Presidential Impeachment…..
May 26, 1868…..
U.S. President Andrew Johnson avoids impeachment by one vote. The Senate voted 35-19 in favor of impeachment, one vote short of the necessary two-thirds majority.
Superman Paralyzed…..
May 27, 1995…..
Actor Christopher Reeve, known for playing Superman, is paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from a horse. He had been scheduled to pose for an equestrian safety poster.
The horse he was riding refused a jump, making a sudden stop as it approached the jump. Reeve fell forward and landed on his head shattering his first and second vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed him from the neck down. He had to have surgery to reattach his skull to his spine. Reeve continued to act and direct, but died in 2004 after he went into cardiac arrest after receiving an antibiotic for pressure sores.
Phil Hartman Killed in Murder-Suicide…..
May 28, 1998…..
Comedian Phil Hartman is murdered by his wife. During a heated argument earlier that evening, he had threatened to leave her if she began using drugs again. After he went to bed, she shot him while he slept at about 3 am, killing herself later that morning as police were removing the children from the home.
Hartman was known for his extensive television and film work, such as: Saturday Night Live, Pee-wee’s Playhouse (Captin’ Carl. He and Paul Reubens co-created the Pee-wee Herman character), and The Simpsons (voice of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz). He also designed album covers for bands such as Poco.
Bing Crosby Records White Christmas…..
May 29, 1942…..
Bing Crosby records the song White Christmas. This recording of White Christmas has sold over 50,000,000 copies and is the world’s best-selling single of all time. It took only 18 minutes to record and was recorded with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers and for Decca Records.
This recording is the only single to top of the U.S. charts three times (1942, 1945, 1946).
Crosby would also sing the song in the movies Holiday Inn (1942) and White Christmas (1954).
The song was written by Irving Berlin, who was Jewish. The various versions of the song have sold over 100,000,000 copies.