Today in History

Today is Friday, May 10, the 130th day of 2013. There are 235 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 10, 1863, during the Civil War, Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died of pneumonia, a complication resulting from being hit by friendly fire eight days earlier during the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia.

On this date:

In 1774, Louis XVI acceded to the throne of France.

In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.

In 1865, Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga.

In 1869, a golden spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

In 1913, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling upon all federal officials, from the president on down, to wear a white carnation the following day in observance of Mother's Day.

In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was given the job of FBI director.

In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.

In 1941, Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission. (Hess ended up serving a life sentence at Spandau prison until 1987, when he apparently committed suicide.)

In 1963, the Rolling Stones recorded their first single for Decca Records in London, covering Chuck Berry's "Come On" (which ended up being redone) and "I Want to Be Loved" by Willie Dixon.

In 1973, the New York Knicks won the NBA Finals, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5, 102-93.

In 1984, the International Court of Justice said the United States should halt any actions to blockade Nicaragua's ports (the U.S. had already said it would not recognize World Court jurisdiction on this issue).

In 1993, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee visited the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia for a hearing on the issue of homosexuals in the military; most of the sailors who spoke said they favored keeping the ban on gays. At least 188 workers were killed in a doll factory fire in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ten years ago: The leader of Iraq's largest Shiite Muslim group, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Haki, returned triumphantly to his U.S.-occupied homeland after two decades in Iranian exile. The New York Times announced on its website that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had "committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud."

Five years ago: Barack Obama erased Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead among Democratic superdelegates as he added endorsements from Utah, Ohio and the Virgin Islands. A tornado in Picher, Okla., killed at least seven people. Jenna Bush married Henry Hager, the son of a Virginia Republican party official, at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas.

One year ago: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney apologized for "stupid" high school pranks that might have gone too far and moved quickly to stamp out any notion that he'd bullied schoolmates because they were gay. JPMorgan Chase said it had lost $2 billion in six weeks in a trading portfolio designed to hedge against risks the company took with its own money. In Syria, twin suicide car bombs exploded outside a military intelligence building, killing 55 people. Carroll Shelby, 89, the legendary car designer, died in Dallas.

Today's Birthdays: Author Bel Kaufman ("Up the Down Staircase") is 102. Author Barbara Taylor Bradford is 80. Rhythm-and-blues singer Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) is 75. TV-radio personality Gary Owens is 74. Actor David Clennon is 70. Writer-producer-director Jim Abrahams is 69. Singer Donovan is 67. Singer Dave Mason is 67. Actor Bruce Penhall is 56. Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., is 55. Actress Victoria Rowell is 54. Rock singer Bono (U2) is 53. Rock musician Danny Carey (Tool) is 52. Actor Darryl M. Bell is 50. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is 50. Model Linda Evangelista is 48. Rapper Young MC is 46. Actor Erik Palladino is 45. Rock singer Richard Patrick (Filter) is 45. Actor Lenny Venito is 44. Actor-singer Todd Lowe is 41. Country musician David Wallace (Cole Deggs and the Lonesome) is 41. Actress Andrea Anders is 38. Race car driver Helio Castroneves is 38. Rock musician Jesse Vest is 36. Actor Kenan Thompson is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jason Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 33. Rock musician Joey Zehr (The Click Five) is 30. Singer Ashley Poole (Dream) is 28. Actress Odette Annable is 28. Actress Lauren Potter is 23. Olympic gold medal swimmer Missy Franklin is 18.

Thought for Today: "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." -- William James, American psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.