Today in History, 5/25

Today is Towel Day, in honor of Douglas Adams. So carry a towel with you all day!

1521: Holy Roman Emperor Charles V declares Martin Luther an outlaw.
1659: Oliver Cromwell's son Richard resigns as Lord Protector of England, beginning a brief period of republican government.1787: The Constitutional Convention begins in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding.
1878: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson is born. I think this is from The Littlest Rebel.

1898: Bennett Cerf is born. He was one of the founders of Random House and was a staple for hosting panel shows of the 50's including What's My Line?

1918: Claude Aikins is born. He played, among other things, General Aldo in Battle for the Planet of the Apes.

1925: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.1926: Miles Davis, jazzman is born.

1927: Robert Ludlum is born.1935: Babe Ruth hits the 714th and final home run of his career.1939: Dixie Carter is born.

1939: Ian McKellen is born.

1940: The Battle of Dunkirk begins.
1944: Frank Oz is born.

1948: Sgt. Slaughter is born. He was a big pro-wrestler in the 1980's and was part of the cast of GI Joe for awhile. I always thought he was a dope.

1948: Klaus Meine of The Scorpions is born.

1961: President Kennedy announces before a special joint session of Congress his goal to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
1969: Anne Heche is born.1976: Cillian Murphy is born. he played the lead character in the very scary 28 Days Later.

1977: Star Wars is released. This is the original theatrical trailer. Notice that the light sabers hadn't been colored yet and the soundtrack wasn't finished.

Today in History elements mostly cribbed from The History Channel, Wikipedia, The New York Times, The Jewish World Review, The Writer's Almanac and anything else I can dig up.