Can you find the hidden baby?
What Happened On
Mister Rogers Breaks a Color Barrier
May 9, 1969
In 1969, many places in America did not allow blacks and whites to share swimming pools. Mister Rogers, on his TV show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, invited Officer Clemmons, who was African-American, to join him in cooling his feet in a wading pool breaking this color barrier. Afterwards, they shared a towel together to dry their feet.
Actor-singer François Clemmons played the role of Officer Clemons on the show from 1968 to 1993.
1950's TV Episode - Con Artist Trump Wants to Build a Wall
May 9, 1958
In this episode of the TV western Trackdown, a con artist named Trump comes to town claiming he's the only one who can save the town from a meteor storm by building a wall.
Trump: "I am the only one. Trust me. I can build a wall around your homes that nothing will penetrate. You ask how do you build that wall. You ask, and I'm here to tell you."
Smokey Bear
May 9, 1950
A bear cub is rescued from a New Mexico fire. The U.S. forest service made him the symbol for forest fire prevention. By 1964, his fan mail was so great that he was given his own zip code, 20252.
The forest service had been using a cartoon version of Smokey Bear since 1944. This cub became the live embodiment of that cartoon. "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires."
They Couldn't Hit an Elephant at this Distance
May 9, 1864
During the Civil War battle of Spotsylvania, American general John Sedgwick proclaims, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance," just as he was shot and killed by a confederate sharpshooter.
Join or Die
May 9, 1754
Benjamin Franklin's famous cartoon is published in the Pennsylvania Gazette. "Join or Die" depicted a snake cut into segments, each representing a colony. It would become a symbol of colonial unity during the American Revolution. It showed a snake cut into eighths, with each segment labeled with the initials of one of the American colonies or regions. New England was represented as one segment. Delaware was not listed separately as it was part of Pennsylvania. Georgia, however, was omitted completely, making only eight segments instead of the traditional 13 colonies.
The crown (now restored) was flattened in the heist
The crown (now restored) was flattened in the heist
Crown Jewels Stolen
May 9, 1671
The Crown Jewels of England are stolen from the Tower of London by Irish adventurer Colonel Thomas Blood. Although he was captured while fleeing, King Charles II, who supposedly admired his daring, gave him a full pardon, land in Ireland, and a pension. Some speculate that he might have been working for the King, who was short of cash at the time.
Blood and a female companion, disguised as a parson and wife, went to view the jewels. At the time, you could view the jewels for a fee. While viewing, Blood's "wife" pretended to be ill. The jewel keeper's wife invited her up to her apartment to recover. Later, Blood sent the jewel keeper's wife four pairs of white gloves as a gesture of thanks. The couples became friends with Blood offering his fictitious nephew's hand in marriage to the jewel keeper's daughter. Blood then got the jewel keeper to show the jewels to his "nephew" and friends, at which time Blood and his crew clubbed, stabbed, and gagged the jewel keeper. They flattened St. Edward's Crown so that Blood could hide it under his clerical coat. They also cut the Sceptre with the Cross in two so that it would fit in their bag. The jewel keeper managed to get his gag loose and cried out for help. The gang was apprehended as they fled.
Kennedy Rape Case
May 9, 1991
William Kennedy Smith is charged with rape. The previous March, 30-year-old Smith was with his uncle, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, when he met 29-year-old Patricia Bowman at a bar. They then went to the Kennedy estate where Smith and Bowman walked along the beach. The woman alleged that Smith tackled and raped her with Smith claiming they had consensual sex. Smith was eventually acquitted.
Smith was the nephew of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Dan Quayle
May 9, 1989
U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle states in a speech to the United Negro College Fund: "What a waste it is to lose one's mind, or, not to have a mind is being very wasteful."
Dean Martin Arrested for DWI
May 9, 1982
Singer Dean Martin is arrested for driving while intoxicated in West Hollywood.
Dianetics
May 9, 1950
L. Ron Hubbard publishes the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, a system of psychotherapy he developed from a combination of personal experience, basic principles of Eastern philosophy, and the work of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud. The book is a canonical text of Scientology and launched the Dianetics movement, which later defined itself as a religion. It is often referred to as "Book One".
Photo Credit: RadioFan
Photo Credit: RadioFan
World War II - Enigma
May 9, 1941
Germany's master coding machine is captured by the Allies allowing the Allies to decode secret German messages. The Germans didn't find out until after the war.
