Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

May 31

2005
Watergate: Deep Throat is revealed to be Mark Felt, former Associate Director of the FBI.

1985
Ecstasy (MDMA) is banned in the U.S.

1918
First U.S. air ACE: Lt. Douglas Campbell downs his fifth German aircraft qualifying him as an ACE.

1889
Johnstown Flood: More than 2,200 people are killed in Pennsylvania.

1790
First U.S. copyright law is passed by Congress.

1678
First Godiva procession: It celebrated Lady Godiva's famous nude ride through Coventry marketplace. Her husband, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, had promised to relieve Coventry of its heavy taxes if she did it.

1965
Brooke Shields, American actress. Film: Pretty Baby (1978, as a teenage prostitute), Just You and Me Kid (1979), and Blue Lagoon (1980). She was the Ivory Soap Girl (at age 11 months).

1943
Sharon Gless, American actress. TV: Cagney & Lacey (Cagney).

1943
Joe Namath, American Football Hall-of-Famer quarterback, "Broadway Joe." He was Rookie of the Year (1965), Player of the Year (1968), and Super Bowl MVP (1968).

1941
Johnny Paycheck, American singer. Music: Eleven Months and Twenty-nine Days (the time he spent in jail), and Take This Job And Shove It.

1930
Clint Eastwood, American actor, Oscar-winning director, "Make my day." Film: Unforgiven (1992, Oscar).

1924     d. 1985
Patricia Roberts Harris, American lawyer, educator, first black woman U.S. ambassador (1965, Luxembourg) and the first woman to hold two cabinet positions (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1977-79 and Secretary of Health Education and Welfare 1979-81).

1922     d. 1992
Denholm Elliott, British actor. Film: Trading Places (Eddie Murphy's butler).

1908     d. 1993
Don Ameche (Dominic Felix Amici), American Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), Trading Places (1983), and Cocoon (1985, Oscar).

1898     d. 1993
Norman Vincent Peale, American minister, author, and founder of Guideposts magazine (1945). Writings: The Power of Positive Thinking (1952). Radio: The Art of Living. His life was portrayed in the movie One Man's Way (1964).

1894     d. 1956
Fred Allen (John Florence Sullivan), American radio and TV comedian.

1857     d. 1939
Pius XI, Italian religious leader, 259th Pope (1922-39), created the Vatican radio station.

1819     d. 1892
Walt Whitman, American poet. Writings: Leaves of Grass.

1983     b. 1895
Jack Dempsey (William Harrison Dempsey), American boxer, "The Manassa Mauler," world heavyweight champion (1919-26).

1977     b. 1914
William Castle (William Schloss), American film producer, director, known for the use of gimmicks to promote his horror films, such as hot-wiring theater seats and issuing "life insurance" to patrons.

1970     b. 1929
Terry Sawchuk, American hockey goalie. He was Rookie of the Year (1950), Goaltender of the Year (1951-52, 54, 64), and is the all-time leader in wins (435) and shutouts (103).

1910     b. 1821
Elizabeth Blackwell, American physician, the first U.S. woman doctor of medicine (1849).

1837     b. 1779
Joseph Grimaldi, English clown, the first to wear clown makeup and a clown suit. The term "Joey," which is synonymous with the word clown, is from a character he played.

1809     b. 1732
Franz Haydn, Austrian composer, "Father of the Symphony." He composed about 120 symphonies.

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