GMT

Today in History: May 22

1804 The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri.

1856 U.S. Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beats Senator Charles Sumner with a cane for Sumner's earlier condemnation of slavery, which included an insult to Brooks' cousin, Senator Andrew Butler.

1908 The Wright brothers register their flying machine for a U.S. patent.

1939 Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini sign a "Pact of Steel" forming the Axis powers.

1967 The children's program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood premiers.

1992 Johnny Carson's final appearance on The Tonight Show on NBC, after 30 years as the program's host.

2011 An EF5 tornado kills at least 158 people in Joplin, Missouri, the largest death toll from a tornado since record-keeping began in 1950.


Born on May 22

1928 T Boone Pickens, oil magnate and financier who developed a reputation as a corporate raider in the 1980s.

1942 Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski, infamous as Unabomber terrorist.

JOTD
A pastor's wife was expecting a baby, so he stood before the congregation and asked for a raise.

After much discussion, they passed a rule that whenever the preacher's family expanded, so would his paycheck.
After 6 children, this started to get expensive and the congregation decided to hold another meeting to discuss the preacher's expanding salary.
A great deal of yelling and inner bickering ensued, as to how much the clergyman's additional children were costing the church, and how much more it could potentially cost.
After listening to them for about an hour, the pastor rose from his chair and spoke:
“Children are a gift from God, and we will take as many gifts as He gives us.”
Silence fell on the congregation.
In the back pew, a little old lady struggled to stand, and finally said in her frail voice:
“Rain is also a gift from God, but when we get too much of it, we wear rubbers.”
The entire congregation said: “Amen.”