Fun On this date in history...

Kenneth Morgan April 5th?

 

Um...uh...well...uh...it's April 5th somewhere in the universe, I guess. I suppose. Um, anyway...

ON MAY 6th:

In 1536, King Henry VIII ordered English-language Bibles be placed in every church.

In 1659, a faction of the British Army removed Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and reinstalled the Rump Parliament.

In 1840, Britain's first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, officially went into circulation five days after its introduction.

In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the Union.

Also in 1861, Richmond, VA was declared the new capital of the Confederate States of America.

In 1863, during the Civil war, the Battle of Chancellorsville ended with the defeat of the Army of the Potomac by Confederate troops.

In 1877, Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux surrendered to United States troops in Nebraska.

In 1889, the Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.

In 1910, Britain's Edwardian era ended with the death of King Edward VII; he was succeeded by George V.

EE-YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES? In 1911, actor Frank Nelson was born in Colorado Springs, CO.

In 1915, Babe Ruth hit his first major-league home run as a player for the Boston Red Sox.

Also in 1915, actor/filmmaker Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, WI.

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration began operating under an executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Also in 1935, the first flight of the Curtiss P-36 Hawk was made.

In 1937, the German zeppelin Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, NJ. Thirty-six people were killed.

In 1941, at California’s March Field, Bob Hope performed his first USO show.

Also in 1941, the first flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was made.

In 1942, during World War II some 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to Japanese forces.

In 1948, the film of the Laurence Olivier version of “Hamlet” premiered in London.

In 1952, actor Michael O’Hare, best-known for playing Jeffrey Sinclair on “Babylon 5”, was born in Chicago, IL.

In 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford, England, in 3:59.4.

In 1957, the final episode of "I Love Lucy" aired on CBS-TV.

In 1960, Britain's Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey. (They divorced in 1978.)

In 1965, after a Rolling Stones concert in Clearwater, FL, was cut short by rowdy fans, Keith Richards composed the opening guitar riff of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which he co-wrote with Mick Jagger. (The song was recorded less than a week later, and the single was released in the United States on June 6.)

In 1975, during a lull in fighting, 100,000 Armenians gathered in Beirut to commemorate 60th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

In 1981, Yale architecture student Maya Ying Lin was named winner of a competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In 1994, former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging he'd sexually harassed her in 1991. (Jones reached a settlement with Clinton in November 1998.)

Also in 1994, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand formally opened the Channel Tunnel between their countries.

In 1996, the body of former CIA director William Colby was found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.

In 2001, during a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II became the first pope to enter a mosque.

In 2004, the series finale of the sit-com “Friends” was aired on NBC-TV. attracting 52.46 million viewers, making it the sixth most-watched TV series finale in U.S. history.

In 2013, three women missing for more than a decade were found alive in Cleveland, OH. Their captor, Ariel Castro, was taken into custody, and later committed suicide.

 

LOL, I could so hear that first sentence of yours in the Tenth Doctor's voice.









And because it's back in my head again:

 

Frank Nelson shows up at the 4 min. mark:

 

If I may...

ON MAY 7th:

In 1429, Joan of Arc ended the Siege of Orleans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning, wounded, to lead the final charge. The victory marked a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War.

In 1718, the city of New Orleans was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.

In 1789, America's first inaugural ball was held in New York in honor of President George Washington, who'd taken the oath of office a week earlier.

In 1824, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, had its premiere in Vienna.

In 1840, Pytor Illych Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russian Empire.

In 1911, filmmaker Ishiro Honda was born in Asahi, Yamagata, Japan. While he worked in a variety of genres, he’s best known for his kaiju films, especially the original “Gojira”.

In 1915, in an incident that sparked international outrage, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner RMS Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, out of the nearly 2,000 on board.

In 1922, actor Darren McGavin was born in Spokane, WA. It’s a toss-up whether he’s best-remembered as Carl Kolchak or Ralphie’s lamp-winning Old Man.

