Today's Trivia and What Happened on May 21

Place 20 penguins into 3 cages so that each cage has an odd number of penguins in it. (without cutting up any penguins)

Place 20 penguins into 3 cages so that each cage has an odd number of penguins in it. (without cutting up any penguins) Close Large View

Place 1 penguin in the first cage, 1 penguin in the second cage, and 18 penguins in the last cage. Because 18 is certainly an odd number of penguins to place in one cage.

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Quote: The sadness will last forever. - Vincent van Gogh - Final Words

Quote: The sadness will last forever. - Vincent van Gogh - Final Words Close Large View

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What Happened On

Gorillas in the Crossfire

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Gorillas in the Crossfire

May 21, 1992

Mrithi, the Rwandan mountain gorilla who starred in the movie Gorillas in the Mist (1988) is shot and killed by a government patrol during the war between the Rwandan government and the Rwandan Patriotic Front. It appeared Mrithi was sleeping when awakened by the patrol and sounded the alarm for the other gorillas in the group. The blood-curdling screams frightened the soldiers who panicked and began firing. Mrithi was the only gorilla in the group killed.

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First Woman to Graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy

First Woman to Graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Close Large View

First Woman to Graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy

May 21, 1980

Ensign Jean Marie Butler and 13 other women graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

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LST-353 the previous year LST-353 the previous year

LST-353 the previous year LST-353 the previous year
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Top Secret Pearl Harbor Disaster

May 21, 1944

While everyone is familiar with the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese in 1941, few have heard about the Pearl Harbor disaster in 1944. That's because it was classified top secret until 1960.
On May 21, 1944 an explosion aboard the USS LST-353 while it was moored at Pearl Harbor naval base set off a chain reaction of explosions causing the ship to sink and spread fire to the surrounding ships. In all, six LSTs sank and 163 men were killed. It is believed that the incident was caused by a mortar round explosion during an unloading operation.

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First Solo Transatlantic Flight

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First Solo Transatlantic Flight

May 21, 1927

Charles Lindbergh, in The Spirit of St. Louis, arrives in Paris. He had departed from New York the previous day.

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The damaged statue The damaged statue

The damaged statue The damaged statue
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Michelangelo's Pieta Attacked

May 21, 1972

Michelangelo's Pieta (statue of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus in her lap) is attacked by a man with a hammer screaming "I am Jesus Christ! I have risen from the dead!" He smashed her face and broke off her left arm below the elbow. Many of the broken pieces were taken by onlookers, including Mary's nose which was never recovered. Her nose was reconstructed from a block cut out of her back.

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Plucked Alive

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Plucked Alive

May 21, 1950

A tornado passing over a chicken coop in Linslade, England causes a sudden drop in pressure so severe it plucks the feathers off the chickens. The chickens survived.

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World War II - Himmler Captured Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv

World War II - Himmler Captured Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
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World War II - Himmler Captured

May 21, 1945

German Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler is captured by the British. He committed suicide two days later by biting down on a cyanide capsule. Himmler was Adolf Hitler's second in command and organized and led the S.S. (1929), headed the Gestapo (1936), and was the German interior minister (1943).

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Clara Barton Clara Barton

Clara Barton Clara Barton
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American Red Cross

May 21, 1881

The American Red Cross society is founded, with Clara Barton as president.

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Methodist Church

May 21, 1738

Charles Wesley experiences his evangelical conversion. He and his brother John Wesley founded the Methodist Church.

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Birthdays

Jeffrey Dahmer

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This is a birthday

Jeffrey Dahmer

Born May 21, 1960 d. 1994

American serial killer. He killed 17 young men and cannibalized their bodies (1978-91). He was beaten to death in prison.

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Curtiss flying the June Bug to win his first Scientific American prize Curtiss flying the June Bug to win his first Scientific American prize

Curtiss flying the June Bug to win his first Scientific American prize Curtiss flying the June Bug to win his first Scientific American prize
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This is a birthday

Fastest Man in the World

Glenn Curtiss

Born May 21, 1878 d. 1930

American aviation and motorcycle pioneer. He won the Scientific American prize for an airplane flight of one kilometer (1908), opened the first U.S. flying school (1909), and invented the flying boat (1912). In 1906, Curtiss set an unofficial world record of 136.36 miles per hour (219.45 km/h), on a 40 horsepower (30 kW) 269 cu in (4,410 cc) V-8-powered motorcycle of his own design and construction in Ormond Beach, Florida, making him "the fastest man in the world", a title he held until 1911.

