On this day - May 18 ...

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Thursday, May 18th
The 138th day of 2006.
There are 227 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History


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On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state exploded, leaving 57 people dead or missing. (Go to article.)
On May 18, 1897, Frank Capra, the American motion-picture director whose portrayal of the common man and American democracy endeared him to millions, was born. Following death on Sept. 3, 1991, obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)


On May 18, 1872, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the Presidential election of 1872. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)On this date in:

1642The Canadian city of Montreal was founded.

1804The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.

1896The Supreme Court endorsed the concept of ''separate but equal'' racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson.

1897A public reading of Bram Stoker's new novel ''Dracula, or, The Un-dead'' was staged in London.

1911Composer Gustav Mahler died in Vienna, Austria.

1920Pope John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland.

1933The Tennessee Valley Authority was created.

1951The United Nations moved out of its temporary headquarters in Lake Success, N.Y., for its permanent home in Manhattan.

1980The Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state erupted, killing 57 people.

1998The federal government filed a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.

2003''Les Miserables,'' the third-longest running show in Broadway history, closed after more than 16 years and 6,680 performances.

2004Randy Johnson, at age 40, became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game; the lefty retired all 27 batters to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves 2-0.

Current Birthdays

Jack Johnson turns 31 years old today.
AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth Rock singer Jack Johnson turns 31 years old years old today.


84Bill Macy
Actor

76Warren Rudman
Former U.S. senator, R-N.H.

75Robert Morse
Actor

72Dwayne Hickman
Actor

69Brooks Robinson
Baseball hall-of-famer

64Rodney Dillard
Bluegrass musician (The Dillards)

60Reggie Jackson
Baseball hall-of-famer

59Candice Azzara
Actress

58Joe Bonsall
Country singer (The Oak Ridge Boys)

57Rick Wakeman
Rock musician (Yes)

54George Strait
Country singer

53Butch Tavares
R&B singer

51Chow Yun-Fat
Actor

46Page Hamilton
Rock singer-musician (Helmet)

46Jari Kurri
Hockey hall-of-famer

37Martika
Singer-actress

36Tina Fey
Comedian (''Saturday Night Live'')

32Special Ed
Rapper

26Darryl Allen
R&B singer (Mista)

26Matt Long
Actor (''Jack and Bobby'')

14Spencer Breslin
Actor

Historic Birthdays

Frank Capra
5/18/1897 - 9/3/1991
Italian-born American film director
(Go to obit.)

83Omar Khayyam
5/18/1048 - 12/4/1131
Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer

50Johann Froberger
5/18/1616 - 5/7/1667
German composer, organist and harpsichordist

74Peter Carl Faberge
5/18/1846 - 9/24/1920
Russian goldsmith, designer and jeweler

69Elisabeth Cary
5/18/1867 - 7/13/1936
American art critic for the New York Times

97Bertrand Russell
5/18/1872 - 2/2/1970
English philosopher and logician; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950

86Walter Gropius
5/18/1883 - 7/5/1969
German architect; helped found the Bauhaus school

89Eurico Dutra
5/18/1885 - 6/11/1974
Brazilian soldier and president; helped restore constitutional democracy

64Ezio Pinza
5/18/1892 - 5/9/1957
Italian-born operatic bass and actor

77Vincent du Vigneaud
5/18/1901 - 12/11/1978
American biochemist; won Nobel Prize in 1955

79Richard Brooks
5/18/1912 - 3/11/1992
American screenwriter, film director and producer

68Pierre Balmain
5/18/1914 - 6/29/1982
French couturier

71Dame Margot Fonteyn
5/18/1919 - 2/21/1991
English ballerina

84Pope John Paul II
5/18/1920 - 4/2/2005
264th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church