Today's Highlight in History:
On May 20th, 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, aboard the "Spirit of St. Louis" on his historic solo flight to France.
On this date:
In 1506, Christopher Columbus died in poverty in Spain.

In 1861, North Carolina voted to secede¹ from the Union.

In 1861, the capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond, Virginia.

In 1902, the United States ended its occupation of Cuba.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland for Ireland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

In 1939, regular transatlantic air service began as a Pan American Airways² plane, the "Yankee Clipper," took off from Port Washington, New York, bound for Europe.

In 1961, a white mob attacked a busload of "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Alabama, prompting the federal government to send in U-S marshals to restore order.

In 1969, US and South Vietnamese forces captured Apbia Mountain, referred to as "Hamburger Hill" by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest³ battles of the Vietnam War.

In 1970, some 100,000 people demonstrated in New York's Wall Street district in support of US policy in Vietnam and Cambodia.

In 1989, comedian⁴ Gilda Radner died in Los Angeles at age 42.

Ten years ago: An Israeli opened fire on a group of Palestinian laborers⁵ south of Tel Aviv, killing⁶ seven; the gunman was later sentenced to life in prison. Romania's ruling National Salvation⁷ Front scored victories in the country's first free elections in more than 50 years. The Hubble Space Telescope sent back its first photographs.

Five years ago: President Clinton announced that the two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House would be permanently⁸ closed to motor vehicles as a security measure. "Timber Country" won the Preakness at Pimlico.

One year ago: An armed 15-year-old boy opened fire at Heritage High School in Conyers, Georgia, wounding six students. NATO warplanes hammered Belgrade and its suburbs, leaving a hospital in smoldering⁹ ruins, three patients dead and the nearby homes of three European ambassadors damaged.