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On this Day May 5

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Celebrity Birthdays

1818 – Karl Marx, political theorist, philosopher and economist, best known for writing “Das Kapital” and “The Communist Manifesto” (d. 1883)

1914 – Actor Tyrone Power (“Witness for the Prosecution,” “The Mark of Zorro”) (d. 1958)

1927 – Actress Pat Carroll (“The Danny Thomas Show, “ Laverne & Shirley,” “ER”)

1942 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Tammy Wynette, dubbed “The First Lady of Country Music” and best known for her 1968 hit “Stand by Your Man” (d. 1998)

1943 – Actor, writer and comedian Michael Palin, best known as a member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python

1945 – Former MTV music news host, Rolling Stone magazine editor, film critic and author Kurt Loder

1959 – Emmy-winning TV journalist and former “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams

1983 – Actor Henry Cavill (“The Tudors,” “The Immortals,” “Man of Steel,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice”)

1988 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Adele, born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (“Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You,” “Hello”)

1989 – Grammy-winning singer-dancer Chris Brown (“Run It!,” “Kiss Kiss,” “Forever,” “Look at Me Now,” “Beautiful People”)

History Highlights

1862 – During the Battle of Puebla, Mexican troops under General Ignacio Zaragoza — outnumbered three to one — defeat invading French forces. The historic event is marked each year with Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

1925 – Teacher John Scopes is arrested for violating the Butler Act, which prevents the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools. He is later tried in the famous Scopes Monkey Trial.

1945 – One woman and five children are killed in rural Oregon while attempting to drag a Japanese balloon out the woods. The balloon was armed and exploded after the group began tampering with it. They were the first and only known American civilians killed in the continental U.S. during World War II.

1955 – The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) becomes a sovereign state when the U.S., France and Great Britain end their 10-year military occupation. The move clears the way for West Germany to rearm and become a full-fledged member of the western alliance against the Soviet Union.

1961 – Astronaut Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space during a suborbital flight of 15 minutes aboard the Mercury capsule named Freedom 7.

1985 – President Ronald Reagan angers Jewish leaders and Holocaust survivors by visiting the Bitburg war cemetery in Germany, unaware that the cemetery houses the graves of 49 Nazi officers.

2002 – “Spider-Man” becomes first movie to top $100 million in an opening weekend. Directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire in the title role, the eagerly awaited comic book adaptation rakes in a staggering $114.8 million.

Musical Milestones

1891 – New York’s Carnegie Hall opens with acclaimed Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as guest conductor.

1956 – Elvis Presley’s self-titled debut album reaches No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and remains there for 10 weeks. It’s the album that brings us “Blue Suede Shoes.”

1962 – The soundtrack to the Oscar-winning movie musical “West Side Story,” featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, begins 54 weeks on top of the Billboard album chart. It goes on to capture a Grammy Award for Best Sound Track Album – Original Cast.

1962 – “Soldier Boy,” by The Shirelles, marches to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and remains there for three weeks.

1973 – “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,” by Tony Orlando and Dawn, is midway through a four-week domination of the pop chart.

1979 – Peaches & Herb kick off four weeks at No. 1 on the singles chart with “Reunited.”

1986 – Cleveland is selected as the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, beating out New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago. It opens to the public on September 2, 1995.

1990 – Sinead O’Connor is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a song penned by Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

2001 – Janet Jackson holds the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “All For You.”

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