Today in History

Today is Wednesday, May 6, the 126th day of 2015. There are 239 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 6, 1965, after a Rolling Stones concert in Clearwater, Florida, was cut short by rowdy fans, Keith Richards composed the opening guitar rift of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which he co-wrote with Mick Jagger. (The song was recorded less than a week later, and the single was released in the United States on June 6.)

On this date:

In 1840, Britain's first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, officially went into circulation five days after its introduction.

In 1889, the Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.

In 1910, Britain's Edwardian era ended with the death of King Edward VII; he was succeeded by George V.

In 1915, Babe Ruth hit his first major-league home run as a player for the Boston Red Sox. Actor-writer-director Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Political writer and historian Theodore H. White was born in Boston.

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration began operating under an executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1937, the hydrogen-filled German airship Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 people on board and a Navy crewman on the ground.

In 1942, during World War II some 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to Japanese forces.

In 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford, England, in 3:59.4.

In 1960, Britain's Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey. (They divorced in 1978.)

In 1981, Yale architecture student Maya Ying Lin was named winner of a competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In 1994, former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging he'd sexually harassed her in 1991. (Jones reached a settlement with Clinton in November 1998.) Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand formally opened the Channel Tunnel between their countries.

In 2002, Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was shot and killed in Hilversum, Netherlands. (Volkert van der Graaf was later convicted of killing Fortuyn and was sentenced to 18 years in prison -- he was released on May 2, 2014.)

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush arrived in Riga, Latvia, as he opened a fast-paced, four-country journey to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. British Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled his Cabinet, changing leadership in defense and health but keeping mostly familiar faces after a third term victory dampened by a reduced majority in Parliament. Audioslave became the first U.S. rock band to play an outdoor concert in Cuba.

Five years ago: A computerized sell order triggered a "flash crash" on Wall Street, sending the Dow Jones industrials to a loss of nearly 1,000 points in less than half an hour. Conservatives captured the largest number of seats in Britain's national election but fell short of a majority. (Conservative leader David Cameron ended up heading a coalition government.) A court in India sentenced to death the only surviving Pakistani gunman in the bloody 2008 Mumbai attacks. (Mohammed Ajmal Kasab was hanged on November 21, 2012.)

One year ago: A federal report said that global warming was rapidly affecting the United States in both visible and invisible ways; shortly after the report came out, President Barack Obama used several television weathermen to call for action to curb carbon pollution before it was too late. The Vatican disclosed that over the past decade, it had defrocked 848 priests who raped or molested children and sanctioned another 2,572 with lesser penalties. Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant won his first NBA MVP award.

Today's Birthdays: Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays is 84. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is 81. Rock singer Bob Seger is 70. Singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore is 70. Gospel singer-comedian Lulu Roman is 69. Actor Alan Dale is 68. Actor Ben Masters is 68. Actor Richard Cox is 67. Actor Gregg Henry is 63. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is 62. TV personality Tom Bergeron is 60. Actress Roma Downey is 55. Rock singer John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants) is 55. Actress Julianne Phillips is 55. Actor-director George Clooney is 54. Actor Clay O'Brien is 54. Rock singer-musician Tony Scalzo (Fastball) is 51. Actress Leslie Hope is 50. Rock musician Mark Bryan (Hootie and the Blowfish) is 48. Rock musician Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) is 44. Actress Stacey Oristano is 36. Actress Adrianne Palicki is 32. Actress Gabourey Sidibe is 32. Actress-comedian Sasheer Zamata is 29. Actress-singer Naomi Scott is 22.

Thought for Today: "Form ever follows function." -- Louis Sullivan, American architect (1856-1924).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.