both Alan Bradley and his program alter-ego, Tron.

In 1955, Manhattan's last elevated rail line, the Third Avenue El, ceased operation.

In 1956, actor Montgomery Clift was seriously injured in a car accident near the home of his friend, Elizabeth Taylor.

In 1961, actor/comedian/writer/director/Kid in the Hall Bruce McCulloch was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

In 1963, Bob Dylan refused to appear on the "Ed Sullivan Show" because CBS would not allow him to sing "Talking John Birch Society Blues."

In 1965, West Germany and Israel exchanged letters establishing diplomatic relations.

Also in 1965, The Rolling Stones recorded the final version of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" at RCA Studios in Hollywood.

In 1968, actress/writer Catherine Tate, well-known to Whovians for playing Donna Noble, was born in Bloomsbury, London, England.

In 1975, the White House announced the new Cambodian government had seized an American merchant ship, the Mayaguez, in international waters. (U.S. Marines gained control of the ship three days after its seizure, not knowing the 39 civilian members of the crew had already been released by Cambodia.)

In 1982, in Fatima, Portugal, security guards overpowered a Spanish priest armed with a bayonet who attacked Pope John Paul II. (In 2008, the pope's longtime private secretary revealed that the pontiff was slightly wounded in the assault.)

In 1983, the novelization of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” by James Kahn was published by Del Rey.

Also in 1983, actor Domhnall Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland. His rivalry with Kylo Ren would come later.

In 1985, Amy Eilberg was ordained in New York as the first woman rabbi in the Conservative Jewish movement.

In 2013, the DVD box set “Doctor Who: The Complete Series Seven” was released in Region 1 early, nearly a week before the broadcast of “The Name of the Doctor”, the final episode of the series. This caused a major scandal which the BBC addressed the next day.

In 2015, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake and six major aftershocks hit Nepal, killing over 200 people.

 

Composed by Burt Bacharach:

 

If I may...

ON MAY 13th:

In 1607, English colonists arrived by ship at the site of what became the Jamestown settlement in Virginia (the colonists went ashore the next day).

In 1862, the USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, stole through Confederate lines and was passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.

In 1865, in far south Texas, more than a month after Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, the last land battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Palmito Ranch, ended with a Confederate victory.

In 1912, the Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, was established in the United Kingdom.

In 1914, boxer Joe Louis, the World Heavyweight Champion from 1937-1949, was born in Lafayette, AL.

In 1918, the first U.S. airmail stamps, featuring a picture of a Curtiss JN-4 biplane, were issued to the public. (On a few of the stamps, the biplane was inadvertently printed upside-down, making the "Inverted Jenny" collector's items.)

In 1939, the first commercial FM radio station in the United States was launched in Bloomfield, CT. The station later became WDRC-FM.

In 1940, Germany’s conquest of France began as the German army crosses the Meuse.

Also in 1940, in his first speech as British prime minister, Winston Churchill told Parliament, "I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

In 1950, director/producer/VFX artist Joe Johnston was born in Austin, TX. He’s known for both his work on the original “Star Wars” trilogy, and his later work on a number of big budget movies.

Also in 1950, musician/singer/songwriter/producer Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, MI.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Act.

Also in 1954, the musical "The Pajama Game" opened on Broadway at the St. James Theater.

In 1958, Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, were spat upon and their limousine battered by rocks thrown by anti-U.S. demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.

In 1967, on “Doctor Who”, part six of “The Faceless Ones” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of Michael Craze as Ben Jackson, and Anneke Wills as Polly.

In 1970, the Western “The Ballad of Cable Hogue”, starring Jason Robards and directed by Sam Peckinpah, was released in the U.S.

Also in 1970, the Beatles documentary “Let It Be” premiered in New York City. It has since become rarely-seen and highly sought-after.

In 1973, in tennis' first so-called "Battle of the Sexes," Bobby Riggs defeated Margaret Court 6-2, 6-1 in Ramona, California.

In 1978, on “Columbo”, the episode “The Conspirators” was broadcast on NBC-TV. It was the last episode of the original series.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.

In 1985, a confrontation between Philadelphia authorities and the radical group MOVE ended as police dropped a bomb onto the group's row house; 11 people died in the resulting fire that destroyed 61 homes.

In 1994, Johnny Carson made his last television appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman”.

In 2005, “These are the Voyages…”, the last episode of “Star Trek: Enterprise”, was broadcast on UPN. It provoked considerable controversy among Trekkers.

