1884 – Ringling Brothers circus premieres.
1910 – Passage of Earth through tail of Hailey’s Comet causes near-panic.
1913 – Webb Allen Land-Holding Bill passes, forbidding Japanese from owning land.
1921 – Congress sharply curbs immigration, setting a national quota system.
1935 – NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1942 – Braves Paul Warner is 3rd National League player to get 3,000 hits (Cap Anson & Honus Wagner)
1951 – 76th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold wins in 1:56.4.
1958 – “South Pacific” soundtrack album goes #1 & stays there for 31 weeks.
1960 – Alan Freed & eight other radio DJs accused of taking radio payola (bribes from record companies)
1962 – Marilyn Monroe sings “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy before 15,000 attendees, accompanied by jazz pianist Hank Jones, at Madison Square Garden, NYC.
1971 – USSR launches Mars 2, becomes the 1st spacecraft to crash land on Mars.
1977 – Caper comedy film “Smokey and the Bandit” starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
1984 – Stanley Cup Final, Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta: Wayne Gretzky scores twice as Edmonton Oilers beat NY Islanders, 5-2 for a 4-1 series win; Oilers first title.
1989 – Dow Jones Average passes 2,500 mark for 1st time, closes at 2,501.
1992 – 17th Amendment ratified prohibits Congress from raising salary.
1999 – “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”, directed by George Lucas, starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson, is released in cinemas.
2013 – 20th Billboard Music Awards: Taylor Swift, Red win.
2018 – American actress Meghan Markle marries Prince Harry at a ceremony in Windsor Castle, making her a member of the British royal family.
2019 – Billionaire Robert F. Smith announces he will pay off college loans of nearly 400 students of the graduating class of Morehouse College, Atlanta.
2022 – Mercedes confirms the sale of world’s most expensive car – a 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe for $142 million.
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