Today is Friday, May 14, the 134th day of 2010. There are 231 days left in the year.

On this date:

In 1610, King Henry IV of France was stabbed to death while riding in his carriage in Paris by a religious fanatic, Francois Ravaillac, who was executed less than two weeks later.

In 1643, Louis XIV became King of France at age four upon the death of his father, Louis XIII (the successor to Henry IV).

In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner succeeded in inoculating 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter.

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Pacific Northwest left camp near present-day Hartford, Ill.

In 1860, the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States arrived in Washington.

In 1900, the Olympic games opened in Paris, held as part of the 1900 World's Fair.

In 1940, the Netherlands surrendered to invading German forces during World War II.

In 1942, Congress voted to establish the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" was first performed, by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

In 1948, according to the current-era calendar, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv.

In 1973, the United States launched Skylab 1, its first manned space station.

In 1998, singer-actor Frank Sinatra died at a Los Angeles hospital at age 82. The hit sitcom "Seinfeld" aired its final episode after nine years on NBC.

In 2000, tens of thousands of mothers rallied in Washington to demand strict control of handguns.

Thought for Today:

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." — Dorothy Parker, American author, humorist, poet (1893-1967).