In 2006, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “Rise of the Cybermen” was broadcast on BBC 1. It marked the first appearance of the Cybermen (barring a brief reference in “Dalek”) in the revived series.

In 2013, after some Americans received their copies of the “Doctor Who: The Complete Series Seven” DVD set before the broadcast of the series finale (“The Name of the Doctor”), the BBC urged those fans "not to divulge information or post content publicly so that fellow fans who have yet to see the episodes do not have their viewing pleasure ruined" on their “Doctor Who” Facebook page. Reportedly, the fans complied.

 

This was originally broadcast on May 8th, 1945 over CBS radio, in recognition of V-E Day. By popular demand, it was re-broadcast on May 13th over all four networks:

 

I thought George Lucas was May 14th, but it looks like the 13th. Happy Belated sir, thank you for Star Wars.

Okay, lots of cool people born on May 14th,

Talking Heads frontman David Bryne, The Cult vocalist Ian Ashbury, Director Robert Zemeckis, actress Cate Blanchett

and

one of my most favorite martial artists and actors, Chan Wai Man (Chen Hui Min) is 72 today. He's led quite the life:
Martial Arts champion,
Western Boxing and Kickboxing champion,
Triad (rising to the rank of No. 2 before retiring),
Acting since 1972 and now, a successful wine salesman. I love his 1970s to mid-80s films. He's especially good in Shaw Brothers wuxia / period pieces. After I get done with major edits to a paper, I will watch at least a film or two today in honor of the good times he's given me. 生日快乐!

 

If I may...

ON MAY 14th:

In 1607, Jamestown, VA was settled as an English colony.

In 1787, In Philadelphia, delegates convened a Constitutional Convention to write a new Constitution for the United States; George Washington presided.

In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter.

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Pacific Northwest left camp near present-day Hartford, Illinois.

In 1897, John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever”, the U.S. National March, was first performed. It took place at Willow Grove Park, near Philadelphia, PA.

In 1900, the Games of the 2nd Olympiad opened in Paris as part of the 1900 World's Fair.

In 1913, the Rockefeller Foundation was founded in New York.

In 1933, actress Sian Phillips, best-known for playing Livia in the BBC drama “I, Claudius”, was born in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, West Glamorgan, Wales.

In 1940, the Netherlands surrendered to invading German forces during World War II.

In 1944, filmmaker George Lucas was born in Modesto, CA. He’s had a somewhat successful career, particularly regarding a space opera he directed a while back.

In 1948, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv. The same day, the United States, at the direction of President Harry Truman, officially recognized the state.

In 1955, representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland.

In 1961, Freedom Riders were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama.

In 1962, the drama film “The Intruder”, directed by Roger Corman and starring William Shatner, premiered in New York City.

In 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young announced their breakup. They have since regrouped several times, both with and without Neil Young.

In 1971, actress/filmmaker Sofia Coppola was born in New York City.

In 1973, the United States launched Skylab 1, its first manned space station. (Skylab 1 remained in orbit for six years before burning up during re-entry in 1979.)

Also in 1973, the National Right to Life Committee was incorporated.

In 1988, 27 people, mostly teens, were killed when their church bus collided with a pickup truck going the wrong direction on a highway near Carrollton, KY. (Truck driver Larry Mahoney served 9 1/2 years in prison for manslaughter.)

In 1996, the TV-Movie “Doctor Who”, introducing Paul McGann as the Doctor, premiered in the U.S. on the Fox Network.

In 1998, actor/singer/Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra died in Los Angeles hospital at age 82.

Also in 1998, the final episode of the sit-com "Seinfeld" was broadcast on NBC-TV. It is still the subject of much debate among fans.

In 2001, principal photography began on “Broken Bow”, the pilot episode of “Star Trek: Enterprise”.

In 2003, actor/TV host Robert Stack died in Beverly Hills at age 84.

In 2005, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “Father’s Day” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first appearance of Shaun Dingwall as Pete Tyler.

In 2010, NBC confirmed it had canceled the crime drama "Law and Order” after 20 seasons on the air.

In 2015, musician/singer/songwriter/producer B.B. King died in Las Vegas at age 89.

 

If I may...

ON MAY 15th:

In 1776, Virginia endorsed American independence from Britain.

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act establishing the Department of Agriculture.

In 1869, in New York, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Woman Suffrage Association.

In 1905, Las Vegas was founded when 110 acres (0.45 km2), in what later would become downtown, were auctioned off.

In 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil Co. was a monopoly in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and ordered its breakup.

In 1928, the silent cartoon “Plane Crazy” premiered in a test screening. The first cartoon featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, it would be officially released, with sound, in 1929.

