Today is Tuesday, May 12, the 132nd day of 2009. There are 233 days left in the year.
1777 _ First ice cream advertisement (Philip Lenzi-New York Gazette)
1792 _ Toilet that flushes itself at regular intervals is patented
1928 _ Mussolini ends woman's rights in Italy
1932 _ Body of kidnapped son of Charles Lindbergh is found in Hopewell NJ
1940 _ Nazi blitz conquest of France began by crossing Meuse River
1942 _ 1,500 Jews gassed in Auschwitz
1959 _ Liz Taylor's fourth marriage (Eddie Fisher)
1965 _ Israel and West Germany exchange letters beginning diplomatic relations
1991 _ A new cancer drug is announced, which can only be found in bark of a rare tree in the Pacific Northwest
1997 _ Russia and Chechnya sign peace deal after 400 years of conflict