Calvin Coolidge (1872 – 1933)

On May 26, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge (above) signed
into law the Immigration Act of 1924, the most stringent U.S.   
immigration policy up to that time in the nation’s history.

The new law—also known as the Johnson-Reed Immigration
Act, reflected the desire of Americans to isolate themselves 
from the world after fighting World War I in Europe, which
exacerbated growing fears of the spread of communist ideas. 

It also reflected the pervasiveness of racial discrimination in
American society at the time. Many Americans saw the huge 
influx of largely unskilled, uneducated immigrants during the 
early 1900s as causing unfair competition for jobs and land. 

In late 1993, Michael Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie Presley,
the daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone. They married
in La Vega, Dominican Republic, in May 1994 by civil judge
Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez. The tabloid media speculated
that the wedding was a publicity stunt to deflect away from
Jackson’s sexual abuse allegations and jump-start Presley’s
career as a singer.

On May 26, 1994, 20 days after her divorce from Keough,
Presley married singer Michael Jackson.

FOX NEWS

The 1911 international 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race took place at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1911. This event
marked the first running of the Indianapolis 500, one of the most
prestigious automobile races in the world.

Ray Harroun, an engineer with the Marmon Motor Car Company,
came out of retirement to drive, and won the inaugural event
before re-retiring for good in the winner’s circle.

Ray Wade Harroun (1879 – 1968)

John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison)
(May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979)

John Wayne became a popular icon through his starring roles
in films which were produced during Hollywood’s Golden Age,
especially in Western and war movies. His career flourished
from the silent era of the 1920s through the American New
Wave, as he appeared in a total of 179 film and television
productions.

In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of
the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.           

Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, but grew up in Southern
California.

The house in Winterset, Iowa, where Wayne was born.

1939

1976

The film stars John Wayne in his last film
appearance before his death from stomach
cancer. He was 72.