Today is Thursday, May 14, the 135th day of 2020. There are 231 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 14, 1940, the Netherlands surrendered to invading German forces during World War II.
On this date:
In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter.
In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Pacific Northwest left camp near present-day Hartford, Illinois.
In 1863, Union forces defeated the Confederates in the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi.
In 1961, Freedom Riders were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama.
In 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a news conference in New York to announce the creation of the Beatles’ latest business venture, Apple Corps.
In 1998, singer-actor Frank Sinatra died at a Los Angeles hospital at age 82. The hit sitcom “Seinfeld” aired its final episode after nine years on NBC.
One year ago: Former Rep. Anthony Weiner left a New York City halfway house after completing his prison sentence for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl. Comedy actor Tim Conway, winner of four Emmy Awards on “The Carol Burnett Show” after earlier starring aboard “McHale’s Navy,” died in Los Angeles; he was 85. The New Orleans Pelicans bucked long odds to win the NBA draft lottery, giving the team the right to draft former Duke star Zion Williamson.
Today’s Birthdays: Photo-realist artist Richard Estes is 88. Actress Dame Sian Phillips is 87. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tony Perez is 78. Former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., is 78. Movie producer George Lucas is 76. Guitarist Gene Cornish is 76. Actress Meg Foster is 72. Movie director Robert Zemeckis is 69. Rock singer David Byrne is 68. Actor Tim Roth is 59. Rock singer Ian Astbury (The Cult) is 58. Rock musician C.C. (aka Cecil) DeVille is 58. NFL player Rob Gronkowski is 31.
Thought for Today: “Silence cannot hide anything — which is more than you can say for words.” — From the play “The Ghost Sonata” by Swedish author-playwright August Strindberg (born 1849, died this date in 1912).
