Updated May 10, 2014, 8:55 am
On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
On May 10, 1902, David O. Selznick, who produced "Gone With the Wind" and other highly successful films, was born. Following his death on June 22, 1965, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
| 1774 | Louis XVI ascended the throne of France. |
|---|---|
| 1775 | Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y. |
| 1865 | Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga. |
| 1869 | A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. |
| 1899 | Actor-dancer Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Neb. |
| 1908 | The first Mother's Day observance took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia. |
| 1924 | J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the federal Bureau of Investigation - the forerunner of the FBI - a job he held until his death in 1972. |
| 1940 | British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government. |
| 1941 | Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission. |
| 1994 | The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys. |
| 2002 | A 39-day standoff between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ended with 13 suspected militants flown into European exile and 26 released into the Gaza Strip. |
| 2003 | The New York Times announced that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had "committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud." |
| 2005 | Germany dedicated a national Holocaust memorial. |
| 2008 | Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush, married Henry Hager at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas. |
| 2010 | President Barack Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. |
Historic Birthdays
David O. Selznick
5/10/1902 - 6/22/1965
American film producer.Go to obituary »
| 71 |
William Grace 5/10/1832 - 3/21/1904 Irish-born American shipowner; founder of W. R. Grace & Company |
|---|---|
| 26 |
John Wilkes Booth 5/10/1838 - 4/26/1865 American actor; assassinated President Abraham Lincoln |
| 81 |
Sir Thomas Lipton 5/10/1850 - 10/2/1931 Scottish-born English merchant; built Lipton tea empire |
| 82 |
Karl Barth 5/10/1886 - 12/9/1968 Swiss theologian |
| 90 |
Einar Gerhardsen 5/10/1897 - 9/19/1987 Norwegian politician; prime minister four times between 1945 and 1965 |
| 83 |
Ariel Durant 5/10/1898 - 10/25/1981 Russian-born American writer; co-wrote "The Story of Civilization" |
| 88 |
Fred Astaire 5/10/1899 - 6/22/1987 American dancer and actor |
| 69 |
Maybelle Carter 5/10/1909 - 10/23/1978 American singer, songwriter and guitarist |
| 61 |
Ella Grasso 5/10/1919 - 2/5/1981 American politician; governor of Connecticut (1975-80) |
| 69 |
Nancy Walker 5/10/1922 - 3/25/1992 American movie and television actress |