http://www.reference.com/thisday/ Holidays, historical events and births and deaths of notable people that occurred on this day. en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 09 May 2008 07:41:54 -0700 Almanac This is the 130th day of the year, with 236 days remaining in 2008 Fact of the Day Chemical Bank in New York City placed its first machine in operation at Rockville Center, Long Island, in January 1969. Holidays Feast day of St. Beatus of Lungern, St. Gerontius of Cervia, St. Beatus of Vendôme, and St. Pachomius. Holidays Russia, Poland: Victory Day. Holidays Channel Islands: Liberation Day. Holidays Uzbekistan: Day of Memory and Honor. Events Christopher Columbus left Spain on his fourth and final trip to the Western Hemisphere. Events The first cartoon was published, in Benjamin Franklin's "Pennsylvania Gazette." Events General William Henry Harrison turned back a siege of Fort Meigs by Shawnee military leader Tecumseh and British general Henry A. Proctor. Events The 17th amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, providing for the election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than selection by state legislatures, was ratified. Events U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation for the celebration of Mother's Day. Events Polar explorer Richard E. Byrd and co-pilot Floyd Bennett announced that they were the first to fly over the North Pole; this claim has been debated, however. Events West Germany was admitted as a member of NATO. Events The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a birth-control pill. Events Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton N. Minow condemned television programming as a "vast wasteland" in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters. Events South Africa's newly-elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black president. Events Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is selected as the successor of Pope John Paul II. Births John Brown, American abolitionist. Births Carl Gustav Laval, Swedish scientist, engineer, inventor. Births Howard Carter, British Egyptologist, archaeologist who discovered tomb of Tutankhamen. Births Henry J. Kaiser, American industrialist, shipbuilder, auto manufacturer. Births James L. Brooks, American producer, writer, and film director. Births Candice Bergen, American actress. Births Billy Joel, American singer, pianist, and songwriter. Births Dan Regan, trombone player for the Southern California-based ska punk band Reel Big Fish. Deaths Paul Gauguin (born Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin) was a leading Post-Impressionist artist. Deaths Italian prime minister Aldo Moro, found shot in the back of a car after being kidnapped two months earlier. Deaths Alan King, American comic.