Aww, who knew that Ho Chi Minh and Pol Pot shared a birthday? Do you think they ever blew out candles together — or just people's brains?
TODAY IN HISTORY (May 19):
1834 - Michael Carney of Australia was executed for committing an "unnatural crime," most likely sodomy.
1891 - John Vernou Bouvier III was born in New York City. The father of Jackie Bouvier Kenney Onasis was a well known womanizer - what was little known was his manizing. Among his lovers was Cole Porter. A narcissist his Manhattan apartment was covered wall to wall with pictures of himself.1898-Out lesbian writer Marie Louise Pool died of pneumonia.
1898 - Openly lesbian writer Marie Louise Pool died of pneumonia.
1921 - Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, establishing national quotas for immigrants.
1928 - The first annual Calaveras County "Frog Jumping Jubilee" was held in Angel's Camp, California.
1930 - Lorraine Hansberry, African-American poet and playwright
1934 - British author and soldier, T. E. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia," died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash.
1950 - The U.S. Senate authorized an investigation into the employment of homosexuals by the federal government.
1980 - The first Gay American Arts Festival opened in New York City.
1983 - ABC's "20/20" did its first show on AIDS. It had been a forbidden topic until executives learned that children were getting the disease.
1987 - Leonard Matlovich, amongst the earliest gay men to challenge the U.S. military's policy against gays and lesbians, announced on Good Morning America that he had AIDS.
1992 - Springfield Oregon voters passed a law prohibiting the passing of any law protecting homosexuals from discrimination. City agencies were given the okay to deny services to gay organizations and any organization supportive of gay rights, public libraries were ordered to remove from their shelves any books that were neutral or positive on the topic of homosexuality, and gay pride events were banned from public property.
1994 - Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in New York. Born on this day:
1795 - Johns Hopkins, American philanthropist (d. 1873)
1890 - Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese leader (d. 1969)
1925 - Malcolm X, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
1925 - Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator (d. 1998)
1934 - Jim Lehrer, American television journalist
1939 - Dick Scobee, astronaut (d. 1986 aboard "Challenger")
1941 - Nora Ephron, American screenwriter
1944 - Peter Mayhew, British actor
1945 - Pete Townshend, English guitarist and lyricist
1946 - André the Giant, French professional wrestler (d. 1993)
1947 - David Helfgott, Australian pianist
1948 - Grace Jones, Jamaican singer and actress
1949 - Archie Manning, American football player
1951 - Joey Ramone, American musician and singer (The Ramones) (d. 2001)
1976 - Kevin Garnett, American basketball player
What an honor to share my bday with Joey Ramone! I'll pass on Ho, Malcolm, & Pol Pot though...
Posted by: beautifulatrocities | May 22, 2006 at 06:57 PM