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Home , Clara Stanton Jones, Elijah McCoy, George Stallings, Paul Winfield, Ronan Tynan, Sendhil Ramamurthy

MAY 2012 ALMANAC This almanac, a compilation of 33 calendars Chase’s Calendar of Events for updating isby Susan Curnow Breedlove c)2012

This is the month of the Budding Moon or Flower Moon, WabigoniGisiss in Ojibwe, Wuyue in Chinese, (皐月), Gogatsu(早苗) in Japanese Mai in French, Mayo in Spanish, Lab TsibHlisNtuj in Hmong The flowers of the month are the Lilly of the Valley and Hawthorne. The birthstone of the month is Emerald (Happiness)

MAY IS AMERICAN INDIAN MONTH, ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN MONTH, RESPECT OUR ELDERS MONTH & NATIONAL FAMILY MONTH

QUOTES OF THE MONTH: まかぬはえぬMakanutanewahaenu (Seeds that aren’t sown can’t grow.) Japanese proverb “What you think, you become.” Gautama Buddha, Founder of Buddhism

“It does not require many words to speak the truth.” Chief Seattle, a prominent leader of the Suquamish Native American tribes in the 1800’s in what is now Washington state

Tuesday, May 1.MAY DAY activities will be carried out throughout the world as this INTERNATIONAL WORKER'S DAY (LABOR DAY). BELTANE, one of the "Greater Sabbats" in the Wiccan year, observed, celebrating the fertility of spring and the greening of earth as it is each May 1st. The U.S. also observes LAW DAY with the theme this year “NO Courts, NO Justice, NO Freedom.” Today is LEI DAY in Hawaii, and SCHOOL PRINCIPAL'S DAY. HAITIAN HERITAGE MONTH honors General TouissaintLouverture ("The Black Napoleon") and the Haitian consensus reached in 1803 to fight Napoleon's forces for independence. The JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL continues through May 6th.  1762-African American physician James Durham, born.  1830-Mary Harris Jones, "Mother Jones," Irish born, American labor leader who promoted child labor laws, born.  1867-Howard University is established in Washington, D.C.  1884-The building of the first skyscraper, a ten-story insurance building, was begun in .  1855-Internationally known feminist Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell marry and disavow the inequality of married women under U.S. law in their marriage contract, also omitting the phrase "obey" from their vows. She later shocked the world by taking back her maiden name.  1896-180,000 I.W.W. (Industrial Workers of the World) strike in Chicago for 8 hour work day.  1901-Poet literary critic,and editor Sterling Brown is born.  1909-Kate Smith, popular singer with no formal lessons, in 1938 introduced new song on her  radio broadcast written especially for her by Irving Berlin, "," born.  1915-Archie Williams, member of U.S. team in 1936 Berlin Olympics who debunked Hitler's theory of superiority of Aryan athletes by winning gold medal, mechanical engineer, airplane pilot & trainer of Tuskegee Institute pilots of W.W.II, born.  1930-Blues musician, harmonica wizard, Little Walter, born.  1950-Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize, for her book of poetry Annie Allen.  1961-Students joined James Farmer to conduct "freedom rides" on public transportation from  Washington, DC to New Orleans.  1967-Country singer Tim McGraw, born.  1971-Amtrak, the national rail service, combining 18 passenger railroads, went into service.  2006-Community rally for immigrant’s rights begins at Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis. Listen for the trill of the American Toad.

Wednesday, May 2Those of the Baha‟I faith observe the Twelfth Day of RIDVAN.  1519-Italian artist, scientist and inventor, painter of the famed Last Supper and Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci died.  1611- James of England appoints a committee to produce a new version of the Bible.  1729-Catherine the Great, czarina of Russia, is born in Germany.  1837-Anniversary of the birth of Henry M. Robert, author of Robert's Rules of Order, a standard parliamentary guide still used by many community organizations today.  1844-Elijah McCoy, Black inventor born in Ontario, Canada. From his expertise comes the expression "The Real McCoy" applying to anything done well.  1870-Minister and an initiator of the Pentecostal religious movement, William Seymour, born. 1903-Benjamin Spock, pediatrician, author of books on raising children, born.  1913-Ethiopian American golfer, winner of ‟s Southern Open when he was only 18 years old, John Dendy, born.  1945-Actress, political activist, ex-wife of Mick Jagger, Bianca Jagger, born in Nicaragua.  1969-Record-breaking cricket batsman Brian Lara, born Trinidad.  1975-Soccer player David Beckham, born.  1977-Jenna Van Oy, actress (She Cried No, "Blossom"), born. Goslings hatch and mallards are nesting. Watch for rose-breasted grosbeaks. Whip-poor-wills arrive to Minnesota.

Thursday, May 3 Today is NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER in the USA.This is CONSTITUTION DAY in Poland & Japan (Keno Kinenbi). THE DAY OF THE HOLY CROSS (Dia de la Santa Cruz), honoring construction workers and miners, occurs in Mexico, with a flower-decorated cross placed on every piece of new construction. Today is WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY. THE FESTIVAL OF NATIONS, with over 90 different ethnic groups from around the world, share music, dancing, food, crafts, and shopping, is held at St. Paul's River Centre, today through May 6th.  1855-Macon B. Allen is the first African American to be formally admitted to the bar in MASS.  1896-Dodie Smith, author of The 101 Dalmatians, born, England.  1898-Septima Clark, teacher & organizer of freedom schools, born.  1901-Estelle Osborne, leader of the nursing movement, professor, and first black nurse in the U.S. to obtain a Master‟s Degree, born.  1902-Astride Alan-a-Dale, African American jockey Jimmy Winkfield wins his second Derby in a row.  1911-Wisconsin becomes the 1st state to sign Workman's Compensation Act.  1915-Lyricist and playwright Betty Comden is born. She will co-write several Tony-winning musicals as well as the film Singin’ in the Rain.  1919-Pete Seeger, singer, composer ("Where Have All the Flowers Gone"), civil rights leader, born.  1920-John Lewis, an American jazz pianist and composer best known as the musical director of theModern Jazz Quartet, born.  1921-Sugar Ray Robinson, middleweight boxing champion, born.  1933-James Brown, singer & songwriter, ("Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"), born.  1937-Singer Frankie Valli("Can't Take My Eyes Off You"), born.  1963-2,500 children & adults are jailed in protest march for civil rights in Birmingham, Alabama.  1980-Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee formed. Watch for flowers on maple trees. Bees are taking cleansing flights. Catbirds & blue-winged teal return.

