Today in History: May 14, Freedom Riders attacked

Today in History

Today is Saturday, May 14, the 134th day of 2022. There are 231 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On May 14, 1940, the Netherlands surrendered to invading German forces during World War II.

On this date:

In 1643, Louis XIV became King of France at age 4 upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.

In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter.

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Pacific Northwest left camp near present-day Hartford, Illinois.

In 1948, according to the current-era calendar, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv by David Ben-Gurion, who became its first prime minister; U.S. President Harry S. Truman immediately recognized the new nation.

In 1955, representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland. (The Pact was dissolved in 1991.)

In 1961, Freedom Riders were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama.

In 1988, 27 people, mostly teens, were killed when their church bus collided with a pickup truck going the wrong direction on a highway near Carrollton, Kentucky. (Truck driver Larry Mahoney served 9 1/2 years in prison for manslaughter.)

In 1998, singer-actor Frank Sinatra died at a Los Angeles hospital at age 82. The hit sitcom “Seinfeld” aired its final episode after nine years on NBC.

In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana for medical purposes.

In 2003, more than 100 immigrants were abandoned in a locked trailer at a Texas truck stop; 19 of them died. (Truck driver Tyrone Williams was later sentenced to nearly 34 years in prison for his role in the deaths.)

In 2008, the Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species because of the loss of Arctic sea ice.

In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned doctors about a serious rare inflammatory condition in children linked with the coronavirus.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama sought to tarnish Republican Mitt Romney as a corporate titan who got rich by cutting rather than creating jobs; Romney’s campaign responded that the former Massachusetts governor alone helped spur more public and private jobs than Obama had.

Five years ago: Emmanuel Macron (eh-mahn-yoo-EHL’ mah-KROHN’) swept into office as France’s new president, pledging to fortify the European Union, redesign French politics and glue together his divided nation. Five days after South Korea elected a president who expressed a desire to reach out to North Korea, Pyongyang sent a challenge to its rival’s new leader by test-firing a ballistic missile.

One year ago: Turmoil from the battle between Israel and Hamas spilled over into the West Bank, sparking the most widespread Palestinian protests in years; hundreds of young demonstrators in multiple towns clashed with Israeli troops, who shot and killed at least 11 people, including one who had tried to stab an Israeli soldier. Israel barraged the northern Gaza Strip with tank fire and airstrikes; a Gaza family of six was killed when an airstrike crushed their home in what Israel said was an effort to clear militant tunnels. Demonstrating allegiance to Donald Trump, Republicans elected Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a Trump stalwart, to a House leadership post that had been held by Trump critic Liz Cheney until she was tossed from that post days earlier.

Today’s Birthdays: Photo-realist artist Richard Estes is 90. Actor Dame Sian Phillips is 89. Former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., is 80. Movie producer George Lucas is 78. Guitarist Gene Cornish is 78. Actor Meg Foster is 74. Movie director Robert Zemeckis is 71. Rock singer David Byrne is 70. Actor Tim Roth is 61. Rock singer Ian Astbury (The Cult) is 60. Rock musician C.C. (aka Cecil) DeVille is 60. Actor Danny Huston is 60. Rock musician Mike Inez (Alice In Chains) is 56. Fabrice Morvan (ex-Milli Vanilli) is 56. R&B singer Raphael Saadiq is 56. Actor Cate Blanchett is 53. Singer Danny Wood (New Kids on the Block) is 53. Movie writer-director Sofia Coppola (KOH’-pah-lah) is 51. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is 50. Actor Gabriel Mann is 50. Singer Natalie Appleton (All Saints) is 49. Singer Shanice is 49. Actor Carla Jimenez is 48. Rock musician Henry Garza (Los Lonely Boys) is 44. Alt-country musician-singer Ketch Secor is 44. Rock singer-musician Dan Auerbach is 43. Rock musician Mike Retondo (Plain White T’s) is 41. Actor Amber Tamblyn is 39. Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg is 38. Actor Lina Esco is 37. NFL player Rob Gronkowski is 33. Actor Miranda Cosgrove is 29.

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