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| eMacromall.com This Month in History January — February — March — April — May — June — July — August — September — October — November — December |
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2011 — Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. 2009 — Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden. 2004 — Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union. 2003 — Over 160 people are killed, including 83 children in a collapsed dormitory, in south-eastern Turkey after an earthquake. 2002 — More than a million people in France turn out in May Day demonstrations against rightwing presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen 1994 — Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as the first Black President of South Africa 1989 — Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida 1972 — North Vietnamese troops capture Quang Tri, Vietnam 1971 — Amtrak begins service in the United States 1963 — James Whittaker, the first American to reach the summit of Mt. Everest 1961 — First major airplane hijacking within the U.S.: A flight from Miami to Key West is forced to divert to Cuba 1960 — U.S. U‑2 spy plane is shot down over the Soviet Union, Pilot Francis Gary Powers is captured 1956 — The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public 1945 — World War II: Around 2,500 people die in a mass suicide in Demmin, Germany, following the advance of the Soviet Red Army. 1931 — Empire State Building dedicated 1915 — International Congress of Women adopts resolutions on peace and women’s suffrage 1902 — The first prototype gasoline-powered locomobile is built 1887 — Alan Cunningham, British liberator of Ethiopia, is born 1886 — Nationwide labor strikes in the U.S. demand the eight‑hour workday 1851 — The Great Exhibition opens in London’s Crystal Palace: A massive showcase of global industry and innovation, drawing millions of visitors. 1840 — The Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the UK 1786 — Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro premieres in Vienna 1707 — Acts of Union take effect, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain: England and Scotland formally unite into a single sovereign state. | |
| 2 |
2012 — A pastel version of "The Scream", by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction. 2011 — Osama bin Laden was shot and killed inside a secured private residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by U.S. Navy SEALs 2008 — Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile 2008 — Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people 2000 — President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military. 1998 — The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels 1982 — Argentine cruiser General Belgrano is sunk: Torpedoed by HMS Conqueror during the Falklands War, with over 350 fatalities. 1969 — The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City. 1964 — A bomb explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon, Vietnam 1945 — Berlin falls, surrenders to Russia's Zhukov 1945 — German troops in Italy surrender to the Allies 1918 — GM acquired the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware 1889 — Treaty of Wuchale signed: Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia signs a treaty granting Italy control over Eritrea. 1863 — Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire: The Confederate general is accidentally shot during the Battle of Chancellorsville; he dies days later. 1536 — Anne Boleyn is arrested and imprisoned: The Queen of England is taken to the Tower of London on charges of adultery, treason, and witchcraft. 1230 — William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great. | |
| 3 |
2002 — A ferry sinks during a rainstorm on the Meghna River, Southeastern Bangladesh, killing more than 270 people 2002 — Russia signs an agreement returning Cam Ranh bay, the largest Soviet naval base outside the Soviet Union after 1979, to Vietnam 1978 — First known spam email sent over ARPANET 1962 — Two trains collide near Tokyo, Japan, killing more than 160 people 1960 — The Anne Frank House museum opens in Amsterdam, Netherlands 1952 — Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the United States land a plane at the North Pole. 1947 — New Japanese constitution goes into effect 1937 — Gone with the Wind wins the Pulitzer Prize 1913 — Raja Harishchandra, the first full‑length Indian feature film, is released 1860 — Charles XV of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Sweden 1837 — The University of Athens is founded in Athens, Greece 1802 — Washington, D.C., is incorporated as a city: Establishing the administrative structure of the U.S. capital. 1791 — Poland adopts the Constitution of May 3: The first modern constitution in Europe and second in the world. 1765 — First North American medical college opens in Philadelphia, a foundational moment in U.S. medical education. 1660 — Treaty of Oliva signed: Sweden, Poland, Brandenburg, and Austria end the Second Northern War. 1481 — The largest of 3 earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties. 1374 BC — Solar eclipse recorded at Ugarit: Mesopotamian astronomers documented a daytime eclipse, one of the earliest written astronomical observations. | |
| 4 |
1994 — Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign a peace accord, granting self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. 1990 — Latvia declares independence from the Soviet Union 1989 — NASA’s Atlantis deploys the Magellan probe to Venus 1980 — Tito dies 1979 — Margaret Thatcher is sworn in as Britain's first female prime minister 1973 — The 108-story Sears Tower in Chicago is topped out at 1,451 feet as the world's tallest building. 1959 — The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held. 1953 — Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for "The Old Man and the Sea" 1945 — German forces surrenders unconditionally to the Allies in Holland 1926 — Robert H. Goddard launches the world’s first liquid‑fueled rocket 1910 — The Royal Canadian Navy is created. 1904 — Charles Rolls meets Henry Royce, leading to the creation of Rolls‑Royce 1904 — Construction of the Panama Canal officially begins under U.S. control 1865 — Lincoln is buried in Springfield, Illinois 1814 — Napoleon Bonaparte arrives on the island of Elba to begin his exile 1776 — Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III | |
