On This Day: Wednesday May 25, 2005 This is the 145th day of the year, with 220 days remaining in 2005. Fact of the Day: Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Convention met at the State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and there were 55 delegates to the Convention. Twelve of the thirteen states were represented; Rhode Island did not send delegates to the Convention. The Constitution was drafted in 1787. The Constitution became law on June 21, 1788 after 2/3 of the states ratified it. Not all the states had ratified the Constitution by April 30, 1789 when George Washington became the first President of the United States. The structure of the document has not changed since it was written but amendments have provided the flexibility necessary to meet changing circumstances. The Constitution is preserved for all to view at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Holidays Feast day of St Madeleine Barat, St Gregory VII, pope, St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, St Urban, St Zenobius, St Leo of Mantenay, St Dionysius of Milan, St Gennadius of Astorga, and St Bede. Argentina: Revolution Day / Veintecinco de Mayo. Jordan: Independence Day. Chad, Zambia: African Freedom Day; Zimbabwe: Africa Day (Organization of African Unity formed 1963). New Mexico: Memorial Day. Events 1234 - The Mongols took Kaifeng and destroyed the Chin dynasty. 1660 - Charles II, the exiled king of England, landed at Dover, England, to assume the throne and end 11 years of military rule. 1768 - James Cook sailed on his first voyage of discovery, on which he explored the Society Islands and charted the coasts of New Zealand and West Australia 1787 - The Constitutional Convention was convened in Philadelphia with 55 delegates (a quorum) to compose the US Constitution. 1793 - In Baltimore, Maryland, Father Stephen Theodore Badin became the first Catholic priest to be ordained in the United States. 1914 - The British House of Commons passed the Irish Home Rule bill. 1925 - John T. Scopes was indicted in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. 1927 - Ford Motor Company announced the end of the Model T and its replacement by the Model A. 1927 - The "Movietone News" was shown for the first time at the Sam Harris Theatre in New York City. 1935 - Babe Ruth hit the 714th and final home run of his career, for the Boston Braves, in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 1935 - American athlete Jesse Owens set a record six world records in less than one hour in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 1946 - Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom. 1968 - The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was dedicated. 1979 - An American Airlines DC-10 crashed during takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, killing 275 people. It remains America's worst domestic air disaster. 1992 - Jay Leno made his debut as permanent host of NBC's 'Tonight Show,' succeeding Johnny Carson. 1997 - Strom Thurmond (R, SC) became the longest-serving senator in US history, with 41 years and 10 months in office. Births 1803 - Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist, philosopher, poet. 1878 - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, legendary tap dancer. 1886 - Philip Murray, American labor leader, founder of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). 1889 - Igor Sikorsky, American aviation engineer, developed helicopter. 1892 - Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavian soldier and president. 1898 - Bennett Cerf, publisher. 1921 - Hal David, songwriter. 1926 - Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter.