Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

May 6

1994
Eurotunnel: The first tunnel to connect Britain and France holds its formal opening ceremonies. Round-trip prices ranged from $195 to $465.

1994
Bobcat Goldthwait sets his chair on fire during his interview with Jay Leno on the The Tonight Show.

1992
Britain acknowledges the existence of its secret MI6 intelligence service and its chief Sir Colin McColl, known as 'C.'

1964
Longest major-league home run during a regular-season game, 573 feet by Dave Nicholson for the Chicago White Sox. (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1954
Four-minute mile: British runner Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run a four-minute mile.

1950
Youngest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby: 16-year-old Bill Boland.

1937
The Hindenburg disaster, the giant airship explodes and burns killing 36 people while preparing to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

1896
First flight of a heavier-than-air flying machine: Prof. Samuel P. Langley flies his steam-powered Aerodrome over the Potomac River.

1861
Confederate Act recognizing the state of war between the United States and the Confederacy.

1861
Civil War: Arkansas becomes the 9th state to secede from the Union.

1835
First issue of The New York Herald: James Gordon Bennett begins publishing his paper from a Wall Street basement.

1626
Manhattan Island is purchased from the Indians by Peter Minuit (for the Dutch) for $24 worth of cloth, buttons and trinkets.

1945
Bob Seger (Robert Clark Seger), American rock singer.

1931
Willie Mays, American Baseball Hall-of-Famer, "The Say Hey Kid."

1915
Theodore H. White, American Pulitzer-Emmy winning author. Writings: The Making of the President, 1960 (1961, Pulitzer).

1915
Orson Welles, actor, director, producer, panicked the nation with his radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds (October 30, 1938). He was also the voice of radio's The Shadow and directed the film classic Citizen Kane (1941).

1913     d. 1993
Stewart Granger (James Leblanche Stewart), British-born American actor. Film: King Solomon's Mines (1950), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), and The Last Safari (1967).

1904     d. 1980
Raymond Bailey, American actor. TV: The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-71, Milburn Drysdale).

1895     d. 1926
Rudolph Valentino (Rudolfo Guglielmi), Italian actor, The Sheik (1921). He was arrested for blackmail in 1916 and again for marrying his second wife before his divorce became final.

1856     d. 1939
Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychiatrist, founder of psychoanalysis, defined the "Oedipus complex." When asked about his cigar smoking he replied "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

1856     d. 1920
Robert Edwin Peary, American Arctic explorer. He was the first to reach the North Pole.

1740     d. 1788
John Penn, American lawyer, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

1574     d. 1655
Innocent X, Italian religious leader, 236th Pope (1644-55). He formally condemned Jansenism (1653).

1992     b. 1901
Marlene Dietrich (Maria Magdalene Dietrich), German-born American actress, singer. Film: The Blue Angel (1930). She was awarded the Medal of Freedom for her efforts during World War II.

1987     b. 1913
William Joseph Casey, CIA director (1981-87).

1979     b. 1893
Milton Ager, American composer. Music: Ain't She Sweet and Happy Days Are Here Again.

1952     b. 1870
Maria Montessori, Italian educator. She created the world-famous Montessori system of teaching children. She was also the first woman in Italy to obtain a medical degree (1894).

1919     b. 1856
Frank Baum, American author. Writings: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).

1910     b. 1841
Edward VII (Albert Edward), King of England and Ireland (1901-10).

1870     b. 1811
Sir James Young Simpson, Scottish obstetrician. He developed the use of anesthesia.

1862     b. 1817
Henry David Thoreau, American poet, philosopher.

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