Flood Warning in the Chathams

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the area effective through Thursday morning, and Chatham Township Police have asked residents to watch for signs of flooding in town. There is also a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms Thursday, so in case you're looking for something to do to get out of the house and out of the rain, take a look at the Five Things You Need to Know Today:

1. You need to know about art: The Arts League of the Chathams at the .
2. You need to know about dancing: Miss Carol teaches dance at the on Thursday. Children 3 and under can come at 10 a.m., children 4 and under can come at 10:45 a.m. and children 6 and under can come at 1:30 p.m.
3. You need to know about all that jazz: The jazz and orchestra from are holding their spring concert at the high school auditorium Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
4. You need to know about the Farmer’s Market: The Chatham Borough Farmer’s Market is at the at 7:30 p.m.
5. You need to know about this date in history: May 19 was pretty quiet in history, but once the Tudors got involved, things spiced up a bit.

• In 1499, Catherine of Aragon married Arthur Tudor, the Prince of Wales, when she was 13 and he 12. He died less than a year later, and Catherine eventually married his younger brother, Henry VIII.
• In 1536, one of those strange coincidences occurred. Anne Boleyn, the woman for whom Henry VIII divorced the afore-mentioned Catherine of Aragon, was beheaded by the king for treason, adultery and incest.
• In 1568, her daughter, Elizabeth I, ordered the arrest of her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.
• In 1649, under the direction of Oliver Cromwell, the Long Parliament passed an act declaring England as a commonwealth.
• In 1848, Mexico ended the Mexican-American War by ratifying the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Part of America’s bounty were the territories of California, Nevada and Utah.
• In 1864, the Battle of Spotsylvania ended with General Robert E. Lee’s retreat from Ulysses S. Grant’s offensive. Over 32,000 soldiers died in the 11-day battle.
• In 1921, Congress passed an act establishing immigration quotas.
• In 1943, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt decided on May 1, 1944 as the date for the invasion of Normandy. The actual invasion was delayed until June 6 because the weather was too cloudy for an aerial assault, which was the first phase of the planned invasion.
• In 1950, as explosives destined for Pakistan were loaded onto a barge docked in South Amboy, one of the arms exploded.

For other information worth knowing, see the Chatham Patch events calendar and announcements section—and if you've got something the community should know, don't forget to make a post of your own in one or both of those site sections.