26th May: Today In History

Today is Friday, May 26th, the 146th day of 2017. There are 219 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

Events:

1917:  A tornado in central Illinois killed 101 people, mostly in the Mattoon-Charleston area.

1521: Martin Luther was banned by the Edict of Worms (vohrms) because of his religious beliefs and writings.

1868:  The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson ended with his acquittal on the remaining charges.

1897:  The Gothic horror novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker was first published in London.

1938:  The House Un-American Activities Committee was established by Congress.

1940:  Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of some 338,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, began during World War II.

1942:  The Tule (TOO’-lee) Lake Segregation Center for Japanese-American wartime internees opened in northern California. The U.S. War Department formally established the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). Radio Tokyo boasted of recent victories in the Pacific War and declared that “the Japanese people can look forward to a triumphal march into London and a victory march in New York.”

1954:  Explosions rocked the aircraft carrier USS Bennington off Rhode Island, killing 103 sailors. (The initial blast was blamed on leaking catapult fluid ignited by the flames of a jet.)

1960:   U.N. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge accused the Soviets during a meeting of the Security Council of hiding a microphone inside a wood carving of the Great Seal of the United States that had been presented to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

1972:  President Richard M. Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow. (The U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2002.)

1977:  George Willig scaled the outside of the South Tower of New York’s World Trade Center; he was arrested at the top of the 110-story building.

1981:  14 people were killed when a Marine jet crashed onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off Florida.

1991:  A Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashed in Thailand, killing all 223 people aboard.

Birthdays:

Sportscaster Brent Musberger is 78.

Rock musician Garry Peterson (Guess Who) is 72.

Singer Stevie Nicks is 69.

Actress Pam Grier is 68.

Actor Philip Michael Thomas is 68.

Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 68.

British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is 68.

Actress Margaret Colin is 59.

Quotes Of The Day:

"At the end of the day, all we really have is ourselves. And nothing in this world can make you feel more alone than that."

"Work hard, stay positive, and get up early. It's the best part of the day."