Today in History: May 22 1246 Henry Raspe is elected anti-king by the Rhenish prelates in France. 1455 King Henry VI is taken prisoner by the Yorkists at the Battle of St. Albans, during the War of the Roses. 1804 The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri. 1856 U.S. Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beats Senator Charles Sumner with a cane for Sumners earlier condemnation of slavery, which included an insult to Brooks cousin, Senator Andrew Butler. 1863 Union General Ulysses S. Grants second attack on Vicksburg fails and a siege begins. 1868 The Great Train Robbery takes place as seven members of the Reno Gang make off with $98,000 in cash from a trains safe in Indiana. 1872 The Amnesty Act restores civil rights to Southerners. 1882 The United States formally recognizes Korea. 1908 The Wright brothers register their flying machine for a U.S. patent. 1939 Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini sign a Pact of Steel forming the Axis powers. 1947 The Truman Doctrine brings aid to Turkey and Greece. 1967 The childrens program Mister Rogers Neighborhood premiers. 1972 Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri Lanka as its constitution is ratified. 1985 Baseball player Pete Rose passes Hank Aaron as National League run scoring leader with 2,108. 1987 An Iraqi missile hits the American frigate USS Stark in the Persian Gulf. 1990 In the Middle East, North and South Yemen merge to become a single state. Born on May 22 1813 Richard Wagner, German composer. 1828 Albrecht von Grafe, German eye surgeon, founder of modern opthamology. 1844 Mary Cassatt, impressionist painter. 1859 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author, creator of the Sherlock Holmes series. 1907 Laurence Olivier, actor. 1920 Thomas Gold, astronomer. 1927 Peter Mathiessen, writer.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 08:36:50 +0000
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