In 1930, registered nurse Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard an Oakland-to-Chicago flight operated by Boeing Air Transport (a forerunner of United Airlines).

In 1940, DuPont began selling its nylon stockings nationally.

Also in 1940, the original McDonald's restaurant was opened in San Bernardino, CA by Richard and Maurice McDonald.

In 1941, the Gloster E.28/39, the first British and Allied jet aircraft, had its first flight.

In 1942, in the United States, a bill creating the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was signed into law.

In 1948, the day after the state of Israel was established, it was attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

In 1955, the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France signed the Austrian State Treaty, which re-established Austria's independence.

In 1963, astronaut L. Gordon Cooper blasted off aboard Faith 7 on the final mission of the Project Mercury space program.

In 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared on NBC-TV's "The Tonight Show." Joe Garagiola was sitting in for Johnny Carson. During the show the establishment of the Apple record label was announced.

In 1970, just after midnight, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green, two black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi, were killed as police opened fire during student protests.

In 1972, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot and left paralyzed by Arthur H. Bremer while campaigning for president in Laurel, Maryland. (Bremer served 35 years for attempted murder.)

In 1974, terrorists attacked and took hostages at an Israeli school; a total of 31 people were killed, including 22 schoolchildren.

In 1987, the comedy “Ishtar”, starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, was released in the U.S. It would become notorious for its failure at the box office.

In 1988, the Soviet Union began the process of withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, more than eight years after Soviet forces had entered the country.

In 1991, Edith Cresson was appointed by French President Francois Mitterrand to be France's first female prime minister.

In 2004, Arsenal F.C. became the first team in English First Division history to go an entire league campaign unbeaten.

In 2005, “Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith” had its official premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, following several showings at charity events.

In 2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death for his role in the bombings at the 2013 Boston Marathon.

 

If I may...

ON MAY 16th:

In 1763, the English lexicographer, author and wit Samuel Johnson first met his future biographer, James Boswell.

In 1770, Marie Antoinette, age 14, married the future King Louis XVI of France, who was 15.

In 1868, the U.S. Senate failed by one vote to convict President Andrew Johnson as it took its first ballot on the eleven articles of impeachment against him.

In 1905, actor Henry Fonda was born in Grand Island, NE.

In 1906, writer/illustrator Margaret Rey, co-creator of Curious George, was born in Hamburg, Germany.

In 1918, the Sedition Act of 1918 was passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. (It was repealed less than two years later.)

In 1919, a naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read left Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.

In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized by Pope Benedict XV.

In 1929, the first Academy Awards were presented at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. "Wings" won "best production," while Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor were named best actor and best actress.

In 1937, actress/dancer Yvonne Craig, best-known for playing Batgirl in the “Batman” TV series, was born in Taylorville, IL.

In 1939, the federal government began its first food stamp program in Rochester, NY.

In 1943, the nearly month-long Warsaw Ghetto Uprising came to an end as German forces crushed the Jewish resistance and blew up the Great Synagogue.

In 1946, the musical "Annie Get Your Gun," featuring songs by Irving Berlin, opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theater. Ethel Merman starred in the show.

In 1948, CBS News correspondent George Polk, who'd been covering the Greek civil war between communist and nationalist forces, was found slain in Salonika Harbor.

In 1953, actor Pierce Brosnan was born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. Years later, he nearly replaced Roger Moore and later actually did replace Timothy Dalton, both times for the same role.

In 1961, actor/writer/Kid in the Hall Kevin McDonald was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In 1963, the spacecraft Faith 7, piloted by Gordon Cooper, splashed down after a flight of nearly 35 hours, ending Project Mercury.

In 1966, the Beach Boys released their groundbreaking album, "Pet Sounds."

In 1973, the thriller “The Day of the Jackal”, based on the Frederick Forsyth novel and starring Edward Fox, premiered in New York City.

In 1975, Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

In 1988, a report by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop stated that the addictive properties of nicotine were similar to those of heroin and cocaine.

In 1990, entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. died in Los Angeles at age 64.

Also in 1990, producer/director/actor/Muppeteer Jim Henson died in New York at age 53.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress. She was the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.

In 1999, charity premieres for “Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace” were held in 12 cities.

In 2002, “Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones” was released in 40 countries, including the U.S and the U.K.

In 2009, the Pixar animated movie “Up” had its U.S. premiere in Hollywood, CA.

In 2011, STS-134 launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.

In 2014, production began on “Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens” at Pinewood Studios in London.