Joan of Arc
May 9, 1920
Joan of Arc is canonized by Pope Benedict XV. She led the French armies against the English during the Hundred Years' War and was burned at the stake by the Church for cross dressing.
First U.S. Postage-Due Stamps
May 9, 1879
The first U.S. postage due stamps are issued. They consisted of 1¢, 2¢, 3¢, and 5¢ denominations.
The Carolina Territory
May 9, 1712
The Carolina Territory is divided into North and South Carolina.
Birthdays
Marston (right) testing his lie detector
Marston (right) testing his lie detector
William Moulton Marston
Born May 9, 1893 d. 1947
American psychologist, cartoonist. He is the co-creator of Wonder Woman (1941) and inventor the lie detector.
Photo Credit: Roland Unger
Photo Credit: Roland Unger
Howard Carter
Born May 9, 1874 d. 1939
English Egyptologist. Discovered King Tutankhamen's tomb (1922).
Kemmler's execution
Kemmler's execution
William Kemmler
Born May 9, 1860 d. 1890
American murderer. He was the first person executed in the electric chair.
Creator of Peter Pan
J. M. Barrie (James Matthew Barrie)
Born May 9, 1860 d. 1937
Scottish author. Writings: Peter Pan (1904).
Before his death, he gave the rights to the Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, which continues to benefit from them.
Photo Credit: Drivera99
Photo Credit: Drivera99
Billy Joel (William Martin Joel)
Born May 9, 1949
American Grammy-winning singer, songwriter. Music: Piano man (1973), It's Still Rock'n'Roll To Me (1980, #1), Goodnight Saigon (1982), and Tell Her About It (1983, #1).
Murphy Brown
Born May 9, 1948
fictional investigative journalist and news anchor. The character shares the same birth month and day as Candice Bergen who played the character.
Candice Bergen
Born May 9, 1946
American Emmy-winning actress. TV Murphy Brown (1988-98, title character) and Boston Legal (2004-08, Shirley Schmidt).
Glenda Jackson
Born May 9, 1936 d. 2023
British Oscar-Tony-Emmy-winning actress, politician. Film: Women In Love (1969, Oscar) and A Touch of Class (1973, Oscar). Stage: Three Tall Women (2018, Tony).
Albert Finney
Born May 9, 1936 d. 2019
English Emmy-winning actor. Film: Tom Jones (1963), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Erin Brockovich (2000), Big Fish (2003), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), and the James Bond film Skyfall (2012).
Richard Adams
Born May 9, 1920 d. 2016
English novelist. His book, Watership Down, about a group of rabbits, was turned down by seven publishers. It then went on to sell 50,000,000 copies and win numerous awards. Writings: Watership Down (1972).
Mike Wallace (Myron Wallace)
Born May 9, 1918 d. 2012
American Emmy-winning reporter. TV: 60 Minutes (1968-2008). Wallace got his start as a radio announcer for such shows as Curtain Time, Ned Jordan, Secret Agent, Sky King, The Green Hornet, and The Spike Jones Show. He moved to TV in 1949 and hosted a series of game shows and then began hosting an early version of CBS Morning News (1963-66).
Wallace admitted to sexually harassing female coworkers in 1970s and '80s by putting his hand on their backs and unsnapping their bras.
Pedro Armendariz
Born May 9, 1912 d. 1963
Mexican actor. Film: From Russia with Love (British spymaster Ali Kerim Bey). His death was attributed to radiation exposure received from an A-bomb test near the filming of a movie in 1953.
Pitched the First National League No-Hitter
Joe Borden
Born May 9, 1854 d. 1929
American baseball player. He pitched the first National League no-hitter (1876, for Boston), which is believed to be the first no-hitter in professional baseball history. In 1876, he pitched a shutout, which some historians cite as the first no-hitter in Major League Baseball.
He was nicknamed "Josephus the Phenomenal".
Harriet Lane (Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston)
Born May 9, 1830 d. 1903
Acting American First Lady (1857-61). She was U.S. President James Buchanan's niece. As he was a bachelor and had no wife, she filled in for the duties of First Lady. Lane is among eleven women who have served as First Lady but were not married to the President, with most of the other women being relatives of widowed presidents. Buchanan had taken in 11-year-old Harriet and her sister in when they were orphaned.
