(Following Advance for Use Monday, May 19th)


Today in History

Today is Monday, May 19th, the 140th day of 2008. There are 226 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On May 19th, 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.

On this date: In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded after being convicted of adultery.

In 1643, delegates from four New England colonies met in Boston to form a confederation.

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 1958, British actor Ronald Colman died in Santa Barbara, California, at age 67.

In 1962, during a Democratic fund-raiser at New York's Madison Square Garden, actress Marilyn Monroe performed a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday to You" for guest-of-honor President 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.

In 1992, in Massapequa, New York, Mary Jo Buttafuoco was shot and seriously wounded by her husband Joey's teen-age lover, Amy Fisher.

In 1994, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in New York at age 64.

Ten years ago: Millions of pagers nationwide stopped working when a communications satellite, the Galaxy IV, suddenly lost track of Earth. Bandits stole three of Rome's most important Paintings, two by van Gogh and one by Cezanne, from the National Gallery of Modern Art. (The paintings were recovered two months later by police.) Five years ago: WorldCom Incorporated agreed to pay investors 500 million dollars to settle civil fraud charges. The Supreme Court dealt a defeat to the drug industry, ruling 6-3 that a state may try to force companies to lower prices on prescription medications for the poor and uninsured. A Palestinian woman blew herself up during a security check outside a mall, killing three Israelis in the fifth suicide bombing in 48 hours.

One year ago: Group of Eight financial officials wrapped up two days of talks in Germany by calling for more aid, increased debt relief and responsible lending to Africa. Curlin nipped Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense to win the Preakness Stakes.

Today's Birthdays: PBS newscaster Jim Lehrer is 74. TV personality David Hartman is 73. Actor James Fox is 69. Actress Nancy Kwan is 69. Author-director Nora Ephron is 67. Actor Peter Mayhew is 64. Rock singer-composer Pete Townshend (The Who) is 63.

Concert pianist David Helfgott is 61. Rock singer-musician Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) is 59. Singer-actress Grace Jones is 56. Rock musician Phil Rudd (AC-DC) is 54. Baseball catcher Rick Cerone is 54. Actor Steven Ford is 52. Rock musician Iain Harvie (Del Amitri) is 46. Actor Jason Gray-Stanford is 38. Rock singer Jenny Berggren (Ace of Base) is 36. Actor Drew Fuller is 28. Actor Eric Lloyd is 22.

Thought for Today: "Life is never so bad at its worst that it is impossible to live; it is never so good at its best that it is easy to live." Gabriel Heatter, American radio commentator (1890-1972).

(Above Advance for Use Monday, May 19th)


Copyright 2008, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 05-11-08 0836CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list