Friday, May 4 GREENERY DAY (Midori no hi) is observed in Japan. Until 2006, Greenery Day used to be celebrated on April 29, the birthday of former Emperor Showa. The day is dedicated to the environment and nature. Today is CHINA YOUTH DAY(青年), recalling the demonstration in 1919 when thousands of students gathered in Beijing‟s Tiananmen Square to protest imperialistic aggression in China. CHILDREN'S DAY is observed in South Korea. .PROMis held tonight for PHHS students at the Profile Event Center in Minneapolis; the theme is “Even Brighter Than the Moon.”  1494-The Arwak people of Jamaica are visited by Christopher Columbus.  1796-Horace Mann, educator, author, public servant, known as "Father of Public Education" in the U.S., born 200 years ago.  1865-Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., reformer, born.  1875-Kentucky Derby, thoroughbred horse race, inaugurated.  1880-Photographer Richard S. Roberts, credited with “the most realistic collective images of South Carolina's African-American life in the early 20th century,” born.  1886-Labor unrest in Chicago with McCormick Reaper Works led to what has been called theHaymarket Square Riot.  1893-African American cowboy Bill Pickett earns the title of inventor of "bull dogging" (steer wrestling).  1929-Oscar-winning actress and UNICEF‟s goodwill ambassador, Audrey Hepburn, born.  1930-Retired opera singer Roberta Peters, born.  1942-Tammy Wynette, singer, ("Stand By Your Man"), and singer and songwriter Nickolas Ashford, born.(d. 2011) He and his wife and writing partner Valerie Simpson wrote “Reach Out and Touch Somebody‟s Hand” and "Ain't No mountain High Enough".  1951-Jackie Johnson of Jackson Five, born.  1961-This is the anniversary of the walk and work of the Freedom Riders, people who organized so that all have the right to use public transit.  1970-Today is KENT STATE STUDENT'S MEMORIAL DAY remembering the four University students killed & 13 injured by National Guard while demonstrating against U.S. invasion of Cambodia.  1972-Mike Dirnt, rock pop artist, member of Green Day, born.  1979-Britain's Queen Elizabeth appoints Margaret Thatcher as their first woman prime minister in 700 years.  1979-Musician Lance Bass of “N Sync,” born  1986-The Disabled Women's Political Caucus formed in Washington, D.C.  1989-Tienamen Square-1000's die while protesting for freedom of speech, information and the press. Eastern gray tree frog begins calling. Wood thrush and Scarlet tanager make their Spring arrival.

Saturday, May 5 CHILDREN’S DAY ((子供の日, kodomo no hi)): The Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) is celebrated in Japan on this day. Families pray for the health and future success of their sons by hanging up carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success in life. (The Girl‟s Festival, by the way, is celebrated on March 3.)Today is the anniversary of CINCO DE MAYO, the celebration of the triumph of Mexican forces, outnumbered 3 to 1, over the French army in 1862 led by Napoleon III. An annual Cinco de Mayo celebration takes place in District del Sol on St. Paul's West Side with music, food and a salsa-tasting contest, a parade on Saturday, sports zone, wellness village, crafts, children's section and history area. Also, check out Cinco de Mayo activities on Lake Street in Minneapolis. TheSPRING RAPTOR RELEASE is held today. This is an incredible opportunity to watch the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center release rehabilitated eagles, falcons, owls and hawks back to the wild at Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington.LIVING GREEN EXPO, a free event to inspire families to live a more environmentally friendly life is held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. There will be product demonstrations, workshops, cooking demonstrations, and hundreds of exhibitors to inspire living the green life.THE KENTUCKY DERBY, premier thoroughbred horse race in U.S., inaugurated in 1875, is run.  1818-Karl Marx, German socialist, author, founder & father of modern communism, born.  1865-Reformer and ministerAdam Clayton Powell Sr., born.  1867-Nelly Bly, American journalist called "the best reporter in America" & women's rights  advocate, born.  1884-Joseph Albert Bender, player, Ojibway, from White Earth Reservation in northern MN, born.  1893-Stock Market Crash of 1893, worst economic crisis in U.S. history other than the Great Depression of the 1930s, left 15-20 percent of the workforce unemployed.  1903-The "Father of American Cooking," James Beard, born.  1905-Robert Sengstacke Abbott founds Chicago Defender, an African American newspaper, calling it “The world‟s greatest weekly.”  1923-Dr. Catherine Synge Morawetz is born in ; she later serves as the president of the American Mathematical Society.  1950-Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for "Annie Allen"  1973-Tina Yothers, actress ("Family Ties"), born.  1995-was a year filled with student activism at St. Cloud State University. There were protests and rallies held throughout the academic year—culminating in a Hunger Strike by seven students. The group had a list of demands for the university, including creating a student diversity center, hiring and retaining more faculty and staff of color, and forming a committee to consider a Chicano-studies program. It is time to plant potatoes, beets, collards, cabbage and turnips. Trilliums are in bloom.

Sunday, May 6 This is NATIONAL NURSES WEEK. Those of the Buddhist faith observe VISAKHA PUJA or Buddha Day in SOUTH KOREA. Celebrations of BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY or the DAY OF VESAKA, the most important of the Buddhist festivals is a holiday whose observance may depend on latitude and longitude as in Thailand and Singapore. It celebrates the Buddha's birthday, and, for some Buddhists, also marks his enlightenment and death.  1812-Abolitionist Martin Delany, the first proponent of American Black nationalism, physician, editor, and author, born.  1856-Robert E. Peary, explorer, ""discoverer" of North Pole with Matthew Henson and two Inuits on April l6, 1909, born.  1867-Rabindranath Tagore, Hindu poet, educator, mystic & musical composer, first non- Western Nobel Prize winner, from , born.  1877-Chief Crazy Horse, Ogala, surrendered at Ft. Robinson.  1915-Actor and director (Citizen Kane), Orson Welles, born.  1931-Willie Mays, Hall of Famer baseball player, born.  1937-The dirigible Hindenburg exploded as it approached Lakehurst, N.J.  1957-The last episode of I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball and her husband, DesiArnaz, is broadcast, ending the groundbreaking show‟s six-year run.  1961-Actor ("ER," Ocean's 11, Three Kings, Batman and Robin),and human rights activist, George Clooney, born.  1964-Actress (""), Roma Downey, born in Northern Ireland.  1995-Ron Kirk becomes the first black mayor of Dallas, with 62 percent of the vote. Fill hummingbird feeders for first arriving males. There is a full moon tonight, this one is called FLOWER MOON by Native American nations of New England and the Great Lakes.

