Updated May 9, 2012, 2:28 pm
On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
On May 10, 1902, David O. Selznick, who produced “Gone With the Wind” and other highly successful films, was born. Following his death on June 22, 1965, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1774 Louis XVI ascended the throne of France. 1775 Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y. 1865 Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga. 1869 A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. 1899 Actor-dancer Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Neb. 1908 The first Mother’s Day observance took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia. 1924 J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the federal Bureau of Investigation – the forerunner of the FBI – a job he held until his death in 1972. 1940 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government. 1941 Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission. 1994 The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys. 2002 A 39-day standoff between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ended with 13 suspected militants flown into European exile and 26 released into the Gaza Strip. 2003 The New York Times announced that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had “committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud.” 2005 Germany dedicated a national Holocaust memorial. 2008 Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush, married Henry Hager at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas. 2010 President Barack Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Rock singer Bono (U2) turns 52 years old today.
AP Photo/Thibault Camus
Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun turns 70 years old today.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
1930 Pat Summerall, Sportscaster, turns 82 1939 Gary Owens, Announcer (“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”), turns 73 1943 David Clennon, Actor, turns 69 1944 Jim Abrahams, Writer, director (“Airplane!”), turns 68 1946 Donovan, Folk, rock singer, turns 66 1946 Dave Mason, Rock singer (Traffic), turns 66 1947 Andrew Card, Former White House chief of staff, turns 65 1958 Rick Santorum, Former U.S. senator, R-Pa., turns 54 1960 Dean Heller, U.S. senator, R-Nev., turns 52 1963 Suzan-Lori Parks, Playwright, turns 49 1965 Linda Evangelista, Model, turns 47 1967 Young MC, Rapper, turns 45 1978 Kenan Thompson, Actor (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 34 1990 Lauren Potter, Actress (“Glee”), turns 22
Historic Birthdays
David O. Selznick 5/10/1902 – 6/22/1965 American film producer.Go to obituary »
71 William Grace 5/10/1832 – 3/21/1904
Irish-born American shipowner; founder of W. R. Grace & Company26 John Wilkes Booth 5/10/1838 – 4/26/1865
American actor; assassinated President Abraham Lincoln81 Sir Thomas Lipton 5/10/1850 – 10/2/1931
Scottish-born English merchant; built Lipton tea empire82 Karl Barth 5/10/1886 – 12/9/1968
Swiss theologian90 Einar Gerhardsen 5/10/1897 – 9/19/1987
Norwegian politician; prime minister four times between 1945 and 196583 Ariel Durant 5/10/1898 – 10/25/1981
Russian-born American writer; co-wrote “The Story of Civilization”88 Fred Astaire 5/10/1899 – 6/22/1987
American dancer and actor69 Maybelle Carter 5/10/1909 – 10/23/1978
American singer, songwriter and guitarist61 Ella Grasso 5/10/1919 – 2/5/1981
American politician; governor of Connecticut (1975-80)69 Nancy Walker 5/10/1922 – 3/25/1992
American movie and television actress
