Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, May 30, the 150th day of 2017. There are 215 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 30, 1922, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. was dedicated in a ceremony attended by President Warren G. Harding, Chief Justice William Howard Taft and Robert Todd Lincoln.

On this date:

In 1431, Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France.

In 1536, England's King Henry VIII married his third wife, Jane Seymour, 11 days after the king's second wife, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded for treason and adultery.

In 1883, 12 people were trampled to death in a stampede sparked by a rumor that the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge was in danger of collapsing.

In 1911, the first Indy 500 took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; the winner was Ray Harroun, who drove a Marmon Wasp for more than 6 1/2 hours at an average speed of 74.6 mph and collected a prize of $10,000.

In 1937, ten people were killed when police fired on steelworkers demonstrating near the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago.

In 1943, during World War II, American troops secured the Aleutian island of Attu from Japanese forces.

In 1958, unidentified American service members killed in World War II and the Korean War were interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1966, NASA launched Surveyor 1, a probe that made a soft landing on the moon three days later. The Beatles single "Paperback Writer" was released in the United States by Capitol Records.

In 1971, the American space probe Mariner 9 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a journey to Mars.

In 1982, Spain became NATO's 16th member.

In 1997, Jesse K. Timmendequas was convicted in Trenton, New Jersey, of raping and strangling a seven-year-old neighbor, Megan Kanka, whose 1994 murder inspired "Megan's Law," requiring that communities be notified when sex offenders move in. (Timmendequas received a sentence of death that was later commuted to life in prison after New Jersey abolished capital punishment.)

In 2002, a solemn, wordless ceremony marked the end of the agonizing cleanup at ground zero in New York, 81/2 months after 9/11.

Ten years ago: The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting down a Chinook helicopter over southern Afghanistan, killing five U.S. soldiers, a Canadian and a Briton. Abdul Rahman Maadha al-Amry, a Saudi being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison since 2002, was found dead, an apparent suicide.

Five years ago: A gunman in Seattle fatally shot four people inside a cafe and a fifth victim in a carjacking before killing himself. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum marked the 10th anniversary of the end of cleanup operations at the site with a tribute to recovery workers and first responders. Kicking off her first trip abroad in nearly a quarter-century, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi offered encouragement to impoverished migrants in neighboring Thailand.

One year ago: President Barack Obama challenged Americans on Memorial Day to fill the silence from those who died serving their country with love and support for families of the fallen, "not just with words but with our actions."

Today's Birthdays: Actor Clint Walker is 90. Actress Ruta Lee is 82. Actor Keir Dullea is 81. Actor Michael J. Pollard is 78. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers is 74. Rock musician Lenny Davidson (The Dave Clark Five) is 73. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky is 66. Actor Colm Meaney is 64. Actor Ted McGinley is 59. Actor Ralph Carter is 56. Actress Tonya Pinkins is 55. Country singer Wynonna Judd is 53. Rock musician Tom Morello (Audioslave; Rage Against The Machine) is 53. Actor Mark Sheppard is 53. Movie director Antoine Fuqua is 52. Actor John Ross Bowie is 46. Rock musician Patrick Dahlheimer (Live) is 46. Actress Idina Menzel is 46. Actor Trey Parker is 45. Rapper Cee Lo Green is 42. Rapper Remy Ma is 37. Actor Blake Bashoff is 36. Christian rock musician James Smith (Underoath) is 35. Actor Jake Short is 20. Actor Sean Giambrone is 18. Actor Jared Gilmore is 17.

Thought for Today: "There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do." -- Jerome K. Jerome, English author and humorist (1859-1927).