Monday, May 7 This is TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!!!!This is NATIONAL CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK in the U.S. Today is NO HOMEWORK DAY.  1763-Pontiac's Pan-Indian Confederacy attacks English invaders with a surprise assault on .  1811-Judah Benjamin, first Jewish U.S. senator, born.  1812-Robert Browning, English poet, ("How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Count the Ways"), born.  1824-Beethoven's 9th Symphony presented for 1st time in Vienna. He was completely deaf when he composed it.  1833-Johannes Brahms, composer, born in Hamburg, Germany.  1840-Composer of "The Nutcracker," Peter Tchaikovsky, born.  1845 The first African American professional nurse, Mary Mahoney, born.  1888-Fenton Johnson, one of 1st writers to emphasize experiences and perspectives of African , born.  1899-Artist Ellis Wilson whose painting “Funeral Procession” received national exposure on the set of ‟s 1980s , born.  1915-British passenger liner Lusitania, sinks after being torpedoed by a Germansubmarine; 1,198 lives were lost.  1941-Natural Man, a play by Theodore Browne, premieres in NYC, a production of the American Negro Theatre, founded by Abram Hill and Frederick O‟Neal.  1954-French surrender at Dien Bien Phuto Vietnamese insurgents, giving up colonization in Indochina.  1962-Telstar launch begins era of tele-communications. Raccoons born now, 3-4 in a litter. Cobalt blue male Indigo Buntings arrive from Mexico, Central and South America. The females come two weeks later..

Tuesday, May 8 Today is NATIONAL TEACHER DAY or EL DIA DEL MAESTRO, Mexican-American Day of the Teacher, a day to pay tribute to American Educators. This is WORLD RED CROSS DAY. A TIME OF REMEMBRANCE & RECONCILIATION FOR THOSE WHO DIED DURING WWII is observed through the United Nations.  1753-Father Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo, a Mexican Revolutionary leader, born.  1828-Author and philanthropist, inspiration for the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jean Henri Dunant, born in Switzerland.  1884-Harry S. Truman, 33rd president of the U.S., born.  1886-Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents the flavored syrup used for Coca-Cola.  1902-Mount Pele’e erupted on the French island of Martinique killing all but one of its 30,000 inhabitants.  1910-Innovative and influential pianist, composer, and arranger Mary Lou Williams, “the First Lady of Jazz,” born.  1911-England signs treaty with China making opium main trading commodity.  1925-A. Philip Randolph organized Brotherhood of Sleeping-Car Porters for African American Pullman porters. This group later provided the plan, organization & support for Rosa Park's boycott.  1932-Charles ("Sonny") Liston, boxer, born. (d. 1970)  1958-Head coach of Chicago Bears, Lovie Smith, born.  1964-Actress ("Little House on the Prairie," The Miracle Worker), Melissa Gilbert, born.  1965-The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is founded by Muhal Richard Abrams.  1969-Researchers report that IQ scores of Chicano children increased 28% when children were tested in Spanish.  1975- Spanish pop music singer-songwriter, Enrique Iglesias, born. He is one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Hispanic or Latino market in the , Hummingbirds arrive from Central America. Fill your feeders with sweet stuff for them. Columbine or honeysuckle bloom.

Wednesday, May 9 Today is NATIONAL SCHOOL NURSE DAY; stop by and tell the nurses "thank you.  1800-John Brown, European American abolitionist martyr, memorialized in the song "John Brown's Body Lies a Molding in the Grave, His Truth is Marching On," hanged by federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, born.  1899-A.J. Burr, African American inventor, patented lawn mower.  1914-President Woodrow Wilson declares the second Sunday in May “Mother’s Day.”  1918-Mike Wallace, T.V. journalist ("60 Minutes"), born.  1928-Richard ("Pancho") Gonzales, self-taught world champion tennis player, born. (d.1995)  1972-4,000 Chicano workers, mostly women, walk off the job in San Antonio, TX to demand the right to unionize.  1979-Sin City , He Got Game, actress Rosario Dawson, born. Put grape jelly and oranges out for the beautiful orange & black Baltimore orioles who are returning from South America.

Thursday, May 10 Those of the Jewish faith observe LAG B’OMER with ceremonies, a joyous time for Hebrew weddings, etc. and bonfires.  1825-1st steamboat up the Mississippi arrives at Ft. Snelling.  1837-P.B.S.Pinchback, Civil War captain & Reconstruction statesman first non-white and first African American to become governor in the U.S., born.  1869-"Iron Horse," Coast-to-coast railroad completed.  1903-Younghill Kang, an important early Asian American writer, best known for his 1931 novel The Grass Roof (the first Korean American novel and its sequel, the 1937 fictionalized memoir East Goes West: The Making of an Oriental Yankee, born. He has been called "the father of Korean American literature."  1909-Maybelle Carter, guitarist, co-founder of the first country music star family in the U.S., The Carter Family, born. One popular song of theirs was “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”  1944-Judith Jamison, dancer and innovative choreographer, born.  1950- Celtics select Chuck Cooper 1st black player drafted to play in the NBA.  1958-The first Hispanic female in space, Dr. Ellen Ochoa, is born; she served on four shuttle missions.  1960-Member of U2, humanitarian activist, Bono, born, , Ireland.  1968- A public school in Brooklyn NY is named for noted scientist and inventor Lewis H. Latimer.  1978-Actor (“Saturday Night Live,” “All That,” Kenan Thompson, born.  1989-Dominican-American bachata singer-songwriter Geoffrey Royce Rojas, known professionally as Royce, born.  1992- Filipina singer who rose to popularity through YouTube, Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco, born. Better known as Charice, she has been dubbed by Oprah Winfrey as the Most Talented Girl in the World. She is the first solo Asian artist in history to land in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart.  1994-Anniversary of former political prisoner Nelson Mandala, inaugurated President of South Africa. Columbine and shooting star bloom. Bloodroots and trilliums cover forests in white. The house wren or Jenny wren has returned; males are filling the air of North Minneapolis with their melodious songs as they compete for mates.

Friday, May 11 Japan begins its annual CORMORANT FISHING FESTIVAL, catching fish with trained cormorants (birds) nightly under the light of torches.  1858-Birthdate of Minnesota admission as the 32nd state.  1862-The ironclad Confederate Merrimac ship was destroyed by the Union's ironclad Monitor.  1888-Irving Berlin (Israel Isidore Baline), songwriter who could neither read or write musical notation, ("Blue Skies" & "White Christmas"), born in Russia.  1892-The youngest rider wins the Kentucky Derby, Lonnie Clayton, an African American jockey.  1894-Martha Graham, giant of modern dance movement, born. (d. 1991) 1895-William Grant Still, composer, 1st African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, born.  1904-Salvador Dali, leading painter in muralist movement, born in Spain.  1910-Glacier National Park established in northwest Montana.  1933-Louis Farrakhan, leader of Nation of Islam in U.S., born.  1946-Physician, inventor of an artificial heart, Robert Jarvik, born.  1960-The Federal Drug Administration approves the birth control pill for use.  1970-A member of the United States House of Representatives for a decade, chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), Harold Ford Jr., born.  1982-Jonathon Jackson, actor (The Deep End of the Ocean, "General Hospital"), born. Mosquitoes arrive soon. Eagle chicks are hatching.

