1568 Mary Queen of Scots is defeated by English at battle of Langside
1607 English colonists (John Smith) land near James River in Virginia . Hence the name Jamestown. There is a movie on John Smith and Pocahontas titled, The New World where Smith was played by Colin Farrell.
1637 Cardinal Richelieu of France created the table knife. He rounded the edges, supposedly so no one could stab him. In this case the ends had no point. For the man who believed "the ends justified the means."
1787 the first convict ship left England for the penal colony of Botany Bay in Australia .
1839 Israel Ashkenazi of Shklov founder of the Ashkenaziccommunity (1815), dies
1849 The Astor Street riot took place in NYC (actually May 10th) Opera can be dangerous when it comes to Race and Class.
1913 the First 4 engine aircraft was built & flown (Igor Sikorsky-Russia) The Bolshoi Baltiski.
1916 Sholem Aleichem Yiddish writer (Fiddler on the Roof), dies
1918 the first US Airmail stamp was issued at 24 cents.
1950 Diners Club issues first credit card. By 1969 the card was accepted for use in the Soviet Union .
1958 French settlers fight against the French Army in Algiers . Here’s an article titled The Battle of Algiers and its Lessons
1961 Gary Cooper two time Academy award winning actor (High Noon), dies at 60 Can you name his last film? It was by the Director of Psycho.
1965 Rolling Stones record "Satisfaction"
1966 Rolling Stones release "Paint it Black
1981 Pope John Paul II , the first Polish Pope, was shot in St. Peter’s Square by Mehmet Ali Agca a member of a right wing Turkish terrorist group called the Gray Wolves. For a more general history of John Paul’s Papacy a Frontline documentary from 1999 is a good starting point.
1985 the Philadelphia Police bomb a house held by The MOVE organization, killing 11 and destroying an entire block leaving 250 residents homeless.
1991 Apple releases Macintosh system 7.0 In 1993 Apple ships the Newton Message Pad-It’s first Personal Digital Assistant.
1992 Final episode of "Night Court" airs on NBC-TV. Goodbye Judge Harry Stone.
1995 Alison Hargreaves reaches the peak of Mount Everest without without oxygen or sherpas) - the first woman and second person to do so
Notable Birthdays
1847 Linda Gilbert (prison reformer) Prisoners Aid fund
1850 Ellen Spencer Mussey (lawyer, educator, reformer)
1939 Harvey Keitel Brooklyn NY , actor (Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs)
1941 Ritchie Valens singer (Donna, La Bamba)
1943 Mary Wells Detroit MI , singer (My Guy)
1950 Stevie Wonder [Steveland Morris] Saginaw MI , singer/songwriter (I Just Called To Say I Love You, Superstition, You are The Sunshine of My Life, My Cherie Amour)
