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UPI Almanac for Tuesday, May 21, 2019

On May 21, 1960, the first of what would become a series of earthquakes that killed up to 7,000 people rattled just south of Santiago, Chile.

By United Press International
A series of earthquakes starting May 21, 1960, toppled houses in Valdivia, Chile. File Photo courtesy of Pierre St. Amand/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1 of 2 | A series of earthquakes starting May 21, 1960, toppled houses in Valdivia, Chile. File Photo courtesy of Pierre St. Amand/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2019 with 224 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include German painter Albrecht Durer in 1471; King Philip II of Spain, who launched the Spanish Armada, in 1527; English poet/satirist Alexander Pope in 1688; French painter Henri Rousseau in 1844; French diplomat/Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leon Bourgeois in 1851; architect Marcel Breuer in 1902; composer/barrelhouse piano player Thomas "Fats" Waller in 1904; singer Dennis Day in 1916; actor Raymond Burr in 1917; Hall of Fame football Coach Ara Parseghian in 1923; actor Peggy Cass in 1924; former baseball manager Bobby Cox in 1941 (age 78); singer Ronald Isley in 1941 (age 78); former U.S. Sen./comedian Al Franken, D-Minn., in 1951 (age 68); convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in 1960; actor Mr. T, born Lawrence Tureaud, in 1952 (age 67); former Attorney General Loretta Lynch in 1959 (age 60); actor Lisa Edelstein in 1966 (age 53); rapper The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, in 1972; singer Gotye, born Wouter "Wally" De Backer, in 1980 (age 39); British Olympic diver Tom Daley in 1994 (age 25).

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On this date in history:

In 1832, the first Democratic Party national convention convened in Baltimore.

In 1856, Lawrence, Kan., was burned by pro-slavery forces.

In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

In 1924, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnapped and killed Bobby Franks, 13, of Chicago, in a "thrill killing" that was often called "the crime of the century." They were given life sentences. Loeb was killed in prison; Leopold was paroled after serving 33 years.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris, completing the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic in 33 1/2 hours.

In 1932, five years to the day after Charles Lindbergh ended his historic flight, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from Newfoundland, Canada, to Ireland. She completed her flight in 13 1/2 hours. In 1988, Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, in an effort to consolidate power, sacked the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan after bloody nationalist demonstrations over the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh.

In 1960, the first of what would become a series of earthquakes that lasted through early June rattled just south of Santiago, Chile. The so-called Valdivia earthquake the next day was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded with a magnitude of between 9.4 and 9.6 on the richter scale. Up to 7,000 people died in the temblors.

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In 1991, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated while campaigning.

In 1998, two students were killed and 25 wounded by a classmate who opened fire in a high school cafeteria in Springfield, Ore. The 15-year-old shooter, Kipland "Kip" Kinkel, had also killed his parents. He was sentenced to 111 years in prison.

In 2003, an earthquake near Algiers, Algeria, killed more than 2,200 people and injured another 10,000.

In 2018, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama announced they teamed up with Netflix to produce new films and TV series with the streaming company.


A thought for the day: Women "get more glory than men for comparable feats. But also, women get more notoriety when they crash." -- Amelia Earhart

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