Today is Thursday, May 21, the 142nd day of 2020. There are 224 days left in the year.
Today in history
On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis monoplane near Paris, completing the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 33½ hours.
Also on this date:
In 1471, King Henry VI of England died in the Tower of London at age 49.
In 1542, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto died while searching for gold along the Mississippi River.
In 1868, Ulysses S. Grant was nominated for president by the Republican national convention in Chicago.
In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.
In 1892, the opera “Pagliacci,” by Ruggero Leoncavallo, premiered in Milan, Italy.
In 1910, a year-old Jewish settlement near the port city of Jaffa adopted the name Tel Aviv (Hebrew for “Hill of Spring”).
In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean as she landed in Northern Ireland, about 15 hours after leaving Newfoundland.
In 1941, a German U-boat sank the American merchant steamship SS Robin Moor in the South Atlantic after the ship’s passengers and crew were allowed to board lifeboats.
In 1972, Michelangelo’s Pieta, on display at the Vatican, was damaged by a hammer-wielding man who shouted he was Jesus Christ.
Fun fact
A slightly higher amount of females than males can roll their tongue into a tube shape.
Record setters
The longest fingernails on a single hand measure an aggregate length of 358.1 inches, and was achieved by Shridhar Chillal on his left hand as measured in Pune city, Maharashtra, India, on Nov. 17, 2014. His thumb nail measured the longest at 77.9 inches.
Guinness World Records
Trending words
“Refulgence:” noun; (rih-FULL-junss). Definition: A radiant or resplendent quality or state: brilliance.
— Merriam-Webster
Today’s birthdays
Rhythm-and-blues singer Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 79. Rock musician Hilton Valentine (The Animals) is 77. Musician Bill Champlin is 73. Singer Leo Sayer is 72. Actress Carol Potter is 72. Former Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is 69. Actor Mr. T is 68. Music producer Stan Lynch is 65. Actor Judge Reinhold is 63. Actor-director Nick Cassavetes is 61. Actress Lisa Edelstein is 54. Actress Fairuza Balk is 46. Rock singer-musician Mikel Jollett (Airborne Toxic Event) is 46. Rapper Havoc (Mobb Deep) is 46. Rock musician Tony LoGerfo (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) is 37. Actor Sunkrish Bala is 36. Actor David Ajala is 34. Actress Ashlie Brillault is 33. Country singer Cody Johnson is 33. Actor Scott Leavenworth is 30. Actress Sarah Ramos is 29.
The Edge is compiled by Dallas Marshall. She can be contacted at dmarshall@lmtribune.com.
