Mark Twain was lauded as the "greatest humorist this country has produced", and William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature".
Elizabeth II(Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) is 92 today.
The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year, her actual birthday on April 21 and her official birthday usually on the second Saturday in June. This year that official birthday will fall on Saturday, June 9.
The musical "Annie" opened on Broadway on this day in 1977.
Opening night Curtain Call.
On this day in 1918, German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron," was shot down and killed during World War I.
Some of the remains of Richthofen’s plane are inspected by British officers and soldiers.
Auschwitz concentration camp, the largest mass murder site in human history.
It was on this day in 1999.
The "El Dorado" arriving with Cuban refugees during the Mariel Boatlift which began on this day in 1980.
Ted Williams made his baseball debut on this day in 1939.
Williams played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball career as a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960, only interrupted by time in the service during World War ll and the Korean War. Nicknamed "The Kid", "The Splendid Splinter", "Teddy Ballgame", "The Thumper",and "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived", Williams is regarded as one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Theodore (Ted) Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002)
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.(April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005)
Sonny Bono being sworn in as the Mayor of Palm Springs, CA.
Sonny Bono served four years as Mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992. He was instrumental in spearheading the creation of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which is held each year in Bono’s memory. Sonny Bono was also elected congressman for California’s 44th district from 1995 until his death in 1998.
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, was destroyed by a bomb on this day in 1995. It was the worst bombing on U.S. territory. 168 people were killed including 19 children, and 500 were injured. Timothy McVeigh (below) was found guilty of the bombing on June 2, 1997.
The American Revolution began on this day in 1775 as fighting broke out at Lexington, MA.
The Branch-Davidian’s compound in Waco, TX, burned to the ground on this day in 1993. It was the end of a 51-day standoff between the cult and U.S. federal agents. A total of 86 people were killed including 17 children. Nine of the Branch Davidians escaped the fire.
Cult leader David Koresh.
Actress Grace Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco on this day in 1956.
The musical debuted on Broadway on this day in 2001.
Ernest Taylor Pyle(August 3, 1900 – April 18, 1945)
Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on the island of Ie Shima off the coast of Okinawa. Extremely popular, especially with the average GI, whose life and death he reported on (American infantrymen braved enemy fire to recover Pyle’s body), Pyle had been at the London Blitz of 1941 and saw action in North Africa, Italy, France, and the Pacific.
A monument exists to him to this day on Ie Shima, describing him simply as “a buddy.” Burgess Meredith portrayed him in the 1945 film The Story of GI Joe.
Indiana University celebrated The Media School with a formal inauguration of the new school and dedication of the above sculpture of World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle in 2014.