UPI Almanac for Saturday, May 24, 2025

On May 24, 1844, the first U.S telegraph line was formally opened -- between Baltimore and Washington.

By United Press International
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A young girl participating in the March Fourth rally to ban assault weapons holds a "Uvalde Strong" sign outside the Senate office buildings at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 13. On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school left 19 students and two adults dead. Law enforcement officers fatally shot the gunman. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
1 of 5 | A young girl participating in the March Fourth rally to ban assault weapons holds a "Uvalde Strong" sign outside the Senate office buildings at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 13. On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school left 19 students and two adults dead. Law enforcement officers fatally shot the gunman. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Today is Saturday, May 24, the 144th day of 2025, with 221 to follow.

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


Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include inventor Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1686; journalist/revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat in 1743; British Queen Victoria in 1819; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo in 1870; chocolate maker H.B. Reese in 1879; actor Lilli Palmer in 1914; comedian/actor Tommy Chong in 1938 (age 87); musician Bob Dylan in 1941 (age 84); actor Gary Burghoff in 1943 (age 82); musician Patti LaBelle in 1944 (age 81); actor/businesswoman Priscilla Presley in 1945 (age 80); actor Jim Broadbent in 1949 (age 76); actor Alfred Molina in 1953 (age 72); musician Rosanne Cash in 1955 (age 70); actor Kristin Scott Thomas in 1960 (age 65); writer Michael Chabon in 1963 (age 62); actor John C. Reilly in 1965 (age 60); musician/actor Heavy D in 1967; musician Rich Robinson (Black Crowes) in 1969 (age 56); Moldovan President Maia Sandu in 1972 (age 53); actor Dash Mihok in 1974 (age 51); actor Bryan Greenberg in 1978 (age 47); actor Brianne Howey in 1989 (age 36); musician G-Eazy in 1989 (age 36); stock car racer Joey Logano in 1990 (age 35); actor Daisy Edgar-Jones in 1998 (age 27); actor Charlie Plummer in 1999 (age 26).


On this date in history:

In 1844, the first U.S telegraph line was formally opened -- between Baltimore and Washington. The first message sent was "What hath God wrought?"

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 1943, Josef Mengele, the so-called "Angel of Death" became the new doctor at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. He fled Germany at the conclusion of World War II and died in 1979 in Brazil.

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 after a 30-year war that left hundreds of thousands dead.

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.

In 2022, a mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school left 19 students and two adults dead. Law enforcement officers fatally shot the gunman.


A thought for the day: "Comedy is the ultimate truth. Jazz is hitting the notes that no one else would hit, and comedy is saying words that no one else would say." -- Canadian-American actor Tommy Chong

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