May 29th

Today's Highlight in History:
On May 29th, 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th original colony to ratify the United States Constitution.

On this date:
In 1765, Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia's House of Burgesses, saying, "If this be treason, make the most of it!"

In 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state of the union.

In 1917, the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.

In 1932, World War One veterans began arriving in Washington to demand cash bonuses they weren't scheduled to receive for another 13 years.

In 1942, actor John Barrymore died in Hollywood at age 60.

In 1943, Norman Rockwell's portrait of "Rosie the Riveter" appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.

In 1953, Mount Everest was conquered as Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensing Norkay of Nepal became the first climbers to reach the summit.

In 1973, Tom Bradley was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, defeating incumbent Sam Yorty.

In 1985, 35 people were killed in rioting that erupted between British and Italian spectators at the European Cup soccer final in Brussels, Belgium.

In 1998, former Arizona senator Barry Goldwater died in Paradise Valley at age 89.

Ten years ago: Boris N. Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian republic in the third round of balloting by the Russian parliament. Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev visited Canada en route to his Washington summit with President Bush. Peru was struck by an earthquake that claimed 56 lives.

Five years ago: The last three bodies entombed in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City were recovered. Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both the House and the Senate, died in Skowhegan, Maine, at age 97.

One year ago: The space shuttle "Discovery" completed the first-ever docking with the international space station. Olusegun Obasanjo became Nigeria's first civilian president in 15 years, ending a string of military regimes.

"Responsibility educates."

-- Wendell Phillips, American abolitionist (1811-1884).