On this day

World War II: 21 May

1941 - Cape Town: Jan Smuts, South Africa's prime minister and war overlord is presented with a field marshal's baton on his 71st birthday.

1941 - Atlantic: A U-boat sinks the US merchant shipRobin Moor inside the security zone.

1942 - Rastenberg: Hitler postpones the planned invasion of Malta until Egypt has been conquered by the Axis.

1943: Tokyo: The Japanese announce the death of Admiral Yamamoto, shot down the previous month over Bougainville; the US had remained silent to this point to avoid revealing that it intercepted a Japanese coded message that gave details of his itinerary.

1943: Washington: The Allies agree to stage cross-channel landings by 1 May 1944.

1944: Europe: Allied air forces launch "Operation Chattanooga" the systematic destruction by bombardment of enemy rail targets.

1945: Germany: Goering is transferred from Augsberg PoW camp to the Palace Hotel at Mondorf, where he joins other senior Nazis awaiting interrogation.


Born on this day:

1471 - Albrecht Durer- the German painter and engraver, generally recognized as the inventor of etching.

1527 - Philip II of Spain- whose second wife was Mary I of England.

1688 - Alexander Pope - The English poet and satirist.

1780 - Elizabeth Fry - The English philanthropist and prison reformer.

1904 - Thomas "Fats" Waller - The American jazz pianist.

1916 - Harold Robbins - The American novelist.

1917 - Raymond Burr - The Canadian actor famous for his roles as Perry Mason and Ironside.

1921 - Andrei Sakharov- The Russian physicist known as "the father of the Soviet H-bomb

1944 - Mary Robinson - The first woman to become president of Ireland.

World War II: 22 May

1940 France: Allied forces begin to evacuate Boulogne as the Germans press on to the Channel ports.

1941: Off Crete: German aircraft sink the British destroyer Greyhound and the cruisers Gloucester and Fiji and cripple the cruiser York.

1942: Mexico City: Mexico declares war on the Axis from June 1

1943: Germany: The Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland test-flies the Messerschmitt Me262 jet fighter and at 520mph, says it would regain air superiority for Germany. Hitler wants it to be made into a bomber.

1945: Okinawa: US troops capture Conical Hill and enter Yonabaru.

1945: Bremervorde, near Hamberg: A British Patrol arrests SS leader Heinrich Himmler, who was claiming to be a rural policeman called Heinrich Hitzinger.


Born on this day May 22:

1813: Robert Wagner - The famous German composer

1859: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Creator of Sherlock Holmes.

1907: Lawrence Olivier - The celebrated English actor who was knighted in 1947.

1924: Charles Aznavour - The Armenian-French crooner.

1930: Harvey Milk - The American politician and activist.

1955: Jerry Dammers - Keyboard player with "The Specials."

1968: Graham Lineham - The Irish writer, actor and director.

1970: Naomi Campbell - English glamour model.

1972: Alison Eastwood - The model/Actress daughter of Clint Eastwood.

1979: Maggie Q - The American actress/model & star of "Nikita".

1987: Novak Djokovic - The Serbian grand slam winning tennis player.

World War II: 23 May

1941 - Germany: Goering issues a directive for the economic exploitation of the USSR in which he says that famine and the deaths of millions of Russians are inevitable.

1942 - India: Lieutenant-General Joseph Sitwell and his men arrive at Dimapur, having retreated 150 miles through the Burmese Jungle. He states "We took a hell of a beating."

1942 - Kharkov, USSR: Red Army troops are cut off in the Izyum salient by German forces.

1943 - Berlin: Admiral Donitz orders that all U-boats be fitted with anti-aircraft guns.

1944 - Italy: The Allies begin a drive from the Anzio beach-head toward the Alban hills.

1945 - Japan: US attacks bring shipping at Yokohama to a halt.

1945 - St Johann, Germany: US troops dig up $4 million in mixed currencies, believed to be Himmler's personal cache.


Born on this day May 23:

1883 - Douglas Fairbanks - Swashbuckling actor of the Silent Era.

1910 - Scatman Crowthers - American actor/singer/dancer.

1910: Artie Shaw - American Clarenitist & Bandleader.

