8th May: Today In History

Today is Monday, May 8th, the 128th day of 2017. There are 237 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

Events:

1945:  President Harry S. Truman announced on radio that Nazi Germany’s forces had surrendered, and that “the flags of freedom fly all over Europe.”

1541:  Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.

1794, Antoine Lavoisier (lah-vwahz-YAY’), the father of modern chemistry, was executed on the guillotine during France’s Reign of Terror.

1846:  The first major battle of the Mexican-American War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas; U.S. forces led by Gen. Zachary Taylor were able to beat back Mexican forces.

1884:  The 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, was born in Lamar, Missouri.

1915:  Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby.

1921:  Sweden’s Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty.

1958:  Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.

1962:  The musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” opened on Broadway.

1973:  Militant American Indians who’d held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for ten weeks surrendered.

1984:  The Soviet Union announced it would boycott the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

1987:  Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, including his relationship with Miami model Donna Rice, withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

1996:  South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for blacks and whites.

Birthdays:

Naturalist Sir David Attenborough is 91.

Singer Toni Tennille is 77.

Actor James Mitchum is 76.

Country singer Jack Blanchard is 75.

Jazz musician Keith Jarrett is 72.

Actor Mark Blankfield is 69.

Singer Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind and Fire) is 66.

Rock musician Chris Frantz (Talking Heads) is 66.

Rockabilly singer Billy Burnette is 64.

Quotes Of The Day: 

"A breakthrough is a moment in time when the impossible become possible.''

There is strength and power in committing to your future. Work like someone who's energy never gets used up.