[goofywife]

1981: Pope John Paul II is shot

Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, was shot today in Vatican City. He was immediately taken to the Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic, considered Rome's most modern hospital.

"Vatican radio said the pontiff had been driven through St. Peter's Square in his jeep and was about to leave the jeep to start a general audience when shots were heard at about 5:25 p.m.," reported the Syracuse Herald-Journal on May 13, 1981. “The pontiff collapsed into the arms of his aides as the jeep returned inside the Vatican at high speed, the radio said.”

NOTE: The Pope made a full recovery. Police in the square apprehended Turkish citizen Mehmet Ali Agca after he shot the pontiff. Agca was sentenced to life in prison, but was pardoned in 2000 at the request of the Pope.

1985: MOVE headquarters bombed

Philadelphia police dropped a bomb made from C-4 onto the headquarters of MOVE, a radical African-American neo-Luddite group. “The concussion-like bomb, dropped Monday from a police helicopter, smashed through a crude wood-and-steel battlement atop the house and caved in the roof,” informed the Daily News on May 14, 1985. “A fire, fanned by hot winds, spread to as many as 60 surrounding structures, and gunfire from within the building kept firefighters from dousing the swirling flames for about an hour.” NOTE: The bomb ultimately destroyed more than 50 homes and killed eleven people, including four children.

1980: Tornado hits Kalamazoo, Michigan

A tornado devastated Kalamazoo, Michigan, today, killing five people and causing heavy damage in the downtown area. "About 85 people were treated for injuries at the city's two major hospitals. Two were reported critically injured. Most of the injured were cut by flying glass or bruised by falling debris in the rush-hour storms," explained The Daily Intelligencer on May 14, 1980. NOTE: The tornado that ripped through downtown Kalamazoo was part of a severe weather system that produced another tornado which also hit areas in Kalamazoo County.

1958: Nixon's car is attacked by mob

While traveling in Venezuela, Vice President Richard M. Nixon's car was attacked by a mob as he rode from the airport. The attackers hurled rocks, smashed the car's windows and shouted, "Go Home Yankee Dog." "The Vice President, winding up his tour of South America, arrived amid rumors that he was to be the victim of an assassination attempt. Venezuelan authorities in advance of his arrival had discounted these reports and given assurances that Nixon would be well guarded," reported the Oakland Tribune on May 13, 1958. "The violence of the demonstrations against the Vice President obviously surprised officials."

1940: Wilhelmina takes refuge in England

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands safely arrived in England today where she took refuge from Nazi invaders. Crown Princess Juliana, her husband, Prince Bernhard, and their children we also welcomed by King George's family. "A sailor of the British ship which brought the royal family here said, 'for some time it was murder, but we got clear and had a steady journey,'" informed the Dunkirk Evening Observer on May 14, 1940. NOTE: According to newspaper reports from 1940, the Germans tried to kill the royal family as they fled for Great Britain.