Today in history...
May 5
cinco de Mayo bitches!
May 5 2349 BC
Noah's Ark lands on Mount Ararat, according to calculations by James Ussher, Archbishop of the Church of Ireland.
May 5 840
A son of Charlemagne, Emperor Louis of Bavaria, dies of fright during a total eclipse of the sun. His sons quarrel, causing the division of his Empire into France, Germany, and Italy.
May 5 1821
Napoleon dies on the island of St. Helena, some suspect from arsenic poisoning. More likely, he died from stomach cancer as did his father.
May 5 1925
High school teacher John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution by authorities in Dayton, Tennessee, as part of a publicity stunt to make the town famous. Since Scopes admitted teaching the theory, he was found guilty, and the law remained on the books in the backward state until 1967.
May 5 1945
Elsie Mitchell and five children she is watching are killed by a Japanese balloon bomb which drifted over the Pacific into Oregon. They are the only people killed in action on the US mainland during World War II.
May 5 1955
An internal CIA memo emphasizes the need for a drug that creates a state of "pure euphoria" and no letdown. From this springs Operation Midnight Climax, in which CIA brothels were set up in San Francisco, and their customers surreptitiously dosed with LSD by prostitutes. Operative George Hunter White observed reactions behind a two way mirror, purely in the interest of science.
May 5 1961
Alan B. Shepard is the first American in space, with a fifteen minute suborbital flight. He was forced to piss himself in his suit prior to launch, as it lacked an evacuation system.
May 5 1982
Secretary Janet Smith in the computer science department at Vanderbilt University is injured when she opens a package from the Unabomber.
May 5 1993
Dude! After getting pulled over for erratic driving, Keanu Reeves is arrested for drunk driving in Los Angeles.
May 5 2000
"On May 5 of the year 2000, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be aligned with the earth for the first time in 6,000 years. On that day the ice buildup at the South Pole will upset the earth's axis, sending trillions of tons of ice in the water sweeping over the surface of our planet."
-- 5/5/2000: Ice -- the Ultimate Disaster by Richard W Noone
Birthdays today...
* 867 – Uda, Emperor of Japan (d. 931)
* 1210 – King Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
* 1479 – Guru Amar Das, third Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
* 1546 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English politician (d. 1623)
* 1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
* 1764 – Robert Craufurd, British general (d. 1812)
* 1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
* 1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (d. 1855)
* 1818 – Karl Marx, German political philosopher (d. 1883)
* 1826 – Empress Eugenie of France, wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
* 1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American hat manufacturer (d. 1906)
* 1832 – H.H. Bancroft, American historian and publisher (d. 1918)
* 1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer (d. 1905)
* 1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter (d. 1873)
* 1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
* 1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and writer (d. 1922)
* 1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish industrialist (d. 1938)
* 1869 – Hans Pfitzner, Russian-born composer (d. 1949)
* 1883 – Archibald Wavell, British general (d. 1950)
* 1887 – Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1972)
* 1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer, Wisden COY 1925 (d. 1973)
* 1890 – Christopher Morley, American writer (d. 1957)
* 1899 – Freeman Gosden, American radio comedian (Amos-Amos 'n' Andy) (d. 1982)
* 1901 – Blind Willie McTell, American singer (d. 1959)
* 1903 – James Beard, American chef and cookbook writer (d. 1985)
* 1908 – Kurt Böhme, German bass (d. 1989)
* 1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
* 1915 – Alice Faye, American actress (d. 1998)
* 1916 – Zail Singh, President of India (d. 1994)
* 1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek dictator (d. 1999)
* 1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
* 1923 – Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (d. 2003)
* 1925 – Leo Ryan, United States Congressman (d. 1978)
* 1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
* 1931 – Greg, Belgian comic-book writer (Achille Talon) (d. 1999)
* 1934 – Ace Cannon, American saxophonist
* 1935 – Douglas Marland, American television writer (d. 1993)
* 1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist and television host
* 1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
* 1936 – Patrick Gowers, British composer
* 1937 – Johnnie Taylor, American singer (d. 2000)
