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UPI Almanac for Monday, May 29, 2017

On May 29, 1914, the Canadian Pacific Transatlantic liner Empress of Ireland sank in the early-morning hours following a collision with the liner Storstadt, a much smaller vessel, in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence. More than 1,000 people died in what is the largest maritime accident in Canadian peacetime history.

By United Press International
Sailors are pictured removing coffins from the Lady Gray at port in Quebec following the sinking of the RMS Empress of Ireland ocean liner on May 28, 1914. More than 1,000 people died in the incident. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI
1 of 5 | Sailors are pictured removing coffins from the Lady Gray at port in Quebec following the sinking of the RMS Empress of Ireland ocean liner on May 28, 1914. More than 1,000 people died in the incident. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI

Today is Monday, May 29, the 149th day of 2017 with 216 to follow.

This is Memorial Day in the United States.

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


Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include King Charles II of England in 1630; patriot Patrick Henry in 1736; Ebenezer Butterick, inventor of the tissue paper dress pattern, in 1826; English novelist G.K. Chesterton in 1874; movie composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold in 1897; entertainer Bob Hope in 1903; writer T.H. White in 1906; John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States, in 1917; musician Danny Elfman in 1953 (age 64); actor Anthony Geary (General Hospital) in 1947 (age 70); singer LaToya Jackson in 1956 (age 61); actor Annette Bening in 1958 (age 59); actor Rupert Everett in 1959 (age 58); actor Adrian Paul in 1959 (age 58); singer Melissa Etheridge in 1961 (age 56); actor/singer Lisa Whelchel in 1963 (age 54); singer Melanie Brown ("Mel B") of the Spice Girls in 1975 (age 42); basketball player Carmelo Anthony in 1984 (age 33).

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On this date in history:

In 1660, Charles II was restored to the English throne.

In 1790, Rhode Island became the last of the original 13 states to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1914, the Canadian Pacific Transatlantic liner Empress of Ireland sank in the early morning hours following a collision with the liner Storstadt, a much smaller vessel, in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence. More than 1,000 people died in what is the largest maritime accident in Canadian peacetime history.

In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first men to reach the top of Mount Everest.

In 1985, British soccer fans attacked Italian fans preceding the European Cup final in Brussels. The resulting stadium stampede killed 38 people and injured 400.

In 1990, renegade Communist Boris Yeltsin was elected president of Russia.

In 1996, in Israel's first selection of a prime minister by direct vote, Benjamin Netanyahu defeated Shimon Peres. The margin of victory was less than 1 percent.

In 1997, Zaire rebel leader Laurent Kabila was sworn in as president of what was again being called the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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In 2003, comedian Bob Hope was honored at the White House on his 100th birthday, with establishment of the Bob Hope Patriotism Award.

In 2004, the National World War II memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington. Thousands of veterans of the war, which ended nearly 59 years earlier, attended the ceremony.

In 2006, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe won a second term by a sizable margin.

In 2009, U.S. music producer Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the 2003 slaying of actress Lana Carlson.

In 2010, two mosques of a religious minority in Pakistan were attacked by intruders firing weapons and throwing grenades. Officials put the death toll at 98.

In 2012, Texas primary election results gave Mitt Romney enough delegates to clinch the Republican presidential nomination.

In 2014, pro-Russia separatists shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter near Sloviansk, killing at least 14 soldiers, including a general.


A thought for the day: ""The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy

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