Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

May 10

1989
The Panama presidential election is voided by Gen. Manuel Noriega.

1941
World War II: Rudolf Hess, Hitler's private secretary, embarks on a solo peace mission to Scotland - without Hitler's permission. He was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

1933
World War II: Under direction of Hitler's propaganda director Josef Goebbels, thousands of Nazis, professors, and students gathered to burn a massive pile of books that had been collected by storm troopers. The offending authors included Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, and Erich Maria Remarque.

1869
Transcontinental railroad is completed with the driving of the Golden Spike, Promontory Point, Utah.

1797
First vessel of the new navy is launched, the United States.

1775
American Revolution: Fort Ticonderoga is taken by Col. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold.

1736
Property is purchased for the building of a charity hospital in New Orleans, now the oldest hospital in the U.S.

1508
Michelangelo: The Italian Renaissance artist begins work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. He completed the masterpiece in 1512.

1960
Bono Vox (Paul Hewson), Irish singer, with U2. Music: Sunday Bloody Sunday (1983) and With You Or Without You (1987, #1).

1955
Mark David Chapman, American assassin, shot and killed John Lennon (1980). Lennon had signed an autograph for him earlier that day.

1946
Donovan (Donovan Leitch), singer, songwriter. Music: Mellow Yellow (1967) and The Hurdy Gurdy Man (1969).

1936
Gary Owens, American actor. TV: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and The Gong Show (1976-77, host).

1922     d. 1992
Nancy Walker (Anna Myrtle Swoyer), American actress. TV: Rhoda (Rhoda's mom), McMillan and Wife (Mildred the maid), and in commercials as Rosie - the quicker picker upper.

1911     d. ????
Major General Bruno Arthur Hochmuth. He was the first U.S. general killed during the Vietnam War by enemy fire; the helicopter he was riding in was gunned down over Hué, Vietnam.

1902     d. 1965
David O. Selznick, American Oscar-winning producer. Film: King Kong (1933), Gone With the Wind (1939, Oscar), and Rebecca (1940, Oscar).

1899     d. 1987
Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz), American dancer whose career spanned six decades.

1850     d. 1931
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, British tea maker, yachtsman, he began empire in 1871 with a single provision shop in Glasgow.

1810     d. 1879
James Shields, American general, politician. He is the only person to have served as a U.S. Senator for three states: Illinois (1849-55), Minnesota (1858-59), and Missouri (1879).

1788     d. 1827
Augustin Jean Fresnel, French physicist, pioneer in light theory.

1730     d. 1779
George Ross, American jurist, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

1994     b. 1942
John Wayne Gacy, Jr., American serial killer, aka "Killer Clown." He was confessed to raping and killing 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 - more than any other person in U.S. history at that time.  He buried 28 of his victims in his crawl space.  He was executed in 1994.

1992     b. 1913
John Lund, American actor. Film: To Each His Own (1946) and A Foreign Affair (1948).

1977     b. 1904
Joan Crawford (Lucille LeSueur), American actress. Film: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

1968     b. 1929
Scotty Beckett, American actor, one of the Little Rascals. He appeared in 15 Our Gang films. TV: Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (Winky).

1956     b. 1883
Clarence Edward Mulford, American author. He created the character Hopalong Cassidy, which was the first character featured on a metal lunch box (1950-53).

1920     b. 1837
John Wesley Hyatt, American inventor of celluloid. He is also noted for his work in roller bearings, water purification, billiard balls, bowling balls, and checkers.

1904     b. 1841
Sir Henry Morton Stanley (John Rowland), British-born American reporter, explorer, upon finding Scottish explorer Dr. Livingstone in Africa in 1871 he queried "Dr. Livingstone I presume?"

1798     b. 1757
George Vancouver, British explorer for whom Vancouver Island is named.

1774     b. 1710
Louis XV, King of France (1715-74), became king at the age of 5.

1566     b. 1501
Leonhard Fuchs, German botanist for whom the shrub Fuchsia is named.

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