* 1937 – Delia Derbyshire, British Electronic Music composer (d. 2001)
* 1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
* 1939 – Cesare Fiorio, Italian sporting director of various Formula One teams
* 1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor and painter
* 1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American film director
* 1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player (d. 2004)
* 1942 – Marc Alaimo, American actor
* 1942 – Tammy Wynette, American musician (d. 1998)
* 1943 – Michael Palin, British writer, actor, and comedian
* 1943 – Raphael, Spanish singer
* 1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
* 1944 – Jean-Pierre Léaud, French actor
* 1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor
* 1945 – Kurt Loder, Entertainment reporter
* 1948 – Bill Ward, British drummer (Black Sabbath)
* 1950 – Googoosh, Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین), Iranian, Persian Singer & actress
* 1950 – Mary Hopkin, Welsh singer
* 1952 – Campbell McComas, Australian impersonator and broadcaster (d. 2005)
* 1954 – Dave Spector, American television personality and commentator
* 1955 – Melinda Culea, American actress
* 1956 – Robert Marien, Quebec actor, singer and songwriter
* 1957 – Richard E. Grant, British actor
* 1957 – Peter Howitt, British actor and film director
* 1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli aircraft navigator missing in action.
* 1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer of Echo & the Bunnymen
* 1959 – Brian Phelps, American disk jockey and actor
* 1959 – Brian Williams, American news anchor
* 1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese professional wrestler and politician
* 1962 – Jenifer McKitrick, American songwriter
* 1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef
* 1963 – Heidi Kozak, American actress
* 1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer (Dream Theater)
* 1964 – John Lee (placekicker), Korean-born American football player
* 1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian racing driver
* 1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer (Megadeth)
* 1966 – Josh Weinstein, American writer
* 1967 – Takehito Koyasu, Japanese seiyu (voice actor)
* 1967 – Maro Mavri, Greek fashion model and actress
* 1970 – Kyan Douglas, American TV-personality
* 1970 – Juan Acevedo, baseball player
* 1970 – LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
* 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
* 1970 – Soheil Ayari, French racer
* 1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player
* 1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
* 1971 – David Reilly, American singer (GERD Lives Underwater) (d. 2005)
* 1971 – Gary Johnson, British Record Producer
* 1972 – James Cracknell, British rowing champion, double Olympic gold medalist
* 1972 – Devin Townsend, Canadian musician (Strapping Young Lad)
* 1972 – Brad Bombardir, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1973 – Tina Yothers, American actress
* 1973 – Erik Kowalski, American IDM composer behind Casino Versus Japan
* 1974 – Seiji Ara, Japanese racing driver
* 1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentine footballer
* 1976 – Jeremy Michael Ward, American Musician (d. 2003)
* 1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
* 1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian TV Actor
* 1977 – Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress
* 1978 – Santiago Cabrera, Chilean actor
* 1978 – Bruno Cheyrou, French footballer
* 1978 – Morgan Pehme, American filmmaker and writer
* 1978 – Noam Zylberman, voice actor
* 1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
* 1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
* 1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli Footballer
* 1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
* 1981 – Marcelle Bittar, Brazilian supermodel
* 1981 – Chris Duncan, baseball player
* 1981 – Craig David, English singer
* 1982 – Jay Bothroyd, English footballer
* 1982 – Wouter D'Haene, Belgian flatwater canoer
* 1982 – Randall Gay, National Football League player
* 1982 – Edyta Sliwinska, Polish ballroom dancer
* 1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
* 1983 – Scott Ware, American footballer
* 1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire)
* 1984 – Eve Torres, American dancer and model
* 1985 – P. J. Tucker, American basketball player
* 1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress, illustrator and singer
* 1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American Football player
* 1987 – Marija Šestić, Bosnian singer
* 1988 – Jessica Dubroff, American aviator (d. 1996)
* 1988 – Brooke Hogan, American singer
* 1988 – Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer and songwriter
* 1988 – Adele, English singer
* 1989 – Chris Brown (douche), American singer and actor
Famous deaths...