In 1934, the Universal horror movie “The Black Cat”, starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff (or Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, if you prefer) was released in the U.S., following its May 3rd premiere.

In 1939, Germany and Italy announced a military and political alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis.

In 1941, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo" for RCA Victor.

In 1942, U.S. Army Gen. Jonathan Wainwright went on a Manila radio station to announce the Allied surrender of the Philippines to Japanese forces during World War II.

Also in 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, U.S. Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacked and sank the Imperial Japanese Navy light aircraft carrier Shoho. The battle marked the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fought without visual contact between warring ships.

In 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, ending its role in World War II.

In 1954, the 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces.

In 1960, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that his nation was holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.

In 1963, the United States launched the Telstar 2 communications satellite.

In 1964, Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, a Fairchild F-27 airliner, crashed near San Ramon, CA, killing all 44 aboard; the FBI later reported that a cockpit recorder tape indicated that the pilot and co-pilot had been shot by a suicidal passenger.

In 1970, the Hammer Horror movie “Taste the Blood of Dracula”, once again starring Christopher Lee as the Count, was released in the U.K.

In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford formally declared an end to the "Vietnam era." Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City — formerly Saigon — the Viet Cong celebrated its takeover.

In 1984, a $180 million out-of-court settlement was announced in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans who charged they'd suffered injury from exposure to the defoliant.

In 1992, the NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour went on its first flight.

Also in 1992, a 203-year-old proposed constitutional amendment barring Congress from giving itself a midterm pay raise received enough votes for ratification as Michigan became the 38th state to approve it.

In 1994, Edvard Munch’s iconic painting “The Scream” was recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway the previous February.

In 1998, Mercedes-Benz bought Chrysler for $40 billion and formed DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger to date.

In 2000, Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as president of Russia.

In 2004, American businessman Nick Berg was beheaded by Islamic terrorists. The act was recorded on videotape and released on the Internet.

In 2013, writer/producer/VFX designer Ray Harryhausen died in London at age 92.

In 2017, a state of emergency was declared in Montreal, Canada as 1,200 Canadian Forces personnel were deployed in the province of Quebec to help with rising floodwaters. 146 communities were affected and more than 1,500 residents were evacuated from their homes.

Also in 2017, Emmanuel Macron won the French presidential election, earning 66.1% of the vote to challenger Marine Le Pen's 33.9%, becoming the youngest French head of state since Napoleon.

In addition in 2017, The U.S. Air Force’s unmanned spacecraft X-37B successfully landed at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Merritt Island, FL, after spending a record-breaking 718 days in orbit.

 

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 1846, during the Mexican-American War, forces under Gen. Zachary Taylor defeated a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande at the Battle of Palo Alto, the first major battle of the war.

In 1861, Richmond, VA was named the capital of the Confederate States of America.

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

In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton first sold a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola" as a patent medicine.

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 1902, in Martinique, Mount Pelee erupted, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survived the blast.

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.

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 1943, the Western drama “The Ox-Bow Incident”, starring Henry Fonda, premiered in New York City.

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.

In 1958, the Hammer Horror movie “Horror of Dracula”, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, was released in the U.S. (It would have its British premiere in London on May 22nd.)

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. (It would be released in the U.K. at the end of the month.)

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 Native American who'd held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for ten weeks surrendered.

In 1980, The World Health Organization confirmed the eradication of smallpox.

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.

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.

 

Actually, their plane was named L'Oiseau Blanc. The translation is left as an exercise to the reader.

 

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.

In 2017, President Donald Trump removed James Comey as F.B.I. Director, citing Comey’s oversight of the investigation in the handling of classified e-mails by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

 

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 1894, four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers went on a wildcat strike in Illinois.

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 1949, Israel joined the United Nations.

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.

Also in 2015, the derailment of an Amtrak train in Philadelphia killed eight people and injures more than 200.

In 2017, a ransomware attack affected over 400 thousand computers worldwide, targeting computers of the UK's National Health Services and Telefonica computers.