Saturday, May 12 LIMERICK DAY is observed on this, the birthday of Edward Lear, a champion of limericks from England. INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY, a day to educate the public about migratory birds and the preservation of their habitats in the U.S. and Central America, is held. (Annually, the second Saturday in May)  1626-The Dutch march vs. the Five Nations Iroquois Confederacy & are defeated.  1847-Odometer invented by Mormon pioneer William Clayton by marking revolutions of a rag tied to wheel of covered wagon.  1879-U.S. District Court Judge J. Duney declares that an Indian is a person.  1894-Florence Nightingale, English nurse who contributed perhaps more than any other single person to the development of modern nursing, born.  1900-The cakewalk, a couple dance originated by African Americans in North America, goes public.  1907-Katherine Hepburn, actress ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" & "Golden Pond"), born. (d. 2003)  1917-Commemoration of first appearance of the Virgin of the Rosary to little shepherd children in Portugal.  1918-Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, born.  1925-Hall of Fame baseball player Lawrence Peter , born.  1955-Sam Jones, Chicago Cubs, becomes 1st Black to pitch a no-hitter in Major League baseball.  1961-Actor Ving Rhames, ("Kojak," Pulp Fiction), born.  1962-Actor Emilio Estevez (Breakfast Club, Repro Man), born.  1969-Kim Fields, actress (Tootie on "Facts of Life"), & skateboarder Tony Hawk, born.  1978-Actor (American Pie, Loser), Jason Biggs, born.  1985-Kathy Whitworth wins the United Virginia Bank Classic in Portsmouth. It is her 88th LPGA tour victory, the most in professional golf history. First robin eggs hatch soon. Catch the scent of blooming lilacs.

Sunday, May 13  1846-U.S. Congress declared war on Mexico resulting in annexation of parts of seven states.  1888-Geophysicist Inge Lehmann, discoverer of the earth‟s inner core is born. Brazil abolishes slavery the same year.  1914-Joe Louis, pugilist, "The Brown Bomber," holder of the heavyweight title longer than any other contender, born.  1943-Mary Wells, Motown's 1st big star ("My Guy"), born. (d.1992)  1950-Stevie Wonder (Steveland Morris Hardaway), 19 Grammy award winner, singer &composer, "I Just Called to Say I Love You," born.  1954-Legislation signed authorizing U.S.-Canadian construction of waterway through Great Lakes.  1961-Former basketball player Dennis Rodman, born.  1964-Writer, comedian, Stephen Colbert, born (“The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report”).  1968-Lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, Darius Rucker, born.  1985-Philadelphia police carry out siege of group MOVE; resulting in fire which left 11 dead including 4 children & destroyed 61 homes.  1990-George Stallings ordained the first bishop of the Black Catholic Church. Stallings broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1989, citing its failure to meet the needs of black Catholics. Farmers are usually planting corn as oak leaves are usually the size of mouse ears at this time. (2 ½ weeks early this year)

Monday, May 14  1607-The first permanent English settlement in what is now the U.S., Jamestown, took place in VA.  1643-Louis XIV becomes the king of France at age four.  1686-German physicist whose name is attached to one of the major temperature measurement scales, Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, born.  1727-English landscape and portrait painter Thomas Gainsborough, born.  1796-Edward Jenner discovered small-pox vaccine. American Indians were already practicing vaccination which they shared with General George Washington, resulting in saving the troops.  1804-Anniversary of expedition, St. Louis to Pacific Coast by Lewis and Clark, guided by Sacajawea and York.  1888-Slavery abolished in Brazil.  1898-Individual who popularized the use of brushes and drum solos in jazz,ZuttySingleton,born.  1913-Clara Stanton Jones, first African American president of the American Library Association, born.  1930-Carlsbad Caverns National Park established in New Mexico.  1934-Psychiatrist and tireless crusader in the campaign to increase parental and public awareness about the harmful effects of the increasing commercial exploitation of young children via television, Alvin Poussaint, born.  1942-Anniversary of WAAC (Women's Auxiliary Army Corps) begun, with women enlisting for non combat duty in W.W.II. Hall of Fame baseball player, Atanasio (Tony) Perez, born in Cuba.  1944-George Lucas, filmmaker (Star Wars films), born.  1952-Director (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future), Robert Zemeckis, born.  1960-Opera singer of The Irish Tenors, Ronan Tynan, born, Dublin, Ireland.  1969-Actress Kate Blanchett Elizabeth, Lord of the Rings), born, Australia. John B. McLendon becomes first black coach in ABA when he signs 2-year contract with Denver Nuggets (He had also been the first African American coach of a professional sport & first Black coach of on the U.S. Olympic coaching staff..  1970-At Jackson State University, 2 students are killed as they protest the invasion of Cambodia & the Kent State killings.  1973-The first formal female House page, FeldaLooper,was appointed to the U.S. House of Representatives.  1994- Hazel Brannon Smith, the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing (1964) dies. Owner and editor of four Mississippi newspapers, she endured boycotts, bombings, and death threats while advocating civil rights.  2000-Million Mom March held to get "serious about common sense gun legislation." It is now safe to plant warm weather plants such as beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, and tomatoes. Choke cherry blooms. Mallard ducks are hatching.

Tuesday, May 15 POLICE WEEK, a national U.S. observance, begins with PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY & it is INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES. Japan observes AOI MATURI (葵祭) (Hollyhock Festival). Paraguay commemorates INDEPENDENCE from Spain in 1811. We are now in the EASTERN PACIFIC HURRICANE SEASON, May 15-Nov 30.  1856-Lyman Frank Baum, newspaperman, (wrote "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and other stories), born.  1859-Madame Marie Curie, Polish born French chemist, discoverer of radioactivity, born.  1885-Geronimo captured by U.S. Army in Mexico.  1918-PFCs Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts become the first Americans to win France‟s Croix de Guerre.  1919-Mary Charles, politician who directed programs of economic reform and of ending government corruption as Prime minister of Dominica, born.  1923-Influential photographer who received National Medal for the Arts in 2003, Richard Avedon, born. (d. 2004)  1930-Ellen Church became the first flight attendant, flying on United Airlines.  1937-Trini Lopez, actor (The Dirty Dozen), & singer, born.  1940-Nylon hose (stockings), first totally man-made fiber, went on sale at stores for first time.  1942-Gas was rationed to 3 gallons a week in 17 states and a 35 mph speed limit was imposed as part of the war effort. Oveta Culp Hobby is appointed director of the Women‟s Army Auxiliary Corps, with the rank of major (she will later be raised to colonel).  1946-Camilia Williams appears in title role of Madame Butterfly with the NYC Opera, the first black female singer to sign a contract with a major U.S. opera company.  1961-Giselle Fernandez, TV host ("Access Hollywood"), born.  1969-Football player, Emmitt Smith, born.  1973-The first handicap parking sticker was issued in Washington, DC.  1981-Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress (“The Sopranos”), born.  1982-Soccer player Kaka' born, Brasilia, Brazil (some sources say April 22, 1982).  2002-The No Fear Act that requires Federal agencies be more accountable for violations of anti- discrimination and whistleblower protection laws. signed into law. Wild lupine blooms. Lilacs are normally blooming in Minneapolis.

