Today in History

Today is Thursday, May 24, the 144th day of 2018. There are 221 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 24, 1968, the Rolling Stones single "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in the United Kingdom by Decca Records.

On this date:

In 1775, John Hancock was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, succeeding Peyton Randolph.

In 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message "What hath God wrought" from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America's first telegraph line.

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan, was dedicated by President Chester Alan Arthur and New York Gov. Grover Cleveland.

In 1918, Bela Bartok's one-act opera "Bluebeard's Castle" had its premiere in Budapest.

In 1937, in a set of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Social Security Act of 1935.

In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British battle cruiser HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, killing all but three of the 1,418 men on board.

In 1958, United Press International was formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.

In 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard Aurora 7.

In 1976, Britain and France opened trans-Atlantic Concorde supersonic transport service to Washington.

In 1980, Iran rejected a call by the World Court in The Hague to release the American hostages.

In 1994, four Islamic fundamentalists convicted of bombing New York's World Trade Center in 1993 were each sentenced to 240 years in prison.

In 2001, 23 people were killed when the floor of a Jerusalem wedding hall collapsed beneath dancing guests, sending them plunging several stories into the basement.

Ten years ago: British actor Rob Knox, 18, who had completed filming a minor role in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," was stabbed to death during a brawl in London. (His attacker was later sentenced to life in prison.) Comedy performer and director Dick Martin of TV's "Laugh-In" fame died in Santa Monica, California, at age 86.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama addressed the sexual assault epidemic staining the military, telling U.S. Naval Academy graduates to remember their honor depended on what they did when nobody was looking and said the crime had "no place in the greatest military on earth." British fighter jets intercepted a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 carrying more than 300 people from Pakistan and diverted it to an isolated runway at London-Stansted Airport, where two British passengers who had allegedly threatened to destroy the plane were arrested. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denied that he smoked crack cocaine and said he was not an addict after a video purported to show him using the drug.

One year ago: Setting past differences and rude comments aside, President Donald Trump and Pope Francis put a determinedly positive face on their first meeting at the Vatican. Ariana Grande suspended her Dangerous Woman world tour and canceled several European shows due to the deadly bombing at her concert in Manchester, England, two days earlier.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-comedian-impressionist Stanley Baxter is 92. Jazz musician Archie Shepp is 81. Comedian Tommy Chong is 80. Singer Bob Dylan is 77. Actor Gary Burghoff is 75. Singer Patti LaBelle is 74. Actress Priscilla Presley is 73. Country singer Mike Reid is 71. Actor Jim Broadbent is 69. Actor Alfred Molina is 65. Singer Rosanne Cash is 63. Actor Cliff Parisi is 58. Actress Kristin Scott Thomas is 58. Rock musician Jimmy Ashhurst (Buckcherry) is 55. Rock musician Vivian Trimble is 55. Actor John C. Reilly is 53. Actor Dana Ashbrook is 51. Actor Eric Close is 51. Actor Carl Payne is 49. Rock musician Rich Robinson is 49. Actor Dash Mihok is 44. Actor Bryan Greenburg is 40. Actor Owen Benjamin is 38. Actor Billy L. Sullivan is 38. Actor-rapper Jerod Mixon (aka Big Tyme) is 37. Rock musician Cody Hanson (Hinder) is 36. Dancer-choreographer-singer Mark Ballas is 32. Country singer Billy Gilman is 30. Rapper/producer G-Eazy is 29. Actress Brianne Howey is 29. Actor Cayden Boyd is 24.

Thought for Today: "The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position." -- Leo Buscaglia, American motivational speaker (1924-1998).