AP Highlight in History: On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked the nation to work toward putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
President John F. Kennedy
AP Photo
On this date in:
1787
The Constitutional Convention was convened in Philadelphia.
1878
Song-and-dance man Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was born in Richmond, Va.
1895
Playwright Oscar Wilde was convicted of a morals charge in London and sentenced to prison.
1935
Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth hit the 714th and final home run of his career.
1946
Transjordan became a kingdom as it proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah I.
1951
Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays made his major league debut with the New York Giants.
AP Photo
1968
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was dedicated.
1977
The science-fiction movie "Star Wars" was released.
1979
An American Airlines DC-10 crashed during takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, killing all 271 people on board and two on the ground.
AP correspondent Mark Knoller
1981
Daredevil Dan Goodwin, wearing a Spiderman costume, scaled the outside of Chicago's Sears Tower in 71/2 hours.
1986
An estimated 7 million people participated in "Hands Across America," forming a line across the country to raise money for the nation's hungry and homeless.
1992
Jay Leno debuted as host of NBC's "Tonight Show," succeeding Johnny Carson.
2005
Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of "American Idol."
2006
Former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted in Houston of conspiracy and fraud for the company's downfall. (Skilling faces resentencing after his original 24-year sentence was overturned; Lay died before sentencing.)
2011
A judge in Tucson, Ariz., ruled that Jared Lee Loughner, the man accused of wounding U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killing six in a shooting rampage, was mentally incompetent to stand trial.
2011
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" aired its final broadcast, ending a 25-year run.