1918 - Dennis Compton - Famous English Cricketer.

1928 - Rosemary Clooney - American singer/actress.

1942 - Zalman King - American writer/producer/director.

1950 - Martin McGuinness - Irish politician.

1974 - Jewel - American singer/songwriter/ actress.

1983 - Heidi Range - Sugarbabes band member.

May 24th: On this Day

1956, The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland. The event was the brainchild of Marcel Baisoncon of the European Broadcasting Union. Seven countries participated and they were each allowed two songs. Both Luxembourg and the winner Switzerland used the same singer for both. Switzerland won with 'Refrain' by Lys Assia.

1962, Elvis Presley was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Good Luck Charm' his 11th UK No.1 single.

1963, Elmore James US blues guitarist, singer, died of a heart attack aged 45. Wrote 'Shake Your Money Maker', covered by Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Known as "The King of the Slide Guitar", James influenced Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Keith Richards.

1963, The Beatles recorded the first of their very own BBC radio program, "Pop Go the Beatles". The theme song for the program was a version of "Pop Goes the Weasel". The Beatles' guests for this first show were the Lorne Gibson Trio.

1966, Captain Beefheart appeared at the Whisky a Go Go. West Hollywood, California. Supported by Buffalo Springfield and The Doors.

1968, The Rolling Stones released the single 'Jumpin Jack Flash' in the UK, the track gave them their seventh UK No.1 hit. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack."

1969, Bob Dylan’s album Nashville Skyline peaked at No.3 in the US chart. The singer's ninth album, it also scored Dylan his fourth UK No.1. The album featured 'Lay Lady Lay', which became one of Dylan's biggest pop hits, reaching No.7 in the US, his biggest single in three years.

1969, BBC television aired the first '33 & A Third Revolutions Per Monkee', guests included Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Julie Driscoll.

1969, The Beatles with Billy Preston started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Get Back', the group's 17th US No.1. Credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston", it was the Beatles' only single that credited another artist, 'Get Back' was also the Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the US.

1970, Peter Green played his last gig with Fleetwood Mac when they appeared at the Bath Festival, Somerset, England.

1974, American composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington, died of lung cancer and pneumonia aged 75. Worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday. Awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. In 2009 the United States Mint launched a new coin featuring Duke Ellington on the reverse side of the coin.

1975, Earth Wind and Fire went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Shining Star', the group's first and only US No.1.

1980, Genesis fans turning up at the Roxy Club box office in Los Angeles to buy tickets for a forthcoming gig were surprised to find the band members Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford selling the tickets themselves.

1991, Founder member of The Byrds Gene Clark died of a heart attack aged 49. Wrote The Byrds hits 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better', and 'Eight Miles High', member of McGuinn, Clark and Hillman and solo.

1991, Guns n' Roses played the first show on their 192-date Use Your Illusion world Tour at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

1992, Police in Montgomery were called when an impostor posing as Steve Miller left a hotel owing a $600 (£353) unpaid bill, he did however leave a $73 (£43) tip on a $8 (£4.7) drinks bill.

Source: http://www.thisdayinmusic.com

World War II: 24 May

1940 - Germany: Hitler issues his war directive number 13, ordering the annihilation of the Allies in Artois and Flanders and an aerial attack on Britain.

1941 - Mediterranean: The British submarine Upholder sinks the Italian troopship Conte Rosso.

1941 - Greenland: Britain's great symbol of navy might HMS Hood is sunk by a shell from Germany's opposite number Bismark. Only three of the Hood's crew of 1,416 survived.

1942 - London: De Gaulle promises the Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov that he will press Churchill to open a second front in Europe.

1943 - Auschwitz - SS Captain Dr Josef Mengele takes up the post of camp doctor.

1944 - Italy: The Canadian I Corps takes Pontecorvo, and the US 3rd Division reach the key city of Cisterna.

1945 - Germany: Field Marshal Ritter von Greim, appointed commander of the Luftwaffe in the last days of the Third Reich commits suicide.

1945 - Paris: De Gaulle awards Montgomery the Grande Croix of the Legion d'Honneur.



