Friday, May 07th
The 127th day of 2010.
There are 238 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
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On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II. (Go to article.)
On May 7, 1919, Eva Peron, who was a powerful political influence as the wife of the president of Argentina, was born. Following her death on July 26, 1952, her obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On May 7, 1881, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the New York National Guard. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1833 Composer Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany.
1840 Composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russia.
1915 A German torpedo sank the British liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people.
1939 Germany and Italy announced a military and political alliance, the Rome-Berlin Axis.
1954 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended after 55 days with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces.
1977 Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby on his way to horse racing's Triple Crown.
1984 A $180 million out-of-court settlement was announced in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans.
1992 A 203-year-old proposed constitutional amendment barring Congress from giving itself a midterm pay raise was ratified when Michigan became the 38th state to approve it.
1998 The parent company of Mercedes-Benz agreed to buy Chrysler Corp. for more than $37 billion.
1999 NATO jets struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three people and injuring 20; President Bill Clinton called the attack a "tragic mistake."
2000 President Vladimir Putin took the oath of office in Russia's first democratic transfer of power.
2001 Ronnie Biggs, the "Great Train Robber" who had eluded capture for decades following his prison escape in 1965, returned to Britain, where he was arrested and jailed to complete the 28 remaining years of his sentence.
2008 Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as Russia's president.
Current Birthdays
Alex Smith turns 26 years old today.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson San Francisco '49ers quarterback Alex Smith turns 26 years old today.
81 Dick Williams
Hall of Fame baseball manager
78 Pete Domenici
Former U.S. senator, R-N.M.
64 Thelma Houston
R&B singer
64 Bill Kreutzmann
Rock musician (The Grateful Dead)
59 Robert Hegyes
Actor ("Welcome Back, Kotter")
56 Amy Heckerling
Writer, director ("Clueless," "Fast Times at Ridgemont High")
41 Traci Lords
Actress
36 Breckin Meyer
Actor
Historic Birthdays
Eva Peron
5/7/1919 - 7/26/1952
Argentine wife of Juan Peron; developed independent political power base
(Go to obit.)
86 Germain Boffrand
5/7/1667 - 3/18/1754
French architect; worked in the Baroque and Rococo styles
65 David Hume
5/7/1711 - 8/25/1776
Scottish philosopher, historian, economist and essayist
77 Robert Browning
5/7/1812 - 12/12/1889
English poet and writer
63 Johannes Brahms
5/7/1833 - 4/3/1897
German composer
78 Oskar von Miller
5/7/1855 - 4/9/1934
German engineer; founded the Munich Museum of Science and Technology
57 Marcus Loew
5/7/1870 - 9/5/1927
American film executive and movie theatre chain owner
89 Archibald MacLeish
5/7/1892 - 4/20/1982
American poet, playwright and government official
96 Kitty Godfree
5/7/1896 - 6/19/1992
English tennis player; won Olympic gold medal in 1920
60 Gary Cooper
5/7/1901 - 5/13/1961
American motion-picture actor
81 Edwin Herbert Land
5/7/1909 - 3/1/1991
American inventor and physicist; developed the Polaroid Land Camera
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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