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Today is Thursday, May 20th.
The 141st day of 2004.
There are 225 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlight in History:
On May 20, 1861, the capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, Ala., to Richmond, Va.
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On this date:
In 1498, Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut, India, after becoming the first westerner to sail from Europe around Africa to India.
In 1506, Christopher Columbus died in poverty in Spain.
In 1639, The city council of Dorchester, Mass, established the first school funded by community taxes.
In 1775, Citizens of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina declare independence of Britain
In 1861, North Carolina voted to secede from the Union.
In 1874, Levi Strauss marketed his blue jeans with copper rivets, priced at $13.50 A DOZEN.
In 1887, The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.
In 1902, The United States ended its three-year military presence in Cuba as the Republic of Cuba was established under its first elected president, Tomas Estrada Palma.
In 1908, Actor Jimmy Stewart (James Maitland Stewart) was born in Indiana PA. He died July 2, 1997 at the age of 89.
In 1926, Congress passes the Air Commerce Act, requiring licensing of pilots and planes.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on his historic solo flight to France.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland for Ireland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
In 1939, Regular transatlantic air service began as a Pan American Airways plane, the Yankee Clipper, took off from Port Washington, N.Y., bound for Europe.
In 1939, The first telecast over telephone wires was sent from Madison Square Garden to the NBC-TV studios at 30 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. The event was a bicycle race.
In 1942, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" at Victor Studios in Hollywood.
In 1948, Israel used its Air Force for the first time. They gained their first victory with the defeat of the Syrian army.
In 1958, Elvis Presley got his orders to report to duty from the U.S. Army. He was allowed a 60-day deferment so he could finish the film "King Creole".
In 1961, A white mob attacked a busload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the federal government to send in U.S. marshals to restore order.
In 1969, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Apbia Mountain, referred to as "Hamburger Hill" by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.
In 1980, N.Y. state and federal officials agree on evacuating 710 families in the Love Canal area of Niagara Falls.
In 1980, In a referendum, the largely French-speaking province of Québec votes to remain part of Canada.
In 1982, The final episode of "Barney Miller" aired.
In 1989, Comedian Gilda Radner died in Los Angeles at age 42.
In 1990, The Hubble Space Telescope sent back its first photographs.
In 1993, The final episode of "Cheers" aired on NBC.
In 1995, President Clinton announced that the two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House would be permanently closed to motor vehicles as a security measure.
In 1996, The final episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" aired on NBC.
In 1997, The final episode of "Roseanne" aired on ABC.
Ten years ago (1994):
Tributes poured in following the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. President Clinton said of the former first lady: "She captivated our nation and the world with her intelligence, her elegance and her grace."
Five years ago (1999):
An armed 15-year-old boy opened fire at Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga., wounding six students.
NATO warplanes hammered Belgrade and its suburbs, leaving a hospital in smoldering ruins, three patients dead and the nearby homes of three European ambassadors damaged.
One year ago (2003):
The Bush administration, concerned that a wave of attacks overseas could spread to the United States, raised the terrorism alert level to orange.
The United States banned all beef imports from Canada after a lone case of mad cow disease was discovered in the heart of Canada's cattle country.
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Today's Birthdays:
Actor David Hedison (Ara Heditsian) is 75.
Actor James McEachin is 74.
Actor Anthony Zerbe is 68.
Actor David Proval is 62.
Singer Jill Jackson ("Paula" of Paul & Paula) is 62.
Singer Joe Cocker is 60.
Singer-actress Cher is 58.
Actor-comedian Dave Thomas is 55.
Musician Warren Cann is 52.
Actor Dean Butler is 48.
Ron Reagan is 46.
Rock musician Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go's) is 46.
Actor Bronson Pinchot is 45.
Actor John Billingsley ("Enterprise") is 44.
Actor Tony Goldwyn is 44.
Singer Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills) is 44.
Singer Nick Heyward is 43.
Actress Mindy Cohn is 38.
Rock musician Tom Gorman (Belly) is 38.
Rapper Busta Rhymes is 32.
Actress Angela Goethals is 27.
Rhythm and blues singer Naturi Naughton is 20.
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Thought for Today:
"Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it, but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance." -
- Charles A. Lindbergh (1902-1974).
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