President Barack Obama (above) announces the death of Usama bin Laden during a U.S. commando operation in Pakistan. (Because of
the time difference, it was May 2 in Pakistan when the Al Qaeda
leader met his demise and was quickly buried at sea.)
On April 30, 1939, the New York World’s Fair opened in New York
City. The opening ceremony, which featured speeches by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt and New York Governor Herbert Lehman,
ushered in the first day of television broadcasting in New York.
Spanning 1,200 acres at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, the
fairground was marked by two imposing structures–the “Perisphere”
and the “Trylon”–and exhibited such new technology as FM radio,
robotics, fluorescent lighting, and a crude fax machine. Norman Bel
Geddes designed a Futurama ride for General Motors, and users
were transported through an idealized city of the future. Sixty-three
nations participated in the fair, which enjoyed large crowds before
the outbreak of World War II interrupted many of its scheduled
events.
President Roosevelt speaking at the opening of the New York
World’s Fair.
At 7:22 a.m., Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States
died from a bullet wound inflicted the night before by John Wilkes
Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer. The president’s death came only six days after the surrender of Confederate General Robert
E. Lee and his massive army, effectively ending the American Civil
War.
John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865)
SANDY KOZEL
Loretta Lynn, a country music singer-songwriter is 88 years
young today. She received multiple gold albums in a career
spanning 60 years.
SANDY KOZEL
On this day in 1970, an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13,
preventing a planned moon landing.
