Today is May 21. On this date in:
1542
Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto died while searching for gold along the Mississippi River.
1863
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially organized.
1868
Clermont County native Ulysses S. Grant was nominated for president by the Republican national convention in Chicago.
1881
Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.
1917
The Great Atlanta Fire broke out, burning 300 acres, destroying nearly 2,000 buildings and displacing some 10,000 residents.
1924
In a case that drew much notoriety, 14-year-old Bobby Franks was murdered in a “thrill killing” carried out by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb (Bobby’s cousin).
1927
Charles A. Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis monoplane near Paris, completing the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 33½ hours.
1932
Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean as she landed in Northern Ireland, about 15 hours after leaving Newfoundland.
1941
A German U-boat sank the American merchant steamship SS Robin Moor in the South Atlantic after the ship’s passengers and crew were allowed to board lifeboats.
1945
Actors Humphrey Bogart, 45, and Lauren Bacall, 20, were married at Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio.
1955
Chuck Berry recorded his first single, “Maybellene,” for Chess Records in Chicago.
1972
Michelangelo’s Pieta, on display at the Vatican, was damaged by a hammer-wielding man who shouted he was Jesus Christ.
1979
Former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the slayings of Mayor George Moscone and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk; outrage over the verdict sparked rioting.
1980
The “Star Wars” sequel “The Empire Strikes Back” was released.
1991
Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during national elections by a suicide bomber.
1998
A teen gunman opened fire inside Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing two students, a day after he killed his parents. (The shooter was sentenced to nearly 112 years in prison.)
1998
In the wake of deadly protests, Indonesian President Suharto stepped down after 32 years in power.
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