Moments in Time – May 10, 2023

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• On May 27, 1679, the Habeas Corpus Act passed, strengthening an individual’s right to contest unlawful arrest and imprisonment. The act is considered one of the most important rulings in English constitutional history.
• On May 24, 1887, President Chester A. Arthur and New York Gov. Grover Cleveland opened the Brooklyn Bridge. At the time, it was considered engineering’s greatest achievement, with a span of 1,600 feet, which made it the longest suspension bridge in the world.
• On May 22, 1906, Wilbur and Orville Wright were granted a patent for their “flying machine.” Their first application was rejected, and the overall process took three years, after which they sold the patent to the newly formed Wright Company for a sweet $100,000, 40% of the company’s stock, and a royalty of 10% on all aircraft sold.
• On May 23, 1962, 12 doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston performed the first successful reattachment of a human limb – the severed arm of 12-year-old Everett “Red” Knowles. After four years of recovery, he had regained complete mobility and use of it.
• On May 26, 1993, Major League Baseball’s Jose Canseco and the Texas Rangers were playing against the Cleveland Indians when the latter team’s infielder, Carlos Martinez, famously hit a fly ball that bounced off Canseco’s head. All ended well, however, in a home run and no injuries, as well as some astonished laughs.
• On May 25, 2011, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” came to an emotional end after 25 years and 4,561 episodes, with its longtime host telling her audience, “You and this show have been the greatest love of my life.” It remains one of the highest-rated daytime TV talk shows in American entertainment history.
• On May 28, 2016, a gorilla named Harambe was relaxing inside the Gorilla World habitat at the Cincinnati Zoo when a 3-year-old boy climbed into the enclosure and fell into the moat. While it seemed that Harambe was protecting the boy from drowning, zoo officials decided to shoot the animal as they feared he might accidentally kill the child.

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.