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UPI Almanac for Saturday, May 30, 2015

The first Indy 500, dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, ... on this date in history.

By United Press International
Juan Pablo Montoya takes the checkered flag with Will Powers a close second in the Indianapolis 500 May 24, 2015, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was Montoya's second victory in the race, which was first run on May 30, 1911. Photo by Mark Grosser/UPI
1 of 8 | Juan Pablo Montoya takes the checkered flag with Will Powers a close second in the Indianapolis 500 May 24, 2015, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was Montoya's second victory in the race, which was first run on May 30, 1911. Photo by Mark Grosser/UPI | License Photo

Today is Saturday, May 30, the 150th day of 2015 with 215 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Neptune and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter Mars, Mercury, Saturn amd Venus.

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include film director Howard Hawks in 1896; movie executive Irving Thalberg in 1899; Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and many other cartoon characters, in 1908; bandleader/clarinet virtuoso Benny Goodman in 1909; restaurant executive Bob Evans in 1918; Christine Jorgensen, who became widely known after a 1952 sex-change operation, in 1926; actor Clint Walker in 1927 (age 88); actor Keir Dullea in 1936 (age 79); actor Michael J. Pollard in 1939 (age 76); NFL Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers in 1943 (age 72); actor Colm Meaney in 1953 (age 62); actor Ted McGinley in 1958 (age 57); publisher Kevin Eastman, one of the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in 1962 (age 53); country singer Wynonna Judd in 1964 (age 51); musician Tom Morello in 1964 (age 51); musician Cee-Lo Green in 1974 (age 41); model/actor Jennifer Ellison in 1983 (age 32).

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On this date in history:

In 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, at age 19. She had been convicted of sorcery.

In 1783, the "Pennsylvania Evening Post" became the first daily newspaper published in the United States.

In 1806, future U.S. President Andrew Jackson took part in a duel, killing Charles Dickinson, a Kentucky lawyer who had called Jackson's wife a bigamist.

In 1868, the first major Memorial Day observance was held to honor those killed during the Civil War. It was originally known to some as "Decoration Day."

In 1911, Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 with an average speed of 74.6 mph.

In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington.

In 1943, the Aleutian Islands of Kiska and Attu off the Alaskan coast were retaken by U.S. forces after being occupied by Japanese troops.

In 1972, the unmanned U.S. space probe Mariner 9 was launched on a mission to gather scientific data on Mars. (It was the first spacecraft to orbit a planet other than Earth.)

In 1972, three Japanese terrorists used automatic weapons to kill 24 people at the airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In 1998, Pakistan conducted an underground nuclear test despite condemnation from many countries and the imposition of U.S. economic sanctions.

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In 2002, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the FBI would have expanded powers to monitor religious, political and other organizations as well as the Internet as a guard against terrorist attacks.

In 2007, in a Gallup poll of U.S. adults, one-third of respondents said they believed the Bible was literally true.

In 2009, analysts said 2009 U.S. college graduates faced dim employment prospects in a job market described as being in a state of "quiet desperation."

In 2012, former Liberian President Charles Taylor, convicted of aiding war crimes, was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

In 2014, U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, 28, captured in Afthanistan nearly five years earlier, was released by the Taliban in exchange for five detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. (In March 2015, the Army announced that Bergdahl had been charged with desertion.)


A thought for the day: "Ninety percent of the politicians give the other 10 percent a bad reputation." -- Henry Kissinger

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