This Day In History: May 22, 1856 On May 22, 1856, an angry young Congressman from South Carolina entered the Senate chamber searching for a certain older Senator from Massachusetts. When the younger man honed in on the man in question, he beat him brutally with a gold tipped cane until it broke into pieces. Then he calmly walked away, […]

This Day In History: May 21, 1999 On May 21, 1999, Susan Lucci, who’d been portraying “All My Children’s” legendary femme fatale Erica Kane for just shy of three decades, finally won an Emmy Award after being nominated an astounding 19 times. Having been nominated so many times to no avail, Lucci hadn’t even bothered to prepare an acceptance speech. […]

This Day In History May 20, 2005 On May 20, 2005, The Simpsons aired its 400th episode, earning the distinction of being the longest running series in television history. Not bad for a show that started as a cartoon used between sketches for a comedy series. Simpson’s creator Matt Groening got the gig on “The Tracey Ullman Show” in 1987 […]

Today in History: May 19, 1536 On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn, the woman for which King Henry VIII cast aside a Queen, broke with the Catholic Church and drove his country to the brink of civil war, climbed the scaffold to meet her death at that same King’s command. She was the first Queen of England to be legally […]

This Day In History: May 16, 1975 On May 16, 1975, a nurse entered the Los Angeles hospital where she worked cradling a newborn baby. She claimed that she had just given birth to the infant at home. Her fellow employees were rather shocked, considering that their 44-year-old co-worker was past the age most women became pregnant. They were even […]

Today in History: May 15, 1972 On May 15, 1972, Alabama’s controversial governor George Wallace was shot at close range during an outdoor rally in Laurel, Maryland. The assailant, clad in red, white and blue, was arrested immediately at the scene. The 52-year-old Wallace was campaigning in his third bid for the U.S. presidency and was speaking before a crowd […]

Today in History: May 14, 1938 On May 14, 1938, which happened to be Mother’s Day, a 5-year-old girl named Lina Medina became the youngest female in known human history to give birth. When most girls her age were playing with dolls, Lina was delivering a healthy six pound baby boy by caesarean section. Lina’s parents had sought medical attention […]

Today in History: May 13, 1787 On May 13, 1787, a fleet of 11 ships under the command of Admiral Arthur Philip set sail from Portsmouth, England bound for Botany Bay, Australia. The passengers were convicts being sent to the far-flung corner of the empire to colonize it, and – hopefully – for rehabilitation under the governance of Admiral Philip. […]

Today in History: May 12, 1932 The remains of little Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of pioneering aviator hero Charles Lindbergh and writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, were discovered on May 12, 1932, over two months after the toddler had been snatched from his family’s mansion in Hopewell, N.J. On the night of March 1, 1932, baby Charlie’s nurse went to check […]

Today in History: May 9, 1960 On May 9, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved what would soon become the first birth control pill produced for commercial use. The drug was manufactured by the G.D. Searle Company in Chicago, Illinois. Its official moniker was Enovid-10, but it would forever be known simply as “The Pill.” The fight for […]

Today in History: May 8, 1984 On May 8, 1984 the cross-country Olympic torch relay commenced in New York City, heralding the lead-up to the opening ceremonies in Los Angeles, California. It was also the day the Soviet Union announced their decision to boycott the Olympics out of fear for their athletes’ safety while in the U.S. Within days, 13 […]

Today in History: May 7, 1789 On the evening of May 7, 1789, the very first American Presidential Inaugural Ball was held in New York City. It was an elaborate shindig held to celebrate the official inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the brand-spanking-new United Stated of America. George Washington had been sworn in as the nation’s […]

Today in History: May 6, 1910 On May 6, 1910, Britain’s King Edward VII passed away after a brief nine year reign, and his son, George Frederick Ernest Albert, ascended the throne as King George V. The King is dead, long live the King. Born on June 3, 1865, George V was the second son of Edward, Prince of Wales […]

Today in History: May 5, 1877 On May 5, 1877, the great Chief Sitting Bull gathered his people and headed north to Canada, well out of the reach of the U. S. Army. Thousands of cavalrymen had been relentlessly pursuing Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa Lakota, or Dakota Sioux, since “General” George A. Custer (he was actually a Lt. Colonel […]

Today in History: May 2, 1960 On May 2, 1960, Dick Clark wrapped up his second day of testimony before the House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight. The subcommittee was investigating the impact of payola – the practice of providing disc jockeys with cash or other incentives to play certain records. Clark was as engaging and earnest on the stand as […]

Today in History: May 1, 305 The epitome of a self-made man, Diocletian was the son of a former slave. He joined the military and rose quickly through the ranks. While acting as an imperial bodyguard, he may even have had a hand in the deaths of a couple of Roman emperors to hasten his rise to the top. Then […]

Today in History: April 30, 711 On April 30, 711, the Islamic occupation of the Iberian Peninsula commenced, ending the rule of the Visigoths after three hundred years of domination in the region. Since its inception in the 7th century, Islam had expanded rapidly, and by 711 Muslims had conquered much of North Africa. Moving northward to the Mediterranean made […]

This Day In History: April 29, 1968 When “Hair” made its Broadway premiere on April 29, 1968, (a date picked for its astrologically auspicious alignments), the United States was in the midst of cultural, social and political upheaval of mind-blowing proportions. It was an era of undeniable violence – the Vietnam War raged on, Martin Luther King had just been […]