HISTORY FOR MAY 13

This Day in History, May 13
On May 13th, 1950, the first all-time Formula One Grand Prix took place.

Other Notable Events, May 13
In 1607, Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in North America, was founded near the James River in Virginia.

In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico.

In 1981, Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca wounded Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square. The pope later, from his hospital bed, forgave his assailant.

In 1985, 11 people died when a Philadelphia police helicopter bombed the fortified house of a radical organization, MOVE, to end a 24-hour siege. The ensuing fire destroyed 53 homes.

In 1989, U.S. President George H.W. Bush called for the overthrow of Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega.

In 1991, Winnie Mandela was convicted of being an accessory in the assault of four youths who had been kidnapped and taken to her Soweto, South Africa, home in 1988.

In 1992, astronauts from the shuttle Endeavor made an unprecedented three-man spacewalk to salvage an errant communications satellite.

In 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Stephen Breyer to succeed Justice Harry A. Blackmun on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1998, as India conducted more nuclear test blasts, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced he would impose economic sanctions against New Delhi as required by the 1994 Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act.

In 2002, the sex abuse scandal involving Roman Catholic clergy grew violent when a Baltimore priest accused of molesting a youth years earlier was shot by the alleged victim. The following day, a Connecticut priest hanged himself at a Maryland treatment center for priests accused of molestation.

Also in 2002, U.S. President George Bush signed a bill that would increase federal payments to farmers by at least $83 billion over 10 years. Congressional critics called it a budget buster.

And, Bush announced that he and Russian President Putin would sign a treaty committing the United States and Russia to a two-thirds reduction in their nuclear arsenal over 10 years.

In 2003, suicide bombers, in four coordinated attacks, killed 34 people in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In 2005, Colombian authorities said they made the biggest drug bust in the nation's history when they grabbed 12 tons of cocaine valued at $300 million.

Also in 2005, government troops in Uzbekistan put down an uprising they blame on Islamic militants. Opponents say the troops fired into crowds and killed hundreds of people.

In 2006, health officials said the virulent bird flu that raised fears of a human pandemic mostly had been snuffed out in Southeast Asia where it claimed its first victims.

In 2007, Hamas and Fatah gunmen traded gunfire in Gaza, killing at least two people after a weekend of renewed factional Palestinian fighting. Within a few days, 40 Palestinians were reported dead from violent exchanges.

Also in 2007, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said if the Iraqi Parliament votes to ask the United States to leave Iraq, "We'll be glad to comply."

Notable Birthdays for May 13
Those born on this date include:
- Composer Arthur Sullivan, of Gilbert and Sullivan, in 1842
- French cubist painter Georges Braque in 1882
- English novelist Daphne Du Maurier in 1907
- Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis in 1914
- Singer Mary Wells in 1943
- Actress Beatrice Arthur in 1923 (age 85)
- Actor Harvey Keitel in 1939 (age 69)
- Singer Stevie Wonder, born Steveland Hardaway, in 1950 (age 58)
- Former pro basketball star Dennis Rodman in 1961 (age 47)
- Actress Julianne Phillips in 1960 (age 48)
- Poet and Author of this Blog Brenda A. Ysaguirre born in Mexico DF (age 50)

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

HISTORY FOR MAY 11

Today is Sunday, May 11, the 132nd day of 2008 with 234 to follow.

This is Mother's Day.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter. The evening stars are Mars, Mercury and Saturn.

This Day in History, May 11
On May 11th, 1928, the first analogue TV service was begun in New York
Other Notable Events, May 11
In 1858, Minnesota, dubbed the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," joined the United States as the 32nd state.

In 1862, the Confederate navy destroyed its iron-clad vessel Merrimac to prevent it from falling into the hands of advancing Union forces.

In 1910, Glacier National Park in Montana was created by an act of Congress.

In 1928, the first regularly scheduled television programs were begun by station WGY in Schenectady, N.Y.

In 1969, in one of the more infamous and bloody battles of the Vietnam War, U.S. troops seized Dong Ap Bia mountain, commonly known as "Hamburger Hill."

In 1987, Emmanuel Vitria died in Marseilles in southern France at age 67, some 18 years after receiving a transplanted human heart. He was the longest-surviving heart transplant patient.

In 1994, Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the Exxon Valdez, told a federal court in Anchorage, Alaska, he'd had three vodkas just hours before the tanker ran aground, spilling 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in 1989.

In 1996, a ValuJet airliner crashed in the Florida Everglades, killing 110 people.

In 1997, world chess champion Gerry Kasparov was defeated by a computer, IBM's Deep Blue, in a six-game match in New York.

In 1998, India conducted the first of five underground nuclear tests.

In 2000, five pharmaceutical companies offered to negotiate cuts in the price of AIDS drugs for Africa and other poor regions.

In 2003, The New York Times devoted four pages to a story documenting major inaccuracies and deceptions by one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, in a scandal that cost the paper's two top editors their jobs.

Also in 2003, more than 50 Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives crossed over into Oklahoma to leave the House without a quorum and block action on a redistricting bill unfavorable to their party.

In 2004, a video showing the beheading of a U.S. civilian was posted on the Web site of an Islamic militant group believed to be linked to al-Qaida. The victim, Nick Berg of Philadelphia, had been repairing Iraq telecommunications infrastructure.

In 2005, about 50 Iraqis were reported killed and dozens wounded in a string of bombings that rocked several Iraqi regions.

In 2006, a published report in USA Today said the National Security Agency had obtained government-requested records of phone calls made by millions of Americans since late 2001.

Also in 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told students in Indonesia that Israel was an "evil regime" that would soon be "annihilated."

In 2007, tourists and residents were evacuated from the historic resort town of Avalon on California's Santa Catalina Island where a massive brushfire destroyed homes and thousands of acres. Military hovercraft flew in fire engines to fight the blaze.

Also in 2007, a slim majority of Iraqi lawmakers were reported supportive of a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from their country.

Notable Birthdays for May 11
Those born on this date include:
- Ottmar Mergenthaler, inventor of the Linotype typesetting machine, in 1854
- songwriter Irving Berlin in 1888
- Dancer/choreographer Martha Graham in 1893
- Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali in 1904
- Comic actor Phil Silvers in 1911
- Comedian "Doodles" Weaver, in 1911
- Actor Denver Pyle in 1920
- Actor Bernard Fox and satirist Mort Sahl, both in 1927 (age 81)
- The Rev. Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam leader, in 1933 (age 75)
- Artificial heart developer Dr. Robert Jarvik in 1946 (age 62)
- Actor Doug McClure in 1935
- Actress Natasha Richardson in 1963 (age 45)


Copyright 2008 by United Press International