Today is Tuesday, May 22nd, the 142nd day of 2001. There are 223 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 22nd, 1939, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini signed a "Pact of Steel" committing Germany and Italy to a military alliance. On this date: In 1761, the first life insurance policy in the United States was issued, in Philadelphia. In 1813, composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany. In 1868, the "Great Train Robbery" took place near Marshfield, Indiana, as seven members of the Reno gang made off with 96-thousand dollars in loot. In 1947, the "Truman Doctrine" was enacted as Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey. In 1969, the lunar module of Apollo Ten flew to within nine miles of the moon's surface in a dress rehearsal for the first lunar landing. In 1972, the island nation of Ceylon became the republic of Sri Lanka. In 1979, Canadians voted in parliamentary elections that put the Progressive Conservatives in power, ending the eleven-year tenure of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. In 1990, after years of conflict, pro-Western North Yemen and pro-Soviet South Yemen merged to form a single nation, the Republic of Yemen. In 1990, boxer Rocky Graziano died in New York at age 71. In 1992, after a reign lasting nearly 30 years, Johnny Carson hosted NBC's "Tonight Show" for the last time. Ten years ago: Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born wife of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was designated to lead his Congress Party through national elections, one day after his assassination. (However, Mrs. Gandhi turned down the position.) Five years ago: President Clinton counterattacked against Republican criticism of his foreign policy during a commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut; the president then traveled to New York where he was cheered by sailors from four nations aboard the USS "Intrepid." One year ago: The Supreme Court struck down, 5-to-4, a federal law that shielded children from sex-oriented cable TV channels. A committee of the Arkansas Supreme Court recommended that President Clinton be disbarred for giving false testimony about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. (Clinton later agreed to give up his Arkansas law license for five years.) Today's Birthdays: Movie reviewer Judith Crist is 79. Singer Charles Aznavour is 77. Actor Michael Constantine is 74. Conductor Peter Nero is 67. Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 63. Actor Frank Converse is 63. Actor Michael Sarrazin is 61. Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw is 61. Actor Paul Winfield is 60. Actress Barbara Parkins is 59. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 51. Actor Al Corley is 45. Singer Morrissey is 42. Country musician Dana Williams (Diamond Rio) is 40. Rock musician Jesse Valenzuela is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Johnny Gill (New Edition) is 35. Rock musician Dan Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 34. Model Naomi Campbell is 31. Actress Alison Eastwood is 29. Singer Donell Jones is 28. Actress A.J. Langer is 27. "One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea." -- Walter Bagehot, English editor and economist (1826-1877). (Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)