UPI Almanac for Sunday, May 24, 2020

Today is Sunday, May 24, the 145th day of 2020, with 221 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Polish inventor Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1686; French journalist/revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat in 1743; British Queen Victoria in 1819; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo in 1870; H.B. Reese, inventor of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, in 1879; hostess/party-giver Elsa Maxwell, credited with introducing the "scavenger hunt," in 1883; actor Lilli Palmer in 1914; comedian Tommy Chong in 1938 (age 82); musician Bob Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman, in 1941 (age 79); actor Gary Burghoff in 1943 (age 77); singer Patti LaBelle, born Patricia Louise Holte, in 1944 (age 76); actor/businesswoman Priscilla Presley in 1945 (age 75); actor Jim Broadbent in 1949 (age 71); actor Alfred Molina in 1953 (age 67); singer Rosanne Cash in 1955 (age 65); actor Kristin Scott Thomas in 1960 (age 60); author Michael Chabon in 1963 (age 57); actor John C. Reilly in 1965 (age 55); soccer player Eric Cantona in 1966 (age 54); rapper/actor Heavy D, born Dwight Errington Myers, in 1967; stock car racer Joey Logano in 1990 (age 30).

On this date in history:

In 1626, the Dutch West Indies Trading Co. bought the island of Manhattan from American Indians, paying with goods worth about $24.

In 1844, the first U.S telegraph line was formally opened -- between Baltimore and Washington.

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was opened to the public, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City.

In 1935, the first night game in Major League Baseball was played at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1.

In 1958, United Press and the International News Service merged, forming United Press International.

In 1962, Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit Earth, circling it three times. John Glenn was the first, earlier in the year.

In 1983, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled private religious schools that practice racial discrimination aren't eligible for church-related tax benefits.

In 1987, 250,000 people jammed San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on its 50th anniversary, temporarily flattening the arched span.

In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia.

In 2007, the U.S. Congress voted to increase the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years -- from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 over a three-year period.

In 2018, President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, for his conviction under a Jim Crow-era law.

A thought for the day: "I feel sure that no girl would go to the altar if she knew all." -- British Queen Victoria