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• In 1946, Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom as it proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah I.
• In 1963, the Organisation of African Unity was founded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (The OAU was disbanded in 2002 in favor of the African Union.)
• In 1968, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was dedicated by Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.
• In 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed just after takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared while on his way to a school bus stop in lower Manhattan.
• In 1981, daredevil Dan Goodwin, wearing a Spiderman costume, scaled the outside of Chicago's Sears Tower in 7½ hours.
• In 1986, an estimated 7 million Americans participated in "Hands Across America" to raise money for the nation's hungry and homeless.
• In 1988, the final episode of "St. Elsewhere" aired on NBC-TV.
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• Ten years ago: In a historic vote cast under intense U.S. pressure, Israel's government conditionally approved by a narrow margin an internationally backed "road map" to peace. Nestor Kirchner was sworn in as Argentina's first popularly elected president since the country's financial meltdown in December 2001. Director Gus Van Sant's "Elephant," a disturbing film loosely based on the Columbine school shooting, won top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Gil de Ferran won the Indianapolis 500.
• Five years ago: A tornado tore through Parkersburg, Iowa, killing eight people. NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived to begin searching for water on the Red Planet. Seven crashes and spinouts marred the first Indianapolis 500 since the two warring open-wheel series (CART and IRL) came together under the IndyCar banner; Scott Dixon stayed ahead of the trouble to win the race. The French film "The Class" won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. J.R. Simplot, Idaho's billionaire potato king, died in Boise at age 99.
• One year ago: The private company SpaceX made history as its Dragon capsule docked with the International Space Station. In Syria, more than 100 people were killed in one day in a cluster of villages in central Homs province; U.N. investigators blamed pro-government gunmen for at least some of the killings, but the Syrian regime denied responsibility and blamed rebels for the deaths.
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• Today's Birthdays: Former White House news secretary Ron Nessen is 79. Author W.P. Kinsella is 78. Country singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall is 77. Actor Sir Ian McKellen is 74. Country singer Jessi Colter is 70. Actress-singer Leslie Uggams is

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