[goofywife]

1998: Seinfeld finale airs

The final episode of the top-rated comedy Seinfeld aired tonight on NBC. To commemorate the sitcom's last episode, a number of the fans threw parties, while others watched at home.

"The 75-minute episode had a 41.3 rating and 58 share, Nielsen Media Research said Friday. A rating point represents 980,000 households. The share means that 58 percent of in-use televisions were tuned to 'Seinfeld,'" reported The Chronicle Telegram on May 16, 1998.

NOTE: A NBC spokesperson said they were "thrilled" by the ratings, but the final Seinfeld episode still fell below the finales for Cheers and M-A-S-H. When Cheers went off the air in 1993, its finale had a 45.9 rating and 72 share. In 1983 when the final M-A-S-H aired, it is estimated that 105 million people watched. Today, M-A-S-H still holds the all-time record for the most-watched finale with a 60.2 rating and 77 share.

1998: Frank Sinatra dies at 82

Frank Sinatra, one of the most influential singers in U.S. history, died today of a heart attack at the age of 82. "The blunt, often aggressive son of Italian immigrants communicated across generational lines with love songs filled with a rare mix of vulnerability and verve – from 'Strangers in the Night' to 'One for My Baby,'" explained The Chronicle Telegram on May 15, 1998.

1973: Skylab is sent into space

Skylab, the first U.S. space station, was sent into space today to serve as a "cabin in the sky" for astronauts. "No more cramped quarters like the Mercury, Gemini or Apollo capsules. Skylab is as large as a three-bedroom house and has 60 times more volume than Apollo," informed The Post Crescent on May 14, 1973. While the first three-man crew was to enter space on May 15 to link up with the space station, the flight was postponed when temperatures of 100 degrees were recorded inside the lab. NOTE: Two of the six solar panels also failed to extend properly, which reduced the Skylab's power supply.

1963: Kuwait is admitted to the United Nations

The oil-rich country of Kuwait became the 111th member of the United Nations today. "The tiny Persian Gulf state was welcomed at a brief session in which the assembly, called to devise a formula for financing its expensive peace-keeping operations, referred the problem to its budgetary and administrative committee," reported the Winnipeg Free Press on May 15, 1963.

1948: Israel is proclaimed

"The State of Israel, first Hebrew nation in 2000 years, was born today in a Jewish Declaration of Independence asserting the 'historic right' of the Jews of Palestine to reconstitute their national home," explained the Oakland Tribune today in 1948. NOTE: The proclamation was to become effective after midnight, once Great Britain no longer ruled the land.