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Today May 21
1932: Amelia Earhart lands in Ireland
Amelia Earhart Putnam became the first woman to make a successful trans-Atlantic solo flight after she landed her black and red monoplane in Northern Ireland today. While she originally planned to arrive in Paris, she was forced to cut her flight short due to mechanical
"Mrs. Putnam said she decided to land in Ireland because of a slight leakage of gasoline, she feared she might not be able to reach Paris without a mishap and elected to make a safe landing," reported the New Castle News on May 21, 1932.
NOTE: According to newspaper reports from 1932, Earhart immediately telephoned London after landing in Ireland in order to get a message to her husband, George Palmer Putnam, about her success. Earhart's achievement came on the fifth anniversary of the trans-Atlantic flight of Col. Charles A. Lindbergh.
1972: Michelangelo's Pieta is damaged
Michelangelo's famous sculpture Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City was damaged today after mentally disturbed Laszlo Toth attacked it with a hammer. "The statue, completed by Michelangelo in 1500, was shipped to New York World's Fair in April 1964, reportedly insured for $10 million against damage in transit. After its return to the Vatican Pope Paul VI declared that it never again would leave its place in St. Peter's," informed the Independent read on May 22, 1972. NOTE: Toth was not charged with the crime, but instead committed to a psychiatric institution for two years.
1945: Humphrey Bogart marries Lauren Bacall
Hollywood's Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart married today during a simple ceremony on a farm in Ohio. "Miss Bacall recited the vows, her voice a little more husky than usual. Bogart, on his fourth trip to the altar, spoke softly but with precision," explained The Fresno Bee Republican on May 21, 1945. NOTE: The couple remained married until Bogart’s death in 1957.
1927: Lindbergh arrives in Paris
Aviator Charles Lindbergh arrived at Le Bourget Field in France today after flying 33 1/2 hours solo from New York. "He was the first man ever to fly from New York to Paris and as the wheels of Lindbergh's monoplane touched the ground the dream of airmen that the North American and European continents should be linked in non-stop airplane flight was realized," reported the Stevens Point Daily Journal on May 21, 1927.
1917: Fire devastates Atlanta
A horrific fire destroyed much of Atlanta today as flames engulfed almost 2,000 homes in 75 blocks. "It was the greatest fire in Atlanta's history since civil war days when General Sherman, terming this city the backbone of the confederacy, decreed it must be burned," explained The La Crosse Tribune and Leader-Press on May 22, 1917. NOTE: The fire, which started with in a stack of burning mattresses, only resulted in one death: a woman who suffered a heart attack after watching her home burn to the ground.
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