Wednesday, May 16 LENAPE CORN PLANTING CEREMONIES are held this week at sites on the East Coast. The annual CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, premier international film festival runs until May 27th in France.  1250-Kieta Sundiata. also known as Mari Diata, in approximately 1210. Sundiata was the founder and ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa.  1892-Denmark becomes the first European country to ban transatlantic slave trade.  1804-Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, organizer of kindergartens in U.S., born.  1866-U.S. Congress authorizes the nickel to be issued.  1905-Henry Fonda, American stage and screen actor (Grapes of Wrath, Golden Pond), father of Peter & Jane Fonda, born. He worked in North Minneapolis at Unity House while attending the University of Minnesota.  1906-Author, with her husband H.A., of Curious George series, Margaret Rey, born.  1912-Author of Hard Times and Working, Studs Terkel, born.  1929-First anniversary; first televised in 1953. Founder of the Congressional  Black Caucus, John Conyers Jr., born.  1966-Singer of "What Have You Done for Me Lately," godmother of Jimmy Jam Harris' son, oftentimes visitor to the Twin Cities, Janet Jackson, born.  1970-Tennis player Gabriela Sabatini born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  1971-Actor ("Angel," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), David Boreanaz, born.  1975-First woman to climb Mount Everest, Japanese climber Junko Tabei.  1979-A. Philip Randolph, civil rights & labor leader, dies.  1982-Baseball player and with 5 major league teams, , born.(d. 1989)  1984-Tomas Rivera, Mexican American author, educator, and 1st Hispanic chancellor of the University of , dies.  1986-Megan Denise Fox, an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a recurring role on Hope and Faith.  1990-Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, died.  1997-Presidential apology for U.S. Public Health Service secret syphilis study in Tuskegee University which has resulted in deaths of many African Americans. Warbler migration near peak. Sandhill crane chicks hatch. What a splendid dance their parents perform during mating season.

Thursday, May 17 Christians observe ASCENSION DAY.  1875-The first Kentucky Derby was run in Louisville, KY.  1892-Frederick McKinley Jones, born. He transformed the food industry and America's eating habits with his invention of a practical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars. This prolific inventor moved to Hallock, Minnesota, where he created a device to combine sound with motion pictures and for a ticket-dispensing machine for movie houses. He was co-founder of Thermo-King Corporation, became the first African-American to be elected into the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers, was a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Bureau of Standards, and was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in 1977.  1903-James "Cool Papa" Bell of Negro Leagues, regarded as the fastest man in baseball (could round the bases in 13 seconds), born. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. (d. 1991)  1924- The Giant Dipper roller coaster opened at Santa Cruz, Beach Boardwalk at Santa Cruz, CA. It is now a National Historic Landmark.  1954-Racially segregated schools ruled unconstitutional by Supreme Court - Brown vs. Board of Education.  1956-Former boxer Ray Charles (Sugar Ray) Leonard born.  1962-Comedian, actor, Craig Ferguson, born, Scotland.  1971-Washington State is the first in the nation to ban sex discrimination in the workplace.  1972-Former US National Soccer Team player Mia Hamm, born.  1974-Actor (“Heroes”) Sendhil Ramamurthy, born.  1987-The work of four contemporary black artists-Sam Gilliam, Keith Morrison, William T. Williams, and Martha Jackson-Jarvis-is shown in inaugural exhibition of Anacostia Museum, Washington, DC.  2004-First U.S. same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts. Plant onions and carrots by now. Jack-in-the-pulpit blooms.

Friday, May 18 Today is: "Frihesdag" SYTTENDE MAI - Norwegian Constitution Day with parades and children's festivities. Today is FLAG AND UNIVERSITY DAY in Haiti. A three-day fishing experience for disabled persons event begins in Hayward, Wisconsin, called FISHING HAS NO BOUNDARIES.  1642-The city of , Canada, is founded.  1896-In Plessy vs. Ferguson, Supreme Court upholds the doctrine of "separate but equal" education & public accommodations.  1897-Frank Capra, Academy Award winning director("It's a Wonderful Life"), born, Italy  1899-1st Hague Peace Conference.  1902-U.S. musician, playwright and composer, best known for The Music Man, Meredith Wilson, born.  1911-Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri, whose greatest fame in the 1950s was with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly “Shake, Rattle and Roll. (d. 1985)  1919-Ballerina Margot Fonteyn born, England.,  1920-Pope John Paul II, Roman Catholic leader, born in Poland.  1935-The Federal Writers Project, as part of the United States Work Progress Administration to provide employment for historians, teachers, writers, , and other white-collar workers, begins.  1946-, baseball Hall of Famer, sets or ties seven records, born.  1955-Mary Mcleod Bethune, educator, died.  1955-Chow Yun-Fat, actor (Anna and the King; Bulletproof Monk; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), born.  1970-Comedian and actor Tina Fey, the first woman to be head writer for NBC‟s Saturday Night Live, born.  1979-Silkwood v.s. Kerr-McGee determines corporate responsibility for on-the-job irradiation.  1980-A major eruption of Mount Saint Helens volcano in southwestern Washington, blew steam and ash more than 11 miles into the sky.  1991-Gertrude Belle Elion, Nobel Prize in Medicine, became 1st woman inducted as member of National Inventors Hall of Fame (leukemia-fighting drugs & immunosuppressant Imuran for body transplants).

