Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., walking on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Champlain on May 5, 1961, after the return of his Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 (in background) from the first manned suborbital al flight.
President John F. Kennedy (right) congratulates astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., (left) the first American in space, on his historic May 5th, 1961 ride in the Freedom 7 spacecraft and presents him with the NASA Distinguished Service Award.
Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998)
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21 1527)
Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer of the Renaissance period. He has often been called the father of modern political science.
On this day in 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities were legally unenforceable.
In his debut at Yankee Stadium against the St. Louis Browns on this day in 1936, the “$75,000 rookie”, Joe DiMaggio recorded a triple and two singles in six plate appearances, showcasing that consistently sweet swing that fans would come to know and love.
He was the only Yankees player to get a hit off of Browns’ relief pitcher Russ Van Atta that day, as New York defeated St. Louis, 14-5.
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006)
Singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader, James Brown is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul". In a career that lasted 50years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia.