Feast Day of St. Pius V

Cinco de Mayo Commemorating this day in 1862, when a fledgling Mexican army defeated invading French troops in Puebla.

1994 Michael Fay The American teenager receives four lashes with a rattan rod from Singapore authorities for spray painting cars and other vandalism.

1993 Same-sex marriage Citing it as sex discrimination, the Hawaiian Supreme Court, rules the banning of same-sex marriages as unconstitutional.

1987 Iran-Contra Affair Hearings begin. Gen. Richard Secord claims his pro-contra activities had been approved by the administration.

1980 U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources is established.

1980 U.S. Department of Education is established.

1968 McDonald's Big Mac makes its debut with its "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun."

1961 First American in space and the Creation of "A-OK" Alan B. Shepard Jr. The creation of the phrase "A-OK" is generally attributed to Shepard during this flight, however, it was actually created by a NASA public relations officer who misquoted Shepard. Source: Myth Information: More Than 590 Popular Misconceptions, Fallacies, and Misbeliefs Explained!

1925 Monkey Trial John T. Scopes is arrested in Tennessee for teaching evolution.

1904 First perfect major-league baseball game Cy Young of the Boston Americans doesn't allow a single Philadelphia player to reach first base.

1895 First recurring comic strip character is introduced, the Yellow Kid, in the cartoon Hogan's Alley, by Richard Felton Outcault.

1865 First U.S. train robbery an overturned train in Ohio is robbed by looters.

2348 B.C. Noah's Ark The Biblical ark sets down on the Mountains of Ararat - As calculated in 1658 by Archbishop James Ussher of Armagh, Ireland.

1973 Tina Yothers American actress. TV: Family Ties (Jennifer).

1943 Michael Palin British actor. TV: Monty Python's Flying Circus. Film: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and A Fish Called Wanda (1988).

1942 Tammy Wynette d. 1998 (Virginia Wynette Pugh), American country singer. Music: Stand By Your Man. She has more #1 country hits than any other female singer.

1938 Michael Murphy American actor. Film: An Unmarried Woman (1978, the cheating husband).

1926 Ann B. Davis American Emmy-winning actress. TV: The Brady Bunch (Alice).

1925 Leo J. Ryan d. 1978 American politician, San Francisco mayor (1972) and California Representative (1972-78). He was killed by Jim Jones' followers in the Jonestown, Guyana massacre.

1913 Tyrone Power d. 1958 (Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr.), American actor. Film: The Razor's Edge (1946) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). He was one of the most popular film actors of the 1930s and '40s.

1899 Freeman Fisher Gosden d. 1982 radio comedian, Amos of Amos 'n Andy.

1867 Nellie Bly d. 1922 (Elizabeth Cochrane), journalist. She is known for her writing on divorce, women, and child labor conditions. She once had herself committed to Blackwell's Island asylum for a story on the treatment of the insane. She also completed a 72-day around-the-world trip for the New York World (1889-90).

1830 John B. Stetson d. 1906 American hat maker. He founded his hat company in 1865.

1818 Karl Heinrich Marx d. 1883 German socialist and philosopher.

1983 John Williams b. 1903 British Tony-winning actor. Film: Dial M For Murder (1954, reprising his Tony-winning role as Chief Inspector Hubbard).  TV: Family Affair (1967, Giles French - filling in for the ailing Sebastian Cabot).  He also starred in the commercial for 120 Musical Masterpieces which became the longest-running national U.S. commercial (1971-84).

1962 Irvin Charles Mollison b. 1898 American judge. He was the first black U.S. Customs Court judge (1945).

1892 August von Hofmann b. 1818 German chemist. His work established the synthetic dye industry.

1887 Washington Charles DePauw b. 1822 American banker, for whom DePauw University is named.

1821 Napoleon Bonaparte b. 1769 Emperor of France (1804-14), King of Italy (1805-14). He was exiled to the south Atlantic island of St. Helena after his defeat in 1815 to the British at the Battle of Waterloo.

1600 Jean Nicot b. 1530 French ambassador to Portugal (1559-61), and for whom nicotine is named. He introduced tobacco to France (1561).

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