Born On This Day: 24 May


1926 - Stanley Baxter - The Scottish comedy actor/impressionist.

1949 - Jim Broadbent - The English Oscar winning actor for his role in "Iris."

1952 - Sybil Danning - The Austrian actress who played St Exmin, the Valkyrie warrior in "Battle Beyond The Stars."

1953 - Alfred Molina - The English actor who's roles include "The Da Vinci Code" & "Spider-Man 2" as Doctor Octopus.

1955 - Rosanne Cash - American singer/songwriter, and eldest daughter of the much lamented Johnny Cash.

1964 - Liz McColgan - The Scottish 10,000 metre gold medal winner at the 1991 World Championships.

1975: Journalists leave fallen Saigon
A group of 80 reporters and cameramen - including nine Britons - have been allowed to fly out of Saigon to Vientiane in Laos.
They are the first Westerners to leave the capital of South Vietnam since it fell to communist forces on 29 April.

That day there were chaotic scenes in Saigon as desperate South Vietnamese citizens tried to board overcrowded US helicopters in a bid to flee their own country.

The next day, North Vietnamese tanks rolled in and forced a humiliating surrender.

Thousands desperate to leave

There are still 16,000 foreign passport holders, including thousands of Vietnamese with French passports, waiting anxiously for exit visas and a way out.

After weeks of failed promises and delays, the Western journalists boarded a Russian-made plane belonging to the North Vietnamese Air Force to Vientiane in Laos, the only Indo-Chinese country that still has diplomatic ties with the US.

The fall of Saigon has been marked by victory parades by the communist forces over the last few days.

Posters of Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh, have been placed on public buildings and marching bands paraded the streets.

Some South Vietnamese welcomed the victory - others loyal to President Thieu who could not get away committed suicide. Most are relieved that the war is finally over.

The communist authorities have so far been lenient on Thieu supporters and are more concerned with "re-educating" former soldiers and young people, tackling growing crime and food shortages in an attempt to bring some sort of order to the streets of Saigon.

In Context
Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, and North and South Vietnam were unified in 1976.
This was preceded by three decades of bitter independence wars, which the communists fought first against the colonial power France, then against US-backed South Vietnam.

The US had entered hostilities to stem a perceived "domino effect" of successive nations falling to communism.

The jungle war produced heavy casualties on both sides, atrocities against civilians, and the indiscriminate destruction and contamination of much of the landscape.

In 1986, the communist government allowed in elements of market forces and private enterprise.

But some party leaders still fear that too much economic liberalisation will weaken their power base and introduce "decadent" ideas into Vietnamese society.

In November 2000 President Bill Clinton's visit to Vietnam was presented as the culmination of US efforts to normalise relations with the former enemy.



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Watch/Listen

The capture of Saigon by the Viet Cong was greeted with fear, confusion and joy


The Viet Cong take control of Saigon








Stories From 24 May
2001: Israel wedding party tragedy
1975: Journalists leave fallen Saigon
1989: Yorkshire Ripper's wife wins damages
1968: De Gaulle: 'Back me or sack me'
1999: Drugs row Dallaglio goes



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pa...716609.stm

World War II: 25 May

1940 - Britain - Although the war in the air is confined mainly to targets in the south of England and the Channel, sporadic Luftwaffe raids continue apparently testing out air defences. The North Riding of Yorkshire, and rural parts of East Anglia, were the latest victims.

1941 - Haiphong, Indochina: Japanese soldiers remove $10 million worth of American goods from two warehouses.

1942 - Japan: Four ships leave Hokkaido to stage a diversionary raid on the Aleutian Islands.

1943 - Washington: Churchill and Roosevelt end their talks on the next moves against the Axis powers, with agreement on the date and place for a cross-channel invasion of German occupied north-western Europe the following year by 1 May.

1944 - Budapest: 138,870 Hungarian Jews are deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and at least half are murdered immediately in the gas chambers.



Born on this day: 25 May

1897 - Gene Tunny - The New York world heavyweight boxer who twice defeated Jack Dempsey.

1913 - Richard Dimbleby - English Journalist/Broadcaster.

1925 - Jeanne Crain - Academy award nominated American actress.

