Today in History

Today is Tuesday, May 19, the 139th day of 2015. There are 226 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 19, 1935, T.E. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia," died in Dorset, England, six days after being injured in a motorcycle crash.

On this date:

In A.D. 715, Pope Gregory II assumed the papacy.

In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded after being convicted of adultery.

In 1780, a mysterious darkness enveloped much of New England and part of Canada in the early afternoon.

In 1913, California Gov. Hiram Johnson signed the Webb-Hartley Law prohibiting "aliens ineligible to citizenship" from owning farm land, a measure targeting Asian immigrants, particularly Japanese.

In 1924, the Marx Brothers made their Broadway debut in the revue "I'll Say She Is."

In 1943, in his second wartime address to the U.S. Congress, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill pledged his country's full support in the fight against Japan.

In 1958, British actor Ronald Colman died in Santa Barbara, California, at age 67.

In 1962, actress Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday to You" to President John F. Kennedy during a Democratic fundraiser at New York's Madison Square Garden.

In 1973, Secretariat won the Preakness Stakes, the second of his Triple Crown victories.

In 1981, five British soldiers were killed by an Irish Republican Army landmine in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

In 1992, in a case that drew much notoriety, Mary Jo Buttafuoco of Massapequa, New York, was shot and seriously wounded by her husband Joey's teenage lover, Amy Fisher. Vice President Dan Quayle sparked controversy by criticizing the CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown" for having its title character, played by Candice Bergen, decide to have a child out of wedlock.

In 1994, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in New York at age 64.

Ten years ago: Republicans and Democrats tangled over President George W. Bush's judicial nominees and the Senate's filibuster rules, with Democrats accusing Bush of trying to "rewrite the Constitution" and Republicans accusing Democrats of "unprecedented obstruction."

Five years ago: President Barack Obama condemned Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigration and pushed instead for a federal fix he said the nation could embrace, showing solidarity with his guest of honor, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who called Arizona's law discriminatory. Rioters in Bangkok torched the stock exchange and other landmark buildings after a deadly army assault on an anti-government encampment ended a two-month siege.

One year ago: The U.S. charged five Chinese military officials with hacking into U.S. companies' computers to steal vital trade secrets, intensifying already rising tensions. A federal judge threw out Oregon's same-sex marriage ban that had been approved by voters. April Jace, the wife of actor Michael Jace, was shot to death in their Los Angeles home; Michael Jace has pleaded not guilty to murdering her. Lucy Li, at age 11, became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California.

Today's Birthdays: PBS newscaster Jim Lehrer is 81. TV personality David Hartman is 80. Actor James Fox is 76. Actress Nancy Kwan is 76. Actor Peter Mayhew is 71. Rock singer-composer Pete Townshend (The Who) is 70. Concert pianist David Helfgott is 68. Rock singer-musician Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) is 66. Singer-actress Grace Jones is 63. Rock musician Phil Rudd (AC-DC) is 61. Actor Steven Ford is 59. Actress Toni Lewis is 55. Rock musician Iain Harvie (Del Amitri) is 53. Actress Polly Walker is 49. Actor Jason Gray-Stanford is 45. Gospel singer Israel Houghton is 44. Rock singer Jenny Berggren (Ace of Base) is 43. TV personality Kim Zolciak (TV: "Real Housewives of Atlanta") is 37. Country/rock singer Shooter Jennings is 36. Actor Drew Fuller is 35. Christian rock musician Tim McTague is 32. Rock musician James Richardson (MGMT) is 32. Actor Eric Lloyd is 29. Actor Nolan Lyons (TV: "Boardwalk Empire") is 14.

Thought for Today: "The most exciting happiness is the happiness generated by forces beyond your control." -- Ogden Nash, American poet (born in 1902, died this date in 1971).

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