Today in History - May 15

In 1963, astronaut L. Gordon Cooper blasted off aboard Faith 7 on the final mission of the Project Mercury space program.

In 1972, George C. Wallace was shot by Arthur Bremer and left paralyzed while campaigning in Laurel, Md., for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 1975, U.S. forces invaded the Cambodian island of Koh Tang and recaptured the American merchant ship Mayaguez. (All 40 crew members had already been released safely by Cambodia; some 40 U.S. servicemen were killed in the operation.)

In 1988, the Soviet Union began the process of withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, more than eight years after Soviet forces had entered the country.

Ten years ago: Trapped in blazing shopping malls, hundreds of looters burned to death in rioting that laid smoking waste to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. Leaders of eight countries, including the U.S., opened a three-day summit in Birmingham, England.

Five years ago: Emergency officials rushed to a series of mock catastrophes in the Chicago area on the busiest day of a national weeklong exercise. Runaway Texas Democrats boarded two buses and returned home after a self-imposed weeklong exile in Oklahoma that succeeded in killing a redistricting bill they opposed. The three-year championship reign of the Los Angeles Lakers came to a decisive end as the San Antonio Spurs overpowered the Lakers 110-82 to win the Western Conference semifinal series 4-to-2. Country music star June Carter Cash died in Nashville, Tenn., at age 73.

One year ago: The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who built the Christian right into a political force, died in Lynchburg, Va., at age 73. Yolanda King, the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 51. President Bush chose Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute to oversee the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as a war czar. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern became the first Irish leader to address the joint houses of the British Parliament. Kenny Chesney collected his third consecutive entertainer of the year trophy from the Academy of Country Music.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Eddy Arnold is 90. Actor Joseph Wiseman is 90. Playwright Sir Peter Shaffer ("Amadeus") is 82. Actress-singer Anna Maria Alberghetti is 72. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 72. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is 71. Singer Trini Lopez is 71. Singer Lenny Welch is 70. Actress-singer Lainie Kazan is 68. Actor-director Paul Rudd ("Knots Landing") is 68. Country singer K.T. Oslin is 66. Singer-songwriter Brian Eno is 60. Actor Nicholas Hammond ("The Sound of Music") is 58. Actor Chazz Palminteri is 56. Baseball Hall-of-Famer George Brett is 55. Musician-composer Mike Oldfield ("Tubular Bells") is 55. Actor Lee Horsley is 53. TV personality Giselle Fernandez is 47. Singer-rapper Prince Be (PM Dawn) is 38. Actor Brad Rowe is 38. Actor David Charvet is 36. Rock musician Ahmet Zappa is 34. Olympic gold-medal gymnast Amy Chow is 30. Actor David Krumholtz ("Numb3rs") is 30. Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler is 27.

Thought for Today: "People love to talk but hate to listen." -Alice Duer Miller, American author (1874-1942).