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This is a birthday

Judge Reinhold (Edward Ernest Reinhold, Jr.)

Born May 21, 1957

American actor. Film: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), and Ruthless People (1986).

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Mr. T with First Lady Nancy Reagan Mr. T with First Lady Nancy Reagan

Mr. T with First Lady Nancy Reagan Mr. T with First Lady Nancy Reagan
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Mr. T (Laurence Tureaud)

Born May 21, 1952

American actor, wrestler, bodyguard, bouncer. "I pity the fool." He won the TV game show "America's Toughest Bouncer" (1980) and was Hulk Hogan's tag-team partner at the World Wrestling Federation's first WrestleMania (1985), which he won. TV: The A-Team (1983-87, B.A. Baracus). Film: Rocky III (1982, Clubber Lang).

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Leo Sayer (Gerard Hugh Sayer)

Born May 21, 1948

British singer. Music: The Show Must Go On (1973, #1), You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (1976, #1), and When I Need You (1976, #1).

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Richard Hatch

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Richard Hatch

Born May 21, 1945 d. 2017

American actor. TV: Battlestar Galactica (1978-80, Captain Apollo) and in Battlestar Galactica (2004 reboot series, Tom Zarek).

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Rudolph Isley (left) with Ronald Isley (middle) and O'Kelly Isley Jr. (right) Rudolph Isley (left) with Ronald Isley (middle) and O'Kelly Isley Jr. (right)

Rudolph Isley (left) with Ronald Isley (middle) and O'Kelly Isley Jr. (right) Rudolph Isley (left) with Ronald Isley (middle) and O'Kelly Isley Jr. (right)
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Ronald Isley

Born May 21, 1941

American Grammy-winning singer, with the Isley Brothers. Music: Twist and Shout (1962), This Old Heart of Mine (1966), and It's Your Thing (1970, Grammy).

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Rick Jason

Born May 21, 1923 d. 2000

American actor. TV: Combat! (1962-67, Lt. Gil Hanley).

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Raymond Burr

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Raymond Burr (William Stacey Burr)

Born May 21, 1917 d. 1993

Canadian-born American Emmy-winning actor. Film: Godzilla (1954, the American reporter) and Rear Window (1954, the suspected murderer). TV: Perry Mason (1957-66, 1985-93, title role) and Ironside (1967-75, title role). Radio: Fort Laramie (1956, Cavalry Captain Lee Quince).

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Hyatt Hotel Magnate

Hyatt Robert von Dehn

Born May 21, 1915 d. 1973

American hotel magnate, co-founder of the Hyatt hotel chain. He built the first airport hotel (Los Angeles International Airport, 1953).

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This is a birthday

Armand Hammer

Born May 21, 1898 d. 1990

American businessman, president of Occidental Petroleum Corporation. Some speculate that he was named after the "arm and hammer" symbol of the Soviet Labor Party of American. Known for his close ties to the Soviet Union, he bragged that he was the only man who was friends with both Vladimir Lenin and U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

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This is a birthday

Hans Berger

Born May 21, 1873 d. 1941

German psychiatrist. Coined the term electroencephalograph (EEG) for the device used to record brain waves. He was the first to record human brain waves and discovered the Alpha wave.

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Willem Einthoven

Born May 21, 1860 d. 1927

Dutch physiologist. His work on the string galvanometer led to the invention of the electrocardiograph, for which he received the 1924 Nobel prize.

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Philip II

Born May 21, 1527 d. 1598

King of Spain, Naples, and Sicily (1556-98), and King of Portugal (1580-98). His armada was destroyed after attacking England (1588), giving rule of the seas to England.

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Albrecht Dürer

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This is a birthday

Albrecht Dürer

Born May 21, 1471 d. 1528

German Renaissance artist. His series of Apocalypse woodcuts became the first book published by an artist from their own work (1498).

