Saturday History
By Andrews McMeel syndicate
Today is the 128th day of 2021 and the 50th day of spring.
TODAY’S HISTORY:
— In 1877, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was held in New York City.
— In 1902, Mount Pelee erupted on the island of Martinique, destroying the city of Saint-Pierre and killing an estimated 30,000 people.
— In 1945, Victory in Europe Day (or V-E Day) was celebrated as the Allies accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender, ending World War II in Europe.
— In 1973, a 10-week standoff in Wounded Knee, S.D., between federal authorities and American Indian Movement activists ended.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), 33rd U.S. president; David Attenborough (1926-), TV personality/environmentalist; Don Rickles (1926-2017), comedian/actor; Thomas Pynchon (1937-), author; Ricky Nelson (1940-1985), singer-songwriter; Toni Tennille (1940-), singer-songwriter; Mike D’Antoni (1951-), basketball coach; Bill Cowher (1957-), football coach/analyst; Lovie Smith (1958-), football coach; Enrique Iglesias (1975-), singer-songwriter; Stephen Amell (1981-), actor; Adrian Gonzalez (1982-), baseball player.
TODAY’S FACT: Pharmacist John Pemberton sold the first Coca-Cola soft drink on this day in 1886.
TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1978, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first climbers to ascend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.
TODAY’S QUOTE: “Not all readers become leaders. But all leaders must be readers.” — Harry Truman
TODAY’S NUMBER: 418,500 — total U.S. military and civilian deaths in World War II, according to the National WWII Museum.
TODAY’S MOON: Between last quarter moon (May 3) and new moon (May 11).
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