By The Associated Press

Today in History

Today is Friday, May 14, the 134th day of 2021. There are 231 days left in the year.

Todayís Highlight in History:

On May 14, 1955, representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland. (The Pact was dissolved in 1991.)

On this date:

In 1643, Louis XIV became King of France at age 4 upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.

In 1787, delegates began gathering at the State House in Philadelphia to draw up the United States Constitution; the convention did not achieve a quorum of seven states until May 25.

In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter.

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Pacific Northwest left camp near present-day Hartford, Illinois.

In 1863, Union forces defeated the Confederates in the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi.

In 1940, the Netherlands surrendered to invading German forces during World War II.

In 1948, according to the current-era calendar, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv by David Ben-Gurion, who became its first prime minister; U.S. President Harry S. Truman immediately recognized the new nation.

In 1961, Freedom Riders were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama.

In 1987, film star Rita Hayworth died in New York at age 68.

In 1998, singer-actor Frank Sinatra died at a Los Angeles hospital at age 82. The hit sitcom ìSeinfeldî aired its final episode after nine years on NBC. In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana for medical purposes.

In 2008, the Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species because of the loss of Arctic sea ice. Justine Henin (EHí-nen), 25, became the first woman to retire from tennis while atop the WTA rankings.

Ten years ago: At New Yorkís John F. Kennedy International Airport, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund and potential candidate for president of France, was removed from a Paris-bound plane and charged with sexually assaulting a Manhattan hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo (na-fee-SAHí-too dee-AHí-loh). (Strauss-Kahn later resigned; the charges against him were eventually dropped.) Five years ago: A charter bus headed to a casino in rainy conditions crashed north of Laredo, Texas, killing eight people and injuring 44 others.

One year ago: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned doctors about a serious rare inflammatory condition in children linked with the coronavirus. Carnival Corp., the worldís largest cruise company, said it would lay off hundreds of employees due to the coronavirus pandemic. Producers of the big-budget musicial ìFrozenî announced that the show would not reopen when Broadway theaters were allowed to restart. Phyllis George, a former Miss America who became a female sportscasting pioneer on CBSís ìThe NFL Todayî and served as the first lady of Kentucky, died at the age of 70.