This Date in History - April 5

Happy birthday to Colin Powell.  We know what year you were born.   We still don't know where the WMDs are.

823:  LOTHAIR I IS CROWNED KING OF ITALY.

Fly Lothair.

1242:  DURING THE BATTLE ON THE ICE OF LAKE PEIPUS, RUSSIAN FORCES REBUFF AN INVASION ATTEMPT BY THE TEUTONIC KNIGHTS.

In Blazing Saddles, it was the Teutonic Twits.

1614:  IN VIRGINIA, NATIVE AMERICAN POCAHONTAS MARRIES ENGLISH COLONIST JOHN ROLFE.

Isn't he the dog who used to hang with Jimmy Dean?

1621:  THE MAYFLOWER SETS SAIL FROM PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS ON A RETURN TRIP TO ENGLAND.

For all of you with round trip tickets.

1792:  US PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON EXERCISES HIS AUTHORITY TO VETO A BILL, THE FIRST TIME THIS POWER IN THE UNITED STATES.

And it won't be the last time.

1804:  HIGH POSSIL METEORITE - THE FIRST RECORDED METEORITE IN SCOTLAND.

Slow news day in Kilt Land.

1862:  AMERICAN CIVIL WAR - THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN.

That war got all the way to Westchester???

1900:  ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN CRETE DISCOVER A LARGE CACHE OF CLAY TABLETS WITH WRITING IN A SCRIPT THEY CALL LINEAR B.

I prefer Arial as a font.

1900:  ACTOR SPENCER TRACY IS BORN.

First great actor to be born on this date.

1908:  ACTOR BETTE DAVIS IS BORN.

Second great actor to be born on this date.

1915:  BOXER JESS WILLARD KNOCKS OUT JACK JOHNSON IN CUBA TO BECOME THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

The great white hope?  Meh.

1916:  ACTOR GREGORY PECK IS BORN.

Third great actor to be born on this date.

1920:  AUTHOR ARTHUR HAILEY IS BORN.

Airport!

1922:  ACTOR CHRISTOPHER HEWETT IS BORN.

A friend of mine used to drive him home from church.

1922:  THE AMERICAN BIRTH CONTROL LEAGUE, FORERUNNER OF UNPLANNED PARENTHOOD, IS INCORPORATED.

Most of the people who use this service have not planned a thing.

1922:  ACTOR GALE STORM IS BORN.

Now, Margie.

1932:  ALCOHOL PROHIBITION IN FINLAND ENDS.

And that country is now back on the possible vacation list.

1937:  GENERAL COLIN POWELL IS BORN.

What political party is he with today?

1943:  WORLD WAR II - AMERICAN BOMBER AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTALLY CAUSE MORE THAN 900 CIVILIAN DEATHS IN BELGIUM.

I guess "sorry" won't cut it here.

1949:  A FIRE IN A HOSPITAL IN EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS, KILLS 77 PEOPLE AND LEADS TO NATIONWIDE FIRE CODE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE US.

First improvement?  No smoking in hospital beds.

1951:  ETHEL AND JULIUS ROSENBERG ARE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SPYING FOR THE SOVIET UNION.

No argument here.

1964:  GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR DIES.

He won't return this time.

1969:  VIETNAM WAR - MASSIVE ANTIWAR DEMONSTRATIONS OCCUR IN MANY US CITIES.

Excuse to stay home from work.

1973:  RAPPER PHARRELL WILLIAMS IS BORN.

Happy, my ass.

1986:  THREE PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN THE BOMBING OF THE LA BELLE DISCO IN WEST BERLIN, GERMANY.

What about those running bar tabs?

1994:  ROCK STAR KURT COBAIN DIES.

I know a lot of people who thought this was some sort of a big deal.

1999:  TWO LIBYANS SUSPECTED OF BRINGING DOWN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 IN 1988 ARE HANDED OVER FOR EVENTUAL TRIAL IN THE NETHERLANDS.

Hope they go the way of the Rosenbergs.

2005:  AUTHOR SAUL BELLOW DIES.

Saul Below.

2006:  SINGER GENE PITNEY DIES.

The man who wrote "The Man Who Shot LIberty Valance."

2008:  ACTOR CHARLTON HESTON DIES.

Those cold dead hands really are.

2015:  ACTOR RICHARD DYSART DIES.

An actor you will recognize for being in EVERYTHING.

Dinner last night:   Beef dip sandwich at Bob's Big Boy.