Today is Saturday, May 3, the 124th day of 2008. There are 242 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History

On May 3, 1948, the Supreme Court, in Shelley v. Kraemer, ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks or members of other racial groups were legally unenforceable.

On this date

In 1654, a bridge in Rowley, Mass., was permitted to charge a toll for animals, while people crossed for free.

In 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city.

In 1916, Irish nationalist Padraic Pearse and two others were executed by the British for their roles in the Easter Rising.

In 1933, Nellie T. Ross became the first female director of the U.S. Mint.

In 1944, U.S. wartime rationing of most grades of meats ended.

In 1945, during World War II, Allied forces captured Rangoon, Burma, from the Japanese.

In 1947, Japan’s postwar constitution took effect.

In 1948, Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to playwright Tennessee Williams for “A Streetcar Named Desire” and to novelist James Michener for “Tales of the South Pacific.”

In 1978, “Sun Day” fell on a Wednesday as thousands of people extolling the virtues of solar energy held events across the country.

In 1986, in NASA’s first post-Challenger launch, an unmanned Delta rocket lost power in its main engine shortly after liftoff, forcing safety officers to destroy it by remote control.

Today’s Birthdays

Singer Frankie Valli is 74. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 62. Pop singer Mary Hopkin is 58. Singer Christopher Cross is 57. Rock musician David Ball (Soft Cell) is 49. Country singer Shane Minor is 40. Actor Bobby Cannavale is 38. Music and film producer-actor Damon Dash is 37. Country-rock musician John Neff (Drive-By Truckers) is 37. Actor Dule Hill is 33. Country singer Eric Church is 31. Dancer Cheryl Burke (“Dancing With the Stars”) is 24. Actress Jill Berard is 18.

Thought for Today

“Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.” — Peter De Vries,

American author (1910-93)