This Day in History
1862: During the Civil War , Confederate forces evacuate Norfolk, VA, leaving valuable material behind for the Union troops to claim.
1907: Mother's Day is unofficially observed for the first time.
1936: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini formally annexes Ethiopia and proclaims King Victor Emmanuel III emperor.
1950: French foreign minister Robert Schuman presents his proposal for European integration, called the "Schuman declaration."
1961: Newton Minow, newly appointed chairman of the FCC, gives a speech to broadcasters in which he described network TV as a "vast wasteland."
1972: During the Vietnam War , the United States begins mining Haiphong and other North Vietnamese ports.
1974: The House Judiciary Committee opens impeachment hearings against Pres. Richard Nixon.
Today's Birthdays
1800: John Brown, abolitionist who led the attack on Harpers Ferry (Torrington, CT; died 1859)
1860: Sir James M. Barrie, novelist/dramatist/children's author (Britain; died 1937)
1914: Hank Snow, country singer (Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Canada; died 1999)
1918: Mike Wallace, TV journalist (Brookline, MA)
1920: Frank Perdue, poultry marketer on radio and television (on a farm near Salisbury, Maryland; died 2005)
1921: Mona Van Duyn, poet (Waterloo, IA; died 2004)
1928: Pancho Gonzales, tennis champion (Los Angeles, CA; died 1995)
1936: Albert Finney, actor (Salford, England). Glenda Jackson, actress (Liverpool, England)
1940: James L. Brooks, TV writer/producer (North Bergen, NJ)
1942: John Ashcroft, attorney general, former senator (Chicago, IL)
1946: Candice Bergen, actress (Beverly Hills, CA)
1949: Billy Joel, singer/songwriter (Bronx, NY)
1960: Tony Gwynn, baseball player (Los Angeles, CA)