Saturday, May 19 ARMED FORCES DAY is observed in the U.S. on this, the 3rd Saturday of May, since 1949.  1536-Anne Boleyn is executed by sword by her husband King Henry VIII because of her inability to bear a male heir.  1862-Homestead Act, opening the West for settlement of people not indigenous to U.S., passed.  1890-Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese leader & first president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, born.  1906-The Federated Boys' Clubs, later to become the Boys' Clubs of America and then the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, begun.  1925-Malcolm X, (Malcolm Little), author, Muslim leader & civil rights activist, black nationalist, born in Omaha, NE.  1930-Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright ("A Raisin in the Sun" & "To Be Young Gifted & Black"), born. (d.1965)  1952-Model, singer, actress (A View to a Kill), Grace Jones, born.  1974-Kate Smith sings ”God Bless America” before the Philadelphia Flyers win the NHL Championship; they usually win when she sings or her recording is played.  1976-Minnesota former Timberwolf player Kevin Garnett, who financed the Career Center at PHHS, born in SC.  1986-Actor Eric Lloyd ("Jesse," Dunston Checks In), born.  1993-University of Virginia professor Rita Dove is appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Pheasants are nesting. Look for morel mushrooms. Loons begin to nest.

Sunday, May 20 Cameroon celebrates CONSTITUTION DAY. Cuba observes INDEPENDENCE DAY.  1746-Toussaint L. Ouverture, revolutionary leader of Haiti, born.  1868-P.B.S. Pinchback and James J. Harris are the first African American delegates to the Republican National Convention.  1875-International Bureau of Weights and Measures established.  1908-Film actor James Stewart (It's a Wonderful Life, Oscar forThe Philadelphia Story), born.  1825-Antoinette Brown Blackwell, 1st European-American female minister in the U.S, born.  1844-Celebrated French born painter of exotic foliage and flowers, stilted human and animal figures and one time customs toll-keeper, Henri Rousseau, born.  1862-President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act opening millions of acres of land in the West to settlers or "homesteaders."  1873-Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for their tough, riveted pants designed for California miners.  1927-Anniversary of the first solo trans-Atlantic flight made by Charles Lindbergh of Minnesota.  1932-Amelia Earhart takes off, becoming first woman to fly the Atlantic solo with a time of 13 hours, 30 minutes.  1944-Joe Cocker, singer ("You Are So Beautiful"), born in England.  1946-Singer ("Believe") and actress (Moonstruck), Cher, born.  1995-Baracades were erected to close off a two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue, a street that passes the White House, as a response to the bombing in Oklahoma City Federal Building. Common nighthawk spring arrival from its winter home deep into South America.

Monday, May 21 Today begins the astronomical/astrological zodiac month of GEMINI, the sign of the twins. Canada celebrates VICTORIA DAY commemorating the birth of Queen Victoria. This is United Nations WORLD DAY FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR DIALOGUE AND DEVELOPMENT.  1471-Albrecht Durer, German painter & engraver, one of greatest artists of European Renaissance, born.

 1780-English reformer who dedicated her life to improving the condition of the poor and especially of women in prison, Elizabeth Gurney Fry, born.  1833-African American students enroll in classes at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.  1844-Henri Rousseau, one time customs toll-keeper, celebrated French painter of exotic foliage and flowers, stilted human and animal figures, born.  1846-1st steamship arrives in Hawaii.  1881-Clara Barton establishes the American Red Cross.  1895-Mexican president who instituted worker and agrarian reform, Lázaro Cárdenas, born.  1904-Thomas "Fats" Waller, jazz pianist, composer, born.  1909-Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, creator of Hummel figurines, born in Germany.  1919-Women's Suffrage Bill passes The House of Representatives.  1921-Andreii DmitriyevichSakhoraov, Soviet physicist, human rights activist & environmentalist, born.  1951-Comedian, writer (Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations), Al Franken, born.  1952-Mr T (Lawrence Tero or Tureaud), actor (Rocky III,,"The A-Team"), born.  1965-Martin Luther King, Jr. leads his 1st Selma to Montgomery march.  1970-National Guard mobilized at Ohio State University. Interracial student demonstrators demand an end to ROTC programs and more admissions for black students.  1972-Christopher George Latore Wallace, popularly known as Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper, a central figure in the East Coast hip-hop scene. Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in 1997.  2002-Minneapolis FBI field agent Coleen Rowley exposes the agency‟s lapses in investigating suspected terrorists in a 13-page memo to the director. Watch for evidence of spittlebugs.

Tuesday, May 22 Sri Lanka observes NATIONAL HEROES DAY, honoring those that led the struggle to liberate their country from colonial rule. This is the United Nation's INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.  1813-Richard Wagner, German composer who saw the theater as the center of a community's culture, born.  1843-A wagon train of 1,000 settlers leaves Missouri and heads west on the Oregon Trail.  1844-Mary Cassatt, leading American artist in Impressionist school, born. She will be the only US artist to display her paintings in the Impressionist exhibitions in Paris.  1856-Abolitionist U.S. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts (for whom our local library is named) was attacked with a walking cane by SC Congressman Preston Brooks. He needed three years to recuperate.  1859-Arthur Conan Doyle, physician, creator of Sherlock Holmes, born.  1885- Granville Woods, African American inventor, awarded patent for transmission of message by electricity.  1940-Bernard Shaw, journalist and principal Washington anchor for cable news network CNN, born in Chicago.  1941-Paul Winfield, actor, (Sounder, Roots, II: The Wrath of Kahn, Presumed Innocent), born.  1966-Bill Cosby became the 1st African American to win an Emmy.  1967-Langston Hughes, noted African American poet and writer, died.  1967-The television premier of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"  1970-World renowned model with African roots, Naomi Campbell, born in , England.  1972-President Richard Nixon becomes first U.S. president to visit Moscow. Fireflies begin to light up the night sky. Veeries, a small thrush bird, begin singing.

Wednesday, May 23 Baha'i commemorate the DECLARATION OF THE BAB. Sweden celebrates the naturalist with LINNAEUS DAY (Stenbrohult) on the 23rd of every month.  1734-German physician after whom Mesmerism was named Friedrich Mesmer, born. Magnetism and hypnotism were used by him in treating disease.  1785-Benjamin Franklin invents bifocals.  1832-Jamacian national figure Samuel Sharpe is hanged  1838-By this date the entire Cherokee Nation had to vacate their land to go live west of the Mississippi by orders of U.S. government.  1844-The first telegraph line was opened on this day between Baltimore and Washington DC by Samuel F.B. Morse.  1846-First woman to be admitted to legal bar (1869), Arabella Mansfield, born.  1895-The New York Public Library was established with then-governor Samuel Tilden as the driving force. The main branch opened to the public on this day in 1911.  1900-William Carney, 1st African American to receive Congressional Medal of Honor, member of 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry.  1908-Max Abramovitz, architect, born.  1926-A prominent white man in South Africa's anti apartheid movement and close friend of Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo, born. (d.1995)  1930-Harvey Milk, human rights activist, born.1930. Whooping crane eggs are hatching.

