Today in History

Published 12:01 am Friday, May 6, 2011

Today Is Friday, May 6, The 126th Day Of 2011. There Are 239 Days Left In The Year.

Today’s Highlight:

On May 6, 1861, Confederate President Jefferson Davis approved an act passed by the Confederate Congress recognizing that a state of war existed with the United States of America. Arkansas and Tennessee passed Ordinances of Secession from the Union.

On this date:

In 1889, the Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.

In 1910, Britain’s Edwardian era came to an end upon the death of King Edward VII; he was succeeded by George V.

In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration.

In 1937, the hydrogen-filled German airship Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, N.J., killing 35 of the 97 people on board and a Navy crewman on the ground.

In 1941, Josef Stalin assumed the Soviet premiership, replacing Vyacheslav Molotov.

Associated Press