Today is Friday, May 26, the 146th day of 2006. There are 219 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 26, 1940, the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, began during World War II.
On this date:
In 1521, Martin Luther was banned by the Edict of Worms because of his religious beliefs and writings.
In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned king of Italy in Milan.
In 1865, arrangements were made in New Orleans for the surrender of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi.
In 1868, the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson ended with his acquittal on all remaining charges.
In 1913, Actors’ Equity Association was organized.
In 1960, U.N. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge accused the Soviets of hiding a microphone inside a wood carving of the Great Seal of the United States that had been presented to the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
In 1969, the Apollo 10 astronauts returned to Earth after a successful eight-day dress rehearsal for the first manned moon landing.
In 1978, the first legal casino in the eastern U.S. opened in Atlantic City, N.J.
In 1981, 14 people were killed when a Marine jet crashed onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off Florida.
In 1991, a Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashed in Thailand, killing all 223 people aboard.
Ten years ago: A police sergeant searching the murky waters where ValuJet Flight 592 crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people aboard, found the crucial cockpit voice recorder. Buddy Lazier won the Indianapolis 500.
Five years ago: Republicans and moderate Democrats drove a sweeping $1.35 trillion, 10-year tax cut through Congress, handing President Bush a political triumph.
One year ago: President Bush received Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the White House; Bush called Abbas a courageous democratic reformer and bolstered his standing at home with $50 million in assistance. Investigators confirmed five cases in which military personnel mishandled the Qurans of Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, but said they had found no “credible evidence” that a holy book was flushed in a toilet. Actor Eddie Albert died in Los Angeles at age 99.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor James Arness is 83. Actor Alec McCowen is 81. Sportscaster Brent Musberger is 67. Rock singer-musician Levon Helm (The Band) is 66. Country musician Gates Nichols (Confederate Railroad) is 62. Rock musician Garry Peterson (Guess Who) is 61. Singer Stevie Nicks is 58. Actress Pam Grier is 57. Actor Philip Michael Thomas is 57. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 57. Former astronaut Sally K. Ride is 55. Actress Margaret Colin is 49. Country singer-songwriter Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 47. Actor Doug Hutchison is 46. Actress Genie Francis is 44. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 44. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 42. Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 40. Rock musician Phillip Rhodes is 38. Actor Joseph Fiennes is 36. Rhythm-and-blues singer Joey Kibble (Take 6) is 35. Actor-producer-writer Matt Stone is 35. Contemporary Christian musician Nathan Cochran is 28.
Thought for Today: “Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you.” — Malcolm Cowley, American author and critic (1898-1989).