Thursday, May 24 Those of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN faith observe ALL ASCENSION OF JESUS. This is a NATIONAL DAY OF INDEPENDENCE for Eritrea celebrating independence from Ethiopia in 1993. .  1816-Emanuel Leutze, German American painter who came to the U.S. at age nine and began painting at fifteen, ("Washington crossing the Delaware"), born.  1844-1st telegraph transmission by Morse Code, Washington to Baltimore, (words were, "What Hath God Wrought?").  1854-Lincoln University, the 1st black college founded.  1870-Mexican American botanical explorer Ines Mexia, born. It is estimated that she discovered over 500 species of plants.  1878-Pioneer in industrial management techniques, Lillian Moller Gilbreth, born. She will be the first female member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  1883-The Brooklyn Bridge, a suspension bridge, opened after nearly 14 years of construction.  1905-Distinguished educator Hilda Davis, born, Washington, DC.  1935-Baseball 1st played under the lights anniversary, Crosley Field, Cincinnati, Ohio.  1938-Tommy Chong, actor (The Corsican Brothers), born.  1941-Composer, singer Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman), born in Duluth, MN.  1944-Patti LaBelle, singer ("Since I Don't Have You"), born.  1954-Peter Marshall Murray is installed as president of NY County Medical Society, the first African American physician to head an AMA affiliate.  1960-Kristin Scott Thomas, actress (The Horse Whisperer), born, England.  1966-Leontyne Price opened the Metropolitan Opera Season. Pink prairie phlox bloom. Wild asparagus is emerging.

Friday, May 25 This is Jordan's INDEPENDENCE DAY from Great Britain in 1946. Argentina observes REVOLUTION DAY commemorating the revolt against Spanish rule in 1810. This is NATIONAL TAP DANCE DAY in remembrance of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.  1787-Delegates from 7 U.S. states formed a quorum opening the Constitutional Convention.  1803-Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author and philosopher (Essay "Self-Reliance"), born.  1878-Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, vaudeville & cabaret performer, instructed actress Shirley Temple, "King of Tap Dancers," born.  1886-Philip Murray, Scottish American labor leader & founder of the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations), born.  1889-Igor Sikorsky, Russian American, aeronautical engineer, developed 1st successful helicopter (1939), born.  1926-Miles Dewey Davis, renowned jazz trumpeter, born.  1928-Morris Frank gets 1st seeing eye dog, "Buddy."  1935-Referred to as the "Greatest Day in Track and Field." Jesse Owens, suffering from an injured back, representing Ohio State University, broke 3 world records and tied a fourth in the space of 45 minutes.  1935-Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist, a player in the American Football League, born. In an early civil rights victory for black athletes, Gilchrist led a successful boycott of New Orleans as the site of the 1965 AFL All-Star game.  1937-African American Henry Tanner, one of most important American artists, ("The Banjo Lesson"), died.  1963-African Liberation Day is declared at the conference of the Organization of African Unity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  1975-Singer, actress (Sister Act 2) Laureen Hill, born.  1977-Anniversary of the release of Star Wars.  1979-The worst US air disaster in history occurred as an American flight crashed at O'Hare Airport killing 272 aboard and three on the ground. The showy poppy-like anemone of the buttercup family blooms.

Saturday, May 26 Australian Schools observe SORRY DAY, a day to express sorrow for the forced removal of aboriginal children from their families by the government.  1799-Alexander Pushkin, African-Russian poet dies.  1883-Mamie Smith, a vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, actress and musician of blues and jazz, born. She was the first African American to make vocal blues recordings in 1920.Her “Crazy Blues” was a very important record, because it opened the doors of the recording industry to African-Americans, whether they were blues, jazz or popular singers or musicians.  1895-Photographer Dorothea Lange, who will capture mesmerizing images of migrant workers during the Great Depression, born.  1903-Anniversary of death of Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, "Bright Eyes" or "Instha Theamba,” well-known writer, lecturer, translator and artist of Omaha nation. (b?, 1854)  1920-Singer, songwriter and actress Peggy Lee, best remembered for jazzy style such as with her "Fever" and songs she co-wrote and performed in Disney's Lady and the Tramp, born. (d. 2002)  1923-Actor James Arness ("Gunsmoke," "How the West Was Won"), born at Minneapolis, MN.  1949-Actress Pam Grier (Jackie Brown, Mars Attacks) and Hank Williams, Jr., Singer ("All for the Love of Sunshine"), born.  1951-Sally Ride, 1st U.S. women in space, born.  1965-Senate passes Voting Rights Bill.  1966-Helena Bonham Carter, actress who plays Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter films, born.  1994-Nearly 20 years after the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. and Vietnam agreed to resume diplomatic relations allowing for trade and visits. Herons and mallard ducklings are hatching. Baby squirrels appear. Green frogs and Blanchard’s cricket frogs begin calling at the end of May,

Sunday, May 27 Those of the JEWISH faith observe SHAVUOT. CHRISTIANS observe the PENTECOST or Whit Sunday.  1818-Amelia J. Bloomer, suffragette & liberator of women's fashion (best known for her "bloomers"), born.  1819-Julia Ward Howe, suffragette, abolitionist, and composer of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," born.  1837-U.S. frontiersman, legendary marksman, lawman, army sout, and gambler Wild Bill Hickok, born. (d. 1876, shot at a poker table in a saloon.  1869-Group of Japanese immigrants come to settle mainland Gold Hills, CA.  1878-Isodora Duncan, interpretive dancer who revolutionized the concept of dance with bare feet & freedom-loving form, born.  1890-Vivian G. Harsh , who in 1924 became the 1936- system's first African American ,  born. She assembled the "Special Negro Collection" at the library.  1903-A motorcycle became the first gasoline-powered vehicle to cross U.S. from east to west.  1907-Rachel Carson, American scientist & author of "Silent Spring" regarding dangers of pesticides, born.  1911-Hubert Horatio Humphrey, human rights activist, co-founder of DFL political party, 38th Vice President of U.S., born, Waverly, MN. (d.1978) Vincent Price best known for his portrayal of sinister villains in horror films, born. (d. 1993)  1923-Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, born.  1930-Adhesive tape patented by Richard Drew, (later named Scotch Tape by 3-M, Minnesota, Mining, & Manufacturing).  1935-Jazz musician, winner of 3 Grammy awards, Ramsey Lewis, is born.  1936-Louis Gossett, Jr., actor, Emmy for "Roots," Oscar for An Officer & a Gentleman, born.  1937-Golden Gate Bridge opened in San Francisco.  1942-Dorie Miller, African American Navy serviceman, is awarded the Navy Cross for heroism at Pearl Harbor.  1958-Ernest Green is the first black to graduate from Central High School in Little Rock, ARK.  1965-Actor from "Diff'rent Strokes," Todd Bridges, born.  1970-Joseph Fiennes, actor (Shakespeare in Love), born, England.  1975-Chef, television personality Jamie Oliver ("The Naked Chef"), born. Watch for Karner blue butterflies near lupine patches. White-tailed deer fawns are born now into June.