1963 - Mike Myers - Canadian actor/comedian alias Austin Powers.

1976 - Cillian Murphy - The versatile Irish actor, star of 28 Days later and Batman Begins.

240 BC - First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.

1914 - The Third Home Rule Act is passed in parliament establishing a devolved government in Ireland.

1938 - The Spanish Civil War sees the Bombing of Alicante. 313 people are killed.

1955 - Joe Brown and George Band become the first to climb Kangchenjunga. However, they keep their promise to the Maharaja of Sikkim not to reach the top, keeping its inviolated reputation intact.

1961 - US President John F. Kennedy delivers a speech to the joint sessions of the United States Congress, announcing his support for the Apollo space program. He states his goal of 'landing a man on the Moon before the decade is out and returning him safely to Earth.'

1977 - The first Star Wars film is released.

1979 - American Airlines Flight 191 crashes moments after takeoff from O'Hare International Airport, Chicago. It was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles International Airport and all 258 passengers and 13 crew were wiped out along with two grounds crew.

1985 - A tropical cyclone strikes Bangladesh and kills 10,000 people.

2002 - China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrates in mid air and crashes in the Taiwan Strait. All 225 people on board are killed.

2009 - North Korea allegedly tests a second nuclear device.

2012 - The Dragon Spacecraft successfully rendezvous with the International Space Station. It is the first commercial craft to do so.

World War II: 26 May

1940 - Dunkirk: The evacuation of Allied troops begins.

1940 - Norway: A German aerial attack sinks the British cruiser Curlew.

1941 - Dodecanese: The British carrier Formidable and destroyer Nubian are badly damaged by Stuka bombers from Scarpanto.

1941- US: America's first experimental blackout takes place at Newark, New Jersey.

1942 - London: Britain and the USSR sign a 20 year mutual assistance treaty.

1943 - Canada: Meat rationing is introduced.

1944 - France: Allied aircraft bomb Lyons, Nice, St Etienne and Marseilles, killing over 5,000 civilians.

1945 - Burma: Allied forces occupy Bassein, ninety miles west of Rangoon.

1945 - Luneberg, Germany: Sergeants Ray Weston and Bill Ottery bury Himmler in an unmarked grave.



Born on this Day: May 26

1886 - Al Jolson - The American singer/comedian/actor. The star of the first full length talking movie "The Jazz Singer" in 1927.

1904 - George Formby - The Lancashire ukulele playing actor/comedian.

1907 - John Wayne - American movie icon AKA- The Duke.

1913 - Peter Cushing - The great Hammer Horror film actor.

1949 - Pam Grier - American Actress, star of Jackie Brown.

1965 - Hazel Irving - The Scottish BBC sports presenter.

1972 - Kylie Ireland - American porn actress/director/producer.

World War II: 27 May

1940 - France: Calais falls to the German army, which now surrounds the Allies at Dunkirk; around 8,000 men are managed to be evacuated.

1940 - Britain: The butter ration is cut back to four ounces per person per week.

1941 - Paris: The Vichy vice-premier, Admiral Darlan signs the "Paris Protocols", giving Germany access to Syrian and Lebanese military facilities and navel bases at Tunis and Dakar.

1942 - Libya: The American Grant M3 tank makes its operational debut with the British Eighth Army.

1943 - Tunisia: Churchill and the US Army Chief of Staff, General George C Marshall arrive to plan the Italian campaign.

1945 - Burma: An entire army is moved by air for the first time ever, when US aircraft fly the Chinese Sixth Army from Burma to China.

1945 - Philippines: On Luzon, US forces capture Santa Fe.



Born on this day: May 27

1911 - Vincent Price - The American actor with the Horror movie genres most distinctive voice.

1922 - Christopher Lee - The legendary English actor of Horror & Sci-fi. The quintessential Dracula.

1935 - Lee Merriweather - The American Actress who made an alluring Catwoman in the 1966 Batman Movie.

1948 - Pete Sears - The English Bass Guitarist/Keyboard player with Jefferson Starship & Hot Tuna.

1958 - Linnea Quigley - The American Scream Queen & B-Movie Actress.

1974 - Vanessa Blue - American Porn Actress/Director.