* 200 – Sun Ce, warlord of the Han Dynasty (b. 175)
* 311 – Galerius, Roman Emperor
* 984 – Gerberga of Saxony, Queen of Western Francia
* 1028 – King Alfonso V of Castile, León, and Galicia
* 1194 – King Casimir II of Poland (b. 1138)
* 1219 – King Leo II of Armenia (b. 1150)
* 1309 – King Charles II of Naples
* 1525 – Frederick III of Saxony (b. 1463)
* 1586 – Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
* 1604 – Claudio Merulo, Italian composer (b. 1533)
* 1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English politician (b. 1602)
* 1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter (b. 1609)
* 1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
* 1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English murderer (hanged) (b. 1720)
* 1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
* 1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist (b. 1757)
* 1811 – Robert Mylne, Scottish architect (b. 1734)
* 1821 – Napoleon I of France (b. 1769)
* 1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
* 1833 – Sophia Campbell, Australian artist (b. 1777)
* 1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, Bt, English politician (b. 1786)
* 1859 – Peter Gustav Dirichlet, German mathematician (b. 1805)
* 1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist (b. 1818)
* 1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
* 1900 – Ivan Aivazovsky, Russian painter (b. 1817)
* 1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1864)
* 1931 – Glen Kidston, British aviator and racing driver (b. 1899)
* 1941 – Natalija Obrenović, Queen of Serbia (b. 1859)
* 1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
* 1945 – Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926)
* 1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player (b. 1917)
* 1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentine politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1878)
* 1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
* 1971 – Violet Jessop, Titanic survivor (b. 1887)
* 1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German politician (CDU) and Chancellor of Germany from 1963 until 1966 (b. 1897)
* 1981 – Bobby Sands, Irish activist (b. 1954)
* 1983 – Horst Schumann, Nazi physician (b. 1901)
* 1985 – Sir Donald Bailey, British civil engineer (b. 1901)
* 1988 – Michael Shaara, American author (b. 1928)
* 1992 – Jean-Claude Pascal, French singer (b. 1927)
* 1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player, grandmaster and world champion. (b. 1911)
* 1997 – Walter Gotell, German actor (b. 1924)
* 2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
* 2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American writer and publisher
* 2001 – Raymond Kessler, American midget wrestler
* 2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian dictator (b. 1926)
* 2002 – Paul Klipsch, American engineer, noted for his loudspeaker designs. (b. 1904)
* 2002 – George Sidney, American film director (b. 1916)
* 2003 – Sam Bockarie, RUF Rebel Commander (b. 1964)
* 2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist (b. 1912)
* 2004 – Ritsuko Okazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1959)
* 2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer (b. 1919)
* 2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, Inventor, noted for making the first working laser. (b. 1927)
* 2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American entrepreneur (b. 1917)
Holidays and observances...
* International Midwives' Day.
* International Makeout Day.
* Albania: Martyrs' Day.
* Council of Europe: Europe Day.
* CPLP – Community of Portuguese-speaking countries: Lusophone Culture Day.
* Denmark: Liberation Day (1945).
* Ethiopia: Patriots' Victory Day (1941).
* Guyana: Indian Arrival Day (1838).
* Japan: Tango no Sekku (Boy's Day) or Kodomo no hi (Children's Day).
* Kyrgyzstan: Constitution Day.
* Mexico: Cinco de Mayo (1862).
* Netherlands: Liberation Day (1945).
* Palau: Senior Citizens Day.
* Palestinian people: Feast of Saint George.
* South Korea: Children's Day.
* Thailand: Coronation Day of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Have a great Tuesday.
~Brian