Monday, May 28 Ethiopia observes NATIONAL DAY. This is the traditional MEMORIAL DAY in the U.S., WABIGONIGIZHIGAD in Ojibwe. (last Monday of May) and U.S. PRAYER FOR PEACE MEMORIAL DAY, established in 1948, is a day of prayer for permanent peace.  1738-Joseph Guillotine, namesake of the guillotine, born.  1888- Jim Thorpe (Wa-thochuck,of Sak and Fox nations) winner of gold medals in 1912 Olympic Pentathlon & Decathlon, designated by U.S. Congress as athlete of the century, born.  1830-Indian Relocation Act removes Native People from East to West of Mississippi, culminating in the Cherokee "Trail of Tears" of 1938.  1851-, participates in Women's Voting Rights Convention.  1888-Jim Thorpe, distinguished Sak and Fox American athlete, Pro Hall of Famer, winner of pentathlon and decathlon events of the 1912 Olympic Games, and professional baseball player, born.  1892-Naturalist John Muir founded the Sierra Club to promote the conservation of the natural environment by influencing public policy.  1908-English novelist, creator of the James Bond series, Ian Fleming, born.  1934 -First quintuplets known to have lived for more than a few hours after birth, the Dionne Quints born in Canada.  1936-BettyShabazz, activist, nurse, health services administrator, Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, associate professor of health administration, director of Department of Communications and Public Relations, also known as Betty X, was the wife of Malcolm X.  1944-Gladys Knight, singer ("Midnight Train to Georgia," "Neither One of Us"), and Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of , born.  1980-Andrea Lee Hollen is the first woman to graduate from the US Military Academy. Wild iris bloom.

Tuesday, May 29Today is ASCENSION of BAHA'U'LLAH (prophet and founder) in the Baha'i faith. It is the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS.  1453-Constantinople captured by Turks - end of the "Middle Ages."  1736-Patrick Henry's birth anniversary, American revolutionary leader & orator.  1888-The railway conductor is patented by Belgium born Charles Van Depoele (see his list of 243 U.S. patents for 1881-1894).  1901-Granville T. Woods, African American inventor, patents overhead conducting system for the electric railway.  1903-Bob Hope (Leslie Townes), comedian, recipient of Medal of Freedom, knighted in 1998, born in England. (d. 2003)  1912-Chinese American physicist with an expertise in radioactivity, Chien-Shiung Wu 吴健雄; or Wú Jiànxíong, born. She worked on the Manhattan Project to enrich the uranium fuel and disproved the conservation of parity. Her nicknames included the “First Lady of Physics.” (d. 1997)  1917-35th president of U.S., John F. Kennedy, born.  1953-Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay became the first known to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.  1961-Award winner, rock singer, Melissa Etheridge, born.  1963-Actress Lisa Whelchel("Facts of Life"). born.  1973-Tom Bradley becomes the first African American major of .  1975-Singer Melanie Janine Brown of the Spice Girls, born.  1984-Basketball player Carmelo Anthony, born.  1985-Soccer tragedy at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, killing 39 people. Otter pups are learning to swim.

Wednesday, May 30 Today is FENDER BENDER AWARENESS DAY, dedicated to 1st auto accident on this day in New York City, 1896.  1431-Joan D' Arc burns for sorcery & heresy at age 19, after leading French against the English. Years later she was named a saint of the Catholic Church.  1672-Czar and Emperor of all the Russias, Peter the Great, born. See the many accomplishments of Peter & his wife Catherine, who succeeded him.  1783-1st daily newspaper, Pennsylvania Evening Post, published in U.S.  1822-Denmark Vesey’s conspiracy to free slaves of Charleston SC and surrounding areas is thwarted by a slave who betrays plot to European Americans.  1846-Goldsmith, designer and jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé who was forced to flee from Russia, born. Famous perfume has his name.  1848-Astronomer Maria Mitchell becomes the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She discovered comet 1847 VI & furthered knowledge of sunspots.  1903-Countee Cullen, black novelist and known for lyrical poetry, of Harlem Renaissance, born.  1909-"The King of Swing," jazz clarinetist and bandleader, Benny Goodman, born.  1911-The first Indianapolis 500 was held, created by Carl Fisher.  1915-Chemist and scientist Henry Aaron Hill, born. As an African American, he often encountered prejudice, the probable reason that he had to send out 54 applications before he landed a job with North Atlantic „Research Corporation where he eventually rose to be vice president while doing research on and developing water-based paints, fire-fighting foam, and several types of synthetic rubber.  1922-The Lincoln Memorial, designed by architect Henry Bacon was dedicated at Potomac Park at Washington, DC and the statue of "Seated Lincoln" by sculptor Daniel Chester French was unveiled.  1943-Gale Sayers, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, born.  1964-Singer Wynonna Judd ("Tell Me Why"), born.  1972-Manny Ramirez, baseball player, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  2002-World Trade Center recovery and cleanup ends. Adult beaver chase off 2 yr. olds in preparation for new pups to be born soon. Ruffled grouse chicks are hatching.

Thursday, May 31 This is WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY.  1790-President George Washington signed the first US copyright law.  1819-Walt Whitman, U.S. poet whose poems celebrated all of modern life ("Leaves of Grass," "I Hear America Singing"), born.  1868-The world's first official bicycle race held outside of Paris, France.  1889-Johnston Flood Anniversary, Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, killed more than 2,300 people. Nearly 800 unidentified drowning victims were buried in a common grave.  1924-Patricia Harris, the first African American woman to serve in an ambassadorial post, the first African American to hold a cabinet position (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) and the first woman to serve as dean of a law school, born. (d.1985)  1931-Mezzo-soprano Shirly Verrett is born; she becomes world famous for her performance in Carmen.  1938-Composer, singer Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul and Mary), born.  1947-Margaret Sloan-Hunter, a Black feminist, lesbian, and civil rights advocate, and one of the founding editors of Ms. Magazine, born. (d. 2004)  1955-U.S. Supreme Court orders school integration "with all deliberate speed."  1976-Actor Colin Farrell (Minority Report, The Recruit), born in Dublin. Strawberries and wild geraniums are in bloom. Monarch butterflies arrive in Minnesota and Wisconsin from Michoacàn, Mexico.