On This Day May 2

1989
Hungary becomes the first country in Eastern Europe to open its borders to the West.

1985
The brokerage firm of E.F. Hutton pleads guilty to 2,000 federal charges for manipulating its checking accounts. The settlement consisted of $2,000,000 in fines and $8,000,000 in reimbursements.

1982
First nuclear submarine to sink a ship, the British Conqueror sinking the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano. It was previously commissioned as the USS Phoenix and had survived the Peal Harbor attack.

1932
First musical play to win a Pulitzer: George Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing wins the award.

1923
First non-stop transcontinental flight: Lt. John A. Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly depart from New York arriving in San Diego May 3.

1863
Civil War: Gen. Stonewall Jackson is wounded by his own men when they mistake his troops for the enemy during the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia. He died several days later. (Source: The Civil War Day by Day)

1948
Larry Gatlin, American Grammy-winning country singer. Music: Broken Lady (1976, Grammy) and I Don't Wanna Cry (1976, Grammy).

1945
Goldy McJohn, American keyboardist, with Steppenwolf. Music: Born To Be Wild (1968) and Magic Carpet Ride (1968).

1936
Engelbert Humperdinck (Arnold Dorsey), British singer. Music: Release Me (1967, #1).

1904 d. 1977
Bing Crosby (Harry Lillis Crosby), American Oscar-winning singer. Film: Going My Way (1944, Oscar as Father O'Malley). His 1942 recording of White Christmas sold 25,000,000 copies.

1903
Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician, author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946). He won a gold medal for rowing in the 1924 Olympics. In 1968 he was convicted of conspiracy to aid others in draft evasion and sentenced to two years.

1897 d. 1957
Norma Talmadge, American silent film actress. In 1927, she accidently stepped into wet cement at Grauman's Chinese Theater, starting a long tradition.

1892 d. 1918
Red Baron (Baron Manfred Von Richthofen), German World War I ace. He shot down 80 enemy aircraft. He was killed in action by a Canadian pilot.

1887 d. 1918
Vernon Castle, English dancer, aviator. He and his wife Irene popularized the Fox-trot dance (c1912). He was also the originator of the Castle-walk, one-step, and turkey-trot.

1860 d. 1904
Theodor Herzl, Hungarian journalist, founder of modern Zionism. His efforts led to the establishment of the state of Israel (1948). (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1837 d. 1923
Henry Martyn Robert, American army engineer and author of Robert's Rules of Order (1876).

1740 d. 1821
Elias Boudinot, 10th president of the Continental Congress (1782-83), and missionary to the Indians.

1984 b. 1918
Jack Barry, American game-show host, Joker's Wild and Twenty-One, which was involved in the '50s game show scandals.

1980 b. 1908
George Pal, Hungarian-born American Oscar-winning director. Film: When Worlds Collide (1951, Oscar), War of the Worlds (1953, Oscar), and The Time Machine (1960, Oscar).

1976 b. 1920
Dan Bankhead, American baseball player, first black pitcher in major league baseball (1947), with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1957 b. 1908
Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator (Wisconsin). He led the Senate inquiry into the alleged communist activities during the 1950s.

1947 b. 1893
William Moulton Marston, American psychologist, cartoonist, co-creator of Wonder Woman (1941) and inventor the lie detector.

1929 b. 1877
Tad Dorgan (Thomas Aloysius Dorgan), cartoonist, creator of Judge Rummy's Court, Silk Hat Harry, and Indoor Sports.

1519 b. 1452
Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist. Works: The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. He is also the discover of capillary action (1490) and inventor of roller bearings (1496).

May 2

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