What Happened on May 21

Historical Events

1979 – Dan White convicted of the voluntary manslaughter of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay councilor Harvey Milk. The conviction on a lesser charge outraged the gay community and led to the White Night riots.
1979 – Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: 4 consecutive titles for Montreal Canadiens; beat NY Rangers, 4-1 for a 4 games to 1 series win
1983 – David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” single goes #1
2005 – 50th Eurovision Song Contest: Helena Paparizou for Greece wins singing “My Number One” in Kiev
2018 – Truckers begin a 10 strike in Brazil, blocking roads in protest at the price of diesel leading to country-wide shortages
2019 – More than 600 people, 75% children, identified as HIV in a month in Sindh province, Pakistan, thought to be due to use of infected needles

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Famous Birthdays

1843 – Louis Renault, French lawyer, born in Autun, France (d. 1918)
1901 – Horace Heidt, American orchestra leader (Swift Show Wagon), born in Alameda, California (d. 1986)
1909 – François-Albert Angers, Quebec economist (d. 2003)
1932 – Gabriele Wohmann, German writer, born in Darmstadt (d. 2015)
1967 – Rogel Nachum, Israeli Men’s triple jumper (Olympics 1996)
1987 – Ashlie Brillault, American actress (Lizzie Guire), born in San Francisco, California

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Famous Deaths

987 – Louis V, last Carlovingians King of France (966-987), dies
1686 – Otto von Guericke, German scientist, inventor, and politician, dies at 83
1894 – Emile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872)
1968 – Doris Lloyd, English American actress (Oliver Twist), dies of heart strain at 71
1975 – Boris Klyuzner, Russian Soviet composer, dies at 65
1990 – Moelvi Mohammed Farouk, Indian spiritual leader, murdered

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