John Brown
Born May 9, 1800 d. 1859
American abolitionist. The Pottawatomie Massacre was committed by his men, and he led the attack on Harper's Ferry (1859), for which he was hanged.
James Pollard Espy
Born May 9, 1785 d. 1860
American meteorologist. Founder of modern weather predicting.
Deaths
Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman)
Died May 9, 2020 b. 1932
American Hall of Fame singer. Music: Tutti Frutti (1955) and Good Golly Miss Molly (1958).
In 1986, Little Richard was part of the first group of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Lena Horne
Died May 9, 2010 b. 1917
American singer, actress. She was the first black person to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio.
First to Summit Mt. Everest
Tenzing Norgay (Namgyal Wangdi)
Died May 9, 1986 b. 1914
Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. He and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first to summit Mt. Everest (1953).
Inventor of Duck Tape
Vesta Stoudt
Died May 9, 1966 b. 1891
American inventor. Vesta Stoudt invented duck tape. While working at an ordnance plant during World War II, she noticed that the way ammunition boxes were sealed made them difficult to open quickly and this could cost soldiers precious time in battle. So, she developed a waterproof, tearable cloth tape to solve the problem. Her bosses at the plant were unimpressed, so she wrote a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
"I suggested we use a strong cloth tape to close seams, and make tab of same. It worked fine, I showed it to different government inspectors they said it was all right, but I could never get them to change tape."
Roosevelt liked the idea and sent it to the War Production Board who implemented her tape. The tape was made with a woven fabric, known as "duck cloth", coated in waterproof plastic with a layer of rubber-based adhesive and could be torn by hand without the need for scissors. The tape worked great on ammo boxes and soon GIs found it was also useful for fixing leaks, repairing equipment, and even closing up wounds on the battlefield.
Stoudt received Chicago Tribune's War Worker Award for her idea.
So yes, it was originally called "Duck Tape", because it was first made from duck cloth. It wasn't used for duct work until many years later.
Famous Last Words: They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance
John Sedgwick
Died May 9, 1864 b. 1813
American general. Killed in the Civil War battle of Spotsylvania. His last words were "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance," just as he was shot by a confederate sharpshooter.
Elizabeth Wilson
Died May 9, 2015 b. 1921
American Tony-winning Theater Hall of Fame actress. Stage: Sticks and Bones (1972, Tony). Film: The Addams Family (1991, Abigail).
Vidal Sassoon
Died May 9, 2012 b. 1928
English hair stylist, beauty salon founder.
Alan King (Irwin Alan Kniberg)
Died May 9, 2004 b. 1927
American comedian. Known for his numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Herschel Bernardi
Died May 9, 1986 b. 1923
American actor. TV: Peter Gunn (Lt. Jacoby) and voice of Charlie the Tuna in the commercials.
Anna M. Rosenberg
Died May 9, 1983 b. 1902
Hungarian-born American government official. She was the first woman awarded the Medal of Freedom (1945).
Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the film From Here to Eternity (1953)
James Jones
Died May 9, 1977 b. 1921
American author. Writings: From Here to Eternity (1951), which in 1954 was declared unmailable by the U.S. Post Office.
Harold Gray
Died May 9, 1968 b. 1894
American cartoonist. Creator of Little Orphan Annie (1924). He is considered to be the first American cartoonist to use a comic strip to express a political philosophy. Gray had a strong dislike for Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and unions, and this was often expressed in his comics. Gray's comic strip was inspired from the poem Little Orphant Annie (1885), by James Whitcomb Riley.
Albert Abraham Michelson
Died May 9, 1931 b. 1852
German-born American Nobel-winning physicist. He was the first to measure the diameter of a star (other than the Sun). Working from the Wilson Observatory, California, he measured Betelgeuse (the bright red star in the right shoulder of Orion) to be 260 million miles in diameter.
François Faber
Died May 9, 1915 b. 1887
Luxembourgian cyclist, Tour de France winner (1909, winning 5 consecutive stages). He was the first non-Frenchman to win the Tour de France. During WWI after receiving a telegram announcing the birth of his daughter, he jumped for joy in his trench and was killed by a German bullet.
William Bradford
Died May 9, 1657 b. 1590
American historian, signer of the Mayflower Compact (1620). He is called "The Father of American History" for his writings of the early Plymouth Colony. He was elected governor of Plymouth Colony 30 times.