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History
On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France.
On this date:
In 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto landed in Florida.
In 1854, the territories of Nebraska and Kansas were established.
In 1883, 12 people were trampled to death when a rumor that the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge was in imminent danger of collapsing triggered a stampede.
In 1911, Indianapolis saw its first long-distance auto race; Ray Harroun was the winner.
In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington D.C., by Chief Justice William Howard Taft.
In 1943, American forces secured the Aleutian island of Attu from the Japanese during World War II.
In 1958, unidentified soldiers killed in World War II and the Korean conflict were buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1971, the American space probe Mariner Nine blasted off from Cape Kennedy, Fla., on a journey to Mars.
In 1982, Spain became NATO’s 16th member.
In 1996, Britain’s Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were granted an uncontested decree ending their ten-year marriage.
Ten years ago:
President Bush ordered the seizure of Yugoslav government assets in the United States after the United Nations imposed sanctions in an effort to force Yugoslavia to observe a cease-fire in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Five years ago: Child molester Jesse K. Timmendequas was convicted in Trenton, N.J., of raping and strangling a 7-year-old neighbor, Megan Kanka, whose 1994 murder inspired “Megan’s Law,” requiring that communities be notified when sex offenders move in. (Timmendequas was later sentenced to death.)
One year ago:
Standing among trees in Sequoia National Park in California, President Bush pledged to protect “these works of God” and other natural treasures from mankind. Former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas was convicted of corruption and sentenced to six months in prison. Moses Malone and college coaches Mike Krzyzewski and John Chaney entered the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Today’s Birthdays:
Country musician Johnny Gimble is 76. Actor Clint Walker is 75. Actress Ruta Lee is 66. Actor Michael J. Pollard is 63. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky is 51. Actor Colm Meaney is 49. Actor Ted McGinley is 44. Actor Ralph Carter is 41. Country singer Wynonna is 38. Rock musician Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) is 38. Rock musician Patrick Dahlheimer (Live) is 31. Actor Trey Parker (“Newsies”) is 30. Rapper Cee-Lo (Goodie Mob) is 28. Actor Blake Bashoff is 21.
