AP Highlight in History: On May 18, 1920, Pope John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland.
AP Photo/Danilo Schiavella
On this date in:
1642
The Canadian city of Montreal was founded.
1804
The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.
1896
The Supreme Court endorsed the concept of "separate but equal" racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, a precedent that was overturned in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
1897
A public reading of Bram Stoker's new novel "Dracula, or, The Un-dead" was staged in London.
1911
Composer Gustav Mahler died in Vienna, Austria.
1933
The Tennessee Valley Authority was created.
1951
The United Nations moved out of its temporary headquarters in Lake Success, N.Y., for its permanent home in Manhattan.
1969
Apollo 10 was launched on a mission that served as a dress rehearsal for the first moon landing.
1980
The Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state erupted, killing 57 people.
AP Photo
1998
The federal government filed a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.
2003
"Les Miserables," the third-longest running show in Broadway history, closed after more than 16 years and 6,680 performances.
2004
Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game; the 40-year-old lefty retired all 27 batters to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves 2-0.
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