Today is Monday, May 11, the 131st day of 2009. There are 234 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History

On May 11, 1946, the first CARE packages arrived in Europe, at Le Havre, France.

On this date

In 1502, Christopher Columbus left Cadiz, Spain, on his fourth and final trip to the Western Hemisphere.

In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor of New Netherland.

In 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union.

In 1910, Glacier National Park in Montana was established.

In 1944, Allied forces launched a major offensive against German lines in Italy.

In 1949, Siam changed its name back to Thailand.

In 1973, charges against Daniel Ellsberg for his role in the “Pentagon Papers” case were dismissed by Judge William Byrne, who cited government misconduct.

In 1981, legendary reggae artist Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital at age 36.

In 1985, 56 people died when a flash fire swept a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England.

In 1996, an Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board.

Ten years ago

Stung by an espionage scandal, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said he would halt the Clinton administration’s aggressive declassification of Cold War-era nuclear documents. In Beijing, protests outside the U.S. Embassy over NATO’s bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade eased after state-run television aired U.S. and NATO apologies for the attack.

Five years ago

A video on an al-Qaida-linked Web site showed the beheading of businessman Nick Berg, an American who’d been kidnapped in Iraq. Six Israeli soldiers were killed when their armored personnel carrier was blown up by Palestinian militants in Gaza City. Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant pleaded not guilty in a Colorado court to a rape charge. (Prosecutors later dropped the case.)

One year ago

Serbia’s pro-Western president, Boris Tadic, declared victory in parliamentary elections — a stunning upset over ultranationalists. A cease-fire ended weeks of bloody fighting in Baghdad’s Sadr City district. Parvati Shallow was the last woman standing on CBS’ “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites.” (Shallow had previously come in sixth place on “Survivor: Cook Islands.”)

Today’s Birthdays

Comedian Mort Sahl is 82. Rock singer Eric Burdon (The Animals; War) is 68. Actress Frances Fisher is 57. Actor Boyd Gaines is 56. Country musician Mark Herndon (Alabama) is 54. Actress Martha Quinn is 50. Country singer-musician Tim Raybon (The Raybon Brothers) is 46. Actor Jeffrey Donovan is 41. Country musician Keith West (Heartland) is 41. Actor Coby Bell is 34. Cellist Perttu Kivilaakso is 31. Actor Jonathan Jackson is 27.

Thought for Today

“Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence falls short.”

— Golda Meir, Israeli prime minister (1898-1978)