May 29th
Today in 1790,Rhode Island became the 13th original colony to ratify the United States Constitution.
Today in 1848,Wisconsin became the 30th state of the union.
Today in 1917,the 35th president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy,was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Today in 1919,Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity (that when light passes a large body, gravity will bend the rays)was confirmed by Arthur Eddington's expedition to photograph a solar eclipse on island of Principe, West Africa.
Today in 1942,Bing Crosby recorded the Christmas classic, "White Christmas."It became the biggest selling single of all time.
Today in 1943,Norman Rockwell’s portrait of “Rosie the Riveter”appeared on the cover of “The Saturday Evening Post.”A fun fact? Themodel for Rockwell’s Rosie, was Mary Doyle Keefe.
Today in 1951,pilot C. F. Blair became the first man to fly over the North Pole in a single engine plane.
Today in 1953,Mount Everest was conquered as Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensing Norkay of Nepal – they were the first climbers to reach the summit.
Today in 1961,food stamps were first issued in the United States.
Today in 1962,Buck (John) O’Neil became the first Black coach in major-league baseball. He accepted the job with the Chicago Cubs. O’Neil had previously been a scout with the Cubs organization.
Today in 1965,Ralph Boston set a world record in the long jump at 27-feet and a ½ inch, at a meet held in Modesto, California.
Today in 1973,Tom Bradley became the first Black mayor of Los Angeles.
Today in 1977,Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the Indianapolis 500– she finished in 29thplace (the winner was A.J. Foyt).
Today in 1988,President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev opened their historic summit in Moscow.
Today in 1996,President Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, James and Susan McDougal, and Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker,were convicted of fraud.
Today in 1997,in closing arguments, Timothy McVeigh's attorney urged jurors not to be swayed by sympathy for the Oklahoma City bombing victims, after a prosecutor delivered a wrenching summation that portrayed McVeigh as a terrorist who killed children in the warped belief he was a patriot.
Today in 1997, Jesse Timmedequas was found guilty of the rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka. Megan’s murder led to the introduction of"Megan's Law," which requires law enforcement to disclose details relating to the location of registered sex offenders.
Today in 1999,the space shuttle "Discovery"completed the first-ever docking with the international space station.
Today in 2001,U.S. Supreme Court ruled that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
Today in 2008,the Vatican issued a decree stating that anyone trying to ordain a woman as a priest and any woman who attempted to receive the ordination would incur automatic excommunication.
Today in 2017,Tiger Woods was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Jupiter, Florida. He plead guilty to reckless driving the following October, and was sentenced to 12-months probation…DUI school, a $250 fine and 50 hours of community service. He was also subject to random drug testing at any time during his probationary term. It all went so well that his probation was terminated a month early in September 2018.
Today in 2017,Americans turned out by the thousands to celebrate the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedyon the day he would have turned 100.
Today in 2018,ABC TV canceled its "Roseanne" series within hoursof its star Roseanne Barr posting a racist tweet about former Obama administration advisor Valerie Jarrett.
Today in 2019,Special Counsel Robert Mueller said charging President Donald Trump with a crime never an optionas there was no legal means to charge a sitting president. While President Trump gloated that this meant he was exonerated, Mueller was clear: his report does not exonerate the president.
Today in 2019,the world's smallest surviving baby, a girl identified as Saybie,was discharged from Sharp March Birch Hospital in San Diego. She had been born at 23 weeks weighing just 8.6-ounces (245 grams) and measuring 9-inches in length – about half the size of a ‘normal’ baby at that stage. She had spent five months in the hospital...and went home as a healthy five-pound, six-ounce little angel.
Today in 2019,being transgender was de-classified as a mental health illness by the World Health Organization.