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Deaths

Clint Walker

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Clint Walker (Norman Eugene Walker)

Died May 21, 2018 b. 1927

American actor. TV: Cheyenne (1955-63, Cheyenne Bodie). He stood 6 feet, 6 inches (1.98 meters) tall with a 48-inch (122 cm) chest and a 32-inch (81 cm) waist. In 1971 he fell from a ski lift and was pierced through the heart with a ski pole. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, but a doctor detected faint signs of life and rushed him into surgery to repair his heart. He was working again two months later.

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Ed Ames

Ed Ames Close Large View
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Ed Ames (Edmund Dantes Urick)

Died May 21, 2023 b. 1927

American singer, actor. Ed Ames performed with the Ames Brothers, known for their easy-listening hits. Music: Rag Mop (1950, #1), My Cup Runneth Over (1967), Time, Time (1967), and When the Snow Is on the Roses (1967). TV: Daniel Boone (1964-68, Mingo).

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Howard Morris as Ernest T. Bass go to Video for Howard Morris
Howard Morris as Ernest T. Bass

Howard Morris as Ernest T. Bass Howard Morris as Ernest T. Bass
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This is a death

Howard Morris

Died May 21, 2005 b. 1919

American comedian, voice actor. TV: Your Show of Shows (1950-54, Sid Caesar's sidekick and Uncle Goopy), The Andy Griffith Show (1963-65, rock-throwing Ernest T. Bass and voice of the Mount Pilot radio station host, and director of six episodes), and The Archies (1968-77, voice of Jughead).

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Joe Cobb

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Joe Cobb

Died May 21, 2002 b. 1915

American actor, appeared in 86 Our Gang films as Fat Joe.

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John Gielgud and as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (1959) John Gielgud and as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (1959)

John Gielgud and as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (1959) John Gielgud and as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (1959)
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Sir John Gielgud

Died May 21, 2000 b. 1904

British Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy-winning actor. He was noted for his Shakespearian roles and is considered the greatest Hamlet of his time. He broadcast more than a hundred radio and television dramas between 1929 and 1994.
In 1953, he was arrested and fined for homosexual activity after he was caught cruising in a public restroom. At the time, sexual activity between men was illegal in Britain. He was initially reluctant to continue performing as he was afraid that his career would be ruined by the incident. But, the first time he stepped back on stage he received a standing ovation from the audience. He had been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II just a few months prior to this incident.
Film: Julius Caesar (1953), Becket (1964), and Richard III (1955), and Arthur (1981, Oscar for his portray of acid-tongued Hobson).

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Dame Barbara Cartland

Died May 21, 2000 b. 1901

British romance novelist. Her more than 700 books - sometimes written at a rate of one every two weeks - have sold over 750 million copies.

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Les Aspin

Died May 21, 1995 b. 1938

American politician, U.S. Congressman (1971-93, Wisconsin), U.S. Secretary of Defense (1993-94). He established the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuality in the military.

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John Frost

Died May 21, 1993 b. 1912

British World War II hero. He was portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins in the 1977 movie A Bridge to Far.

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Vaughn Monroe (Wilton Monroe)

Died May 21, 1973 b. 1911

American singer, bandleader. Music: Racing With the Moon and (Ghost) Riders in the Sky(Ghost) Riders in the Sky (1949, #1).

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Eleanor Hodgman Porter

Died May 21, 1920 b. 1868

American author. Writings: Pollyanna (1913, with the name of the title character becoming synonymous with persistent optimism).

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Carl Wilhelm Scheele

Died May 21, 1786 b. 1742

Swedish chemist. He discovered oxygen, chlorine (1774), molybdenum (1778), tungsten (1781), glycerin, and was the first to observe the effect of light on silver chloride (the basis for modern photography).

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John Eliot

Died May 21, 1690 b. 1604

American Apostle to the Indians. He was the first Protestant minister to dedicate himself to converting American Indians. He also wrote the first book printed in an Indian language (1653), translated the Bible into the Indian Language (1661-63), and co-edited of the Bay Psalm Book (1640), the first book printed in America in English.

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Hernando de Soto

Died May 21, 1542 b. circa 1496

Spanish explorer and conquistador. Led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, and the first documented European to have crossed the Mississippi River.

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Henry VI

Died May 21, 1471 b. 1421

King of England (1422-61, 1470-71).

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