1989 Hungary becomes the first country in Eastern Europe to open its borders to the West.

1985 The brokerage firm of E.F. Hutton pleads guilty to 2,000 federal charges for manipulating its checking accounts. The settlement consisted of $2,000,000 in fines and $8,000,000 in reimbursements.

1982 First nuclear submarine to sink a ship the British Conqueror sinking the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano. It was previously commissioned as the USS Phoenix and had survived the Peal Harbor attack.

1932 Jack Benny The legendary comedian performs his first radio program.

1932 First musical play to win a Pulitzer George Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing wins the award.

1923 First non-stop transcontinental flight Lt. John A. Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly depart from New York arriving in San Diego May 3.

1863 Civil War Gen. Stonewall Jackson is wounded by his own men when they mistake his troops for the enemy during the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia. He died several days later. Source: The Civil War Day by Day

1536 King Henry VIII He charges his second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn, with treason, incest, and adultery.  She was beheaded two weeks later.

1985 Kyle Busch American racecar driver, NASCAR #18.  In 2008, he set the record for the most wins in a season with 21.

1948 Larry Gatlin American Grammy-winning country singer. Music: Broken Lady (1976, Grammy) and I Don't Wanna Cry (1976, Grammy).

1946 Lesley Gore American singer. Music: It's My Party (1963, #1).

1945 Goldy McJohn American keyboardist, with Steppenwolf. Music: Born To Be Wild (1968) and Magic Carpet Ride (1968).

1936 Engelbert Humperdinck (Arnold Dorsey), British singer. Music: Release Me (1967, #1 UK) and After the Lovin' (1976).

1925 Roscoe Lee Browne actor. TV: Falcon Crest (Rosemont).

1904 Bing Crosby d. 1977 (Harry Lillis Crosby), American Oscar-winning singer. Film: Going My Way (1944, Oscar as Father O'Malley). His 1942 recording of White Christmas sold 25,000,000 copies.

1903 Benjamin Spock American pediatrician, author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946). He won a gold medal for rowing in the 1924 Olympics. In 1968 he was convicted of conspiracy to aid others in draft evasion and sentenced to two years.

1897 Norma Talmadge d. 1957 American silent film actress. In 1927, she accidently stepped into wet cement at Grauman's Chinese Theater, starting a long tradition.

1892 Red Baron d. 1918 (Baron Manfred Von Richthofen), German World War I ace. He shot down 80 enemy aircraft. He was killed in action by a Canadian pilot.

1887 Vernon Castle d. 1918 English dancer, aviator. He and his wife Irene popularized the Fox-trot dance (c1912). He was also the originator of the Castle-walk, one-step, and turkey-trot.

1860 Theodor Herzl d. 1904 Hungarian journalist, founder of modern Zionism. His efforts led to the establishment of the state of Israel (1948). Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church

1837 Henry Martyn Robert d. 1923 American army engineer and author of Robert's Rules of Order (1876).

1740 Elias Boudinot d. 1821 10th president of the Continental Congress (1782-83), and missionary to the Indians.

1984 Jack Barry b. 1918 American game-show host, Joker's Wild and Twenty-One, which was involved in the '50s game show scandals.

1980 George Pal b. 1908 Hungarian-born American Oscar-winning director. Film: When Worlds Collide (1951, Oscar), War of the Worlds (1953, Oscar), and The Time Machine (1960, Oscar).

1976 Dan Bankhead b. 1920 American baseball player, first black pitcher in major league baseball (1947), with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1957 Joseph McCarthy b. 1908 U.S. Senator (Wisconsin). He led the Senate inquiry into the alleged communist activities during the 1950s.

1947 William Moulton Marston b. 1893 American psychologist, cartoonist, co-creator of Wonder Woman (1941) and inventor the lie detector.

1929 Tad Dorgan b. 1877 (Thomas Aloysius Dorgan), cartoonist, creator of Judge Rummy's Court, Silk Hat Harry, and Indoor Sports.

1519 Leonardo da Vinci b. 1452 Italian artist. Works: The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. He is also the discover of capillary action (1490) and inventor of roller bearings (1496).

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