1989 – 25 years ago
• IBM Corp. introduced an ambitious set of software that addresses the changing role of mainframe computers. The new software is called OfficeVision, which "brings mainframe power to workers' desktops."
• Michael T. Fahey has published a book entitled "Packing It In," which is a chronicle of the Hormel strike in 1985-86. Fahey crossed the picket line to gather material for the book.
1964 – 50 years ago
• Minnesota's Future Farmers of America has launched an educational program to inform the 14,009 members of the youth organization of the health risks in cigarette smoking. The FFA is the first state youth group to formally include American Cancer Society materials in an educational program.
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• Charles Kersten, founder of Kersten Furs in Rochester, will celebrate his 93rd birthday this week.
• Rochester employment reached a milestone of sorts in April. It was the 100th consecutive month in which employment here exceeded that of the same month for the previous year.
1939 – 75 years ago
• By an overwhelming margin, Austin residents were on record today as approving establishment of a junior college.
• "The Public Health Nurse" will be the subject of a free public health lecture to be given in the lobby of the Mayo Clinic at 7:30 p.m. by Miss Marie Bestul, advisory nurse, state department of health.
• Maurie Sherman and his College Inn Orchestra will play at the Mayo Civic Auditorium Arena on the new wood floor. The cost is 55 cents per person.
From news services
Ten years ago:Massachusetts became the first state to allow legal same-sex marriages. Abdel-Zahraa Othman, also known as Izzadine Saleem, head of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, was killed in a suicide car bombing in Baghdad. More than 100 people were killed in a prison fire in northern Honduras. Transsexuals were cleared to compete in the Olympics for the first time. The Michael Moore movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. Actor Tony Randall died in New York at age 84.
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Five years ago:President Barack Obama strode head-on into the stormy abortion debate, telling graduates at the University of Notre Dame that both sides had to stop demonizing one another. In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers admitted defeat in their fierce quarter-century war for a separate homeland. Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark and Charlie McCoy were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
One year ago:The ousted head of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven Miller, faced hours of intense grilling before Congress; both defiant and apologetic, Miller acknowledged agency mistakes in targeting tea party groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status but insisted that agents broke no laws and there was no effort to cover up their actions. Jorge Rafael Videla, 87, the former dictator who took power in Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta that killed thousands during a "dirty war" against so-called "subversives," died in Buenos Aires while serving life in prison for crimes against humanity.
Today's birthdays:Actor Peter Gerety is 74. Singer Taj Mahal is 72. Rock musician Bill Bruford is 65. Singer-musician George Johnson (The Brothers Johnson) is 61. TV personality Kathleen Sullivan is 61. Actor Bill Paxton is 59. Boxing Hall-of-Famer Sugar Ray Leonard is 58. Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 58. Sports announcer Jim Nantz is 55. Singer Enya is 53. Talk show host-actor Craig Ferguson is 52. Rock singer-musician Page McConnell is 51. Actor David Eigenberg is 50. Singer-musician Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) is 49. Actress Paige Turco is 49. Rhythm-and-blues musician O'Dell (Mint Condition) is 49. Actor Hill Harper is 48. TV personality/interior designer Thom Filicia is 45. Singer Jordan Knight is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Darnell Van Rensalier (Shai) is 44. Actress Sasha Alexander is 41. Rock singer-musician Josh Homme is 41. Rock singer Andrea Corr (The Corrs) is 40. Actor Sendhil Ramamurthy is 40. Actress Rochelle Aytes is 38. Singer Kandi Burruss is 38. Actress Kat Foster is 36. Actress Ayda Field is 35. Actress Ginger Gonzaga is 31. Folk-rock singer/songwriter Passenger is 30. Dancer-choreographer Derek Hough is 29. Actor Tahj Mowry is 28. Actress Nikki Reed is 26. Singer Kree Harrison ("American Idol") is 24. Actress Leven Rambin is 24. Actress Samantha Browne-Walters is 23. Actor Justin Martin is 20.
