UPI Almanac for Sunday, May 10, 2015

Today is Sunday, May 10, the 130th day of 2015 with 235 to follow.

This is Mother's Day in the United States and many other countries.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Taurus. They include British statesman/scholar James Bryce in 1838; Swiss theologian Karl Barth in 1886; Max Steiner, who composed musical scores for movies, including "Gone With The Wind" and "Casablanca," in 1888; actor/dancer Fred Astaire in 1899; movie producer David O. Selznick in 1902; musician Maybelle Carter in 1909; pediatrician/author T. Berry Brazelton in 1918 (age 97); actor Nancy Walker in 1922; football player/broadcaster Pat Summerall in 1930; British writer Barbara Taylor Bradford in 1933; actor Gary Owens in 1936; musician Dave Mason in 1946 (age 69); John Lennon assassin Mark David Chapman in 1955 (age 60); musician Sid Vicious in 1957; U2 lead singer Bono, born Paul David Hewson, in 1960 (age 55); former astronaut Lisa Nowak in 1963 (age 52); model Linda Evangelista in 1965 (age 50); race car driver Helio Castroneves in 1975 (age 40); actor Kenan Thompson in 1978 (age 37).

On this date in history:

In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured by Union troops. (He spent the next two years in prison.)

In 1869, the "golden spike" was driven at Promontory, Utah, joining the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific lines to form America's first transcontinental railway.

In 1908, Mother's Day was observed for the first time in the United States.

In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the FBI. (He held the position until his death in 1972.)

In 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, swinging 89 army divisions around France's so-called impregnable Maginot Line. Also on this day in 1940, Winston Churchill became prime minister of Great Britain.

In 1954, "Rock Around the Clock" was released by Bill Haley and His Comets. It was the first rock 'n' roll record to reach the top on the Billboard charts.

In 1984, a federal judge in Utah found the U.S. government negligent in above-ground Nevada nuclear tests from 1951 to 1962 that exposed downwind residents to radiation.

In 1994, John Wayne Gacy, the convicted killer of 33 young men and boys, was executed in Illinois.

In 2002, former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who had spied for the Soviet Union and Russia for more than 20 years, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

In 2003, officials said a record outburst of tornadoes in the Midwest and South over several days had killed 48 people and injured hundreds.

In 2007, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced he would step down in June after 10 years in office.

In 2010, Benigno Aquino III, son of a former president, was elected president of the Philippines.

In 2013, the Internal Revenue Service apologized for giving special scrutiny to applications for tax-exempt status that used the words "Tea Party" or "patriots."

In 2014, Michael Sam, former Missouri defensive end, was drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams -- the first openly gay player to be selected by an NFL team.

A thought for the day: "You may have tangible wealth untold/Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold/Richer than I you can never be/I had a mother who read to me." -- Strickland Gillilan