From The Daily:

May 26, 1961:

In an article headlined “Ten-year undergrad to finally make good,” The Daily reported that Paul Savage was graduating with 216 credits and a degree in speech after 10 years at the UW. Savage had served as manager of the Husky swim team for four years and played basketball as a freshman.

May 29, 1980:

According to The Daily from this day, “As events in the Middle East escalate Palestinian-Israeli tensions, these tensions are reflected as a stalemate in formal relations between UW Palestinian and Israeli student groups.”

Activities such as Israeli Awareness Week and Palestinian Week, intended to be cultural affairs, only served to aggravate tensions between the two groups, rather than increasing understanding.

Source: The Daily archives

Around the World:

May 25, 1977:

On this day, the first installment in the now-enormous saga Star Wars hit U.S. theaters. The film went on to garner seven Oscars, nearly $800 million in worldwide ticket sales and an extensive array of merchandise that continues, unabated, to this day. Since the movie’s release, there have been two sequel films, three prequel films, five television series and thousands of comic books, novels, action figures, video games and other products.

May 27, 1941:

President Franklin Roosevelt declares a state of unlimited national emergency for the United States in response to Germany’s stated goal of world domination. Roosevelt’s address attempted to convince isolationists that aiding Europe in its defense against Germany was in the best interest of the United States. His pleas were ignored, and the nation stayed out of the war for the time being. However, less than seven months later, on Dec. 7, 1941, Japan launched an attack on Pearl Harbor, effectively guaranteeing U.S. entry into the war.

May 29, 1953:

At 11:30 a.m., Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest peak at 29,035 feet above sea level. Called Sagamartha by the Nepali, the mountain is part of the Great Himalayas, lying on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Many earlier attempts had gotten within several hundred vertical feet of the summit, but those climbers had been forced to turn back due to weather, injury or lack of supplies. Hillary received a knighthood for his accomplishment, with Norgay receiving a British Empire Medal.

May 31, 1859:

Big Ben, London’s famous tower clock, began operating on this day. The clock, located at the top of the 320-foot St. Stephen’s Tower, rang out via a 13-ton bell. Two months later, the heavy striker cracked the bell, and the bell was out of commission for three years before a lighter striker was designed and installed. The bell was rotated so that the striker would not worsen the crack, and the bell was never repaired. The name “Big Ben” originally applied only to the bell but has since come to refer to the clock as well.

SOURCE: HISTORY.COM/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY

Reach features editor Randy Ferreiro at features@dailyuw.com.