| 5 |
2019 — A Russian jet plane crashes while attempting an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow killing at least 41 people 2007 — Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard 1998 — A Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737 operating for Occidental Petroleum crashes on approach to Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport in Andoas, Peru, killing 75 people 1972 — Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy. 1963 — Tito is made president for life 1961 — Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space 1945 — Japanese battleship Yamatois k by Allied forces 1941 — Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; his return marks the end of Italian occupation during World War II. 1939 — Italy invades Albania 1925 — John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution; his arrest leads to the famous Scopes “Monkey Trial.” 1893 — Panic of 1893 begins; one of the worst economic depressions in U.S. history starts with the collapse of major railroads. 1891 — The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor. 1884 — President Truman is born in Mo. 1862 — Battle of Puebla: Mexican forces defeat the French; this victory becomes the basis for the modern Cinco de Mayo holiday. 1821 — Napoleon Bonaparte dies on Saint Helena 1809 — Mary Kies becomes the first woman in the U.S. to receive a patent for a method of weaving straw with silk. 1494 — Christopher Columbus lands on Jamaica 1260 — Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire | |
| 6 |
2023 — King Charles III is crowned at Westminster Abbey; The first British coronation since 1953. 2010 — In just 36 minutes, the Dow-Jones average plunged nearly 1000 points. 2001 — Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque during a trip to Syria. 1998 — Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac. 1994 — The Channel Tunnel opens: Queen Elizabeth II and French President François Mitterrand inaugurate the rail tunnel linking the UK and France. 1988 — Widerøe Flight 710 crashes into Mt. Torghatten in Brønnøy, killing all thirty-six passengers and crew on board. 1976 — The 6.5 Mw Friuli earthquake affected Northern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 900–978 dead and 1,700–2,400 injured. 1970 — American students launch nationwide protest the Vietnam war 1954 — Roger Bannister breaks the four‑minute mile: Running 3:59.4 in Oxford, he becomes the first person in recorded history 1942 — American forces in the Philippines surrender unconditionally to Japanese 1941 — Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union 1910 — George V becomes King of Great Britain, Ireland, and many overseas territories, on the death of his father, Edward VII 1889 — The Eiffel Tower officially opens to the public 1882 — Thomas Edison switches on the first commercial electric power plant in Appleton, Wisconsin 1861 — Arkansas secedes from the Union 1840 — The Penny Black is first used in the UK; the world’s first adhesive postage stamp goes into circulation 1536 — Anne Boleyn is tried for treason: The second wife of Henry VIII faces charges of adultery, incest, and conspiracy; she is convicted and executed later that month. | |
| 7 |
2017 — Emmanuel Macron wins the French presidential election, defeating Marine Le Pen and becoming France’s youngest president. 2002 — A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people 2000 — Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia. 1998 — Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history 1994 — Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February 1992 — NASA launches the STS-49 Space Shuttle Endeavour 1960 — Brezhnev becomes president of the Soviets 1954 — French falls to Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam 1952 — Geoffrey Dummer publishes the concept of the integrated circuit, laying the theoretical foundation for all modern computing. 1945 — Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allies in the French city of Reims 1915 — RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U‑boat; the attack kills 1,198 people and shifts global opinion during World War I. 1912 — Columbia University approves creation of the Pulitzer Prizes 1867 — Alfred Nobel patents dynamite in England 1824 — Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premieres in Vienna: Despite profound deafness, Beethoven “conducts” the debut of one of the most influential works in Western music. 1429 — Joan of Arc breaks the Siege of Orléans | |
| 8 |
2002 — Abel Pacheco is inaugurated as the new president of Costa Rica 1984 — Soviets to boycott L.A. Olympics 1933 — First police radios installed 1921 — The Communist Party of Romania is founded 1980 — WHO officially declares smallpox eradicated 1970 — The Beatles release "Let It Be" 1945 — V‑E Day: World War II ends in Europe 1914 — Paramount Pictures formed 1902 — Mount Pelée erupts, destroying Saint‑Pierre, Martinique — Roughly 30,000 people are killed, making it one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in history. 1895 — China cedes Taiwan to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki 1886 — The first Coca‑Cola is served at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta 1846 — Battle of Palo Alto begins the U.S.–Mexican War, General Zachary Taylor defeats a larger Mexican force north of the Rio Grande. 1660 — English Parliament proclaims Charles II king, marking the Restoration of the monarchy after the Cromwell era. 1541 — Hernando de Soto becomes one of the first Europeans to reach the Mississippi river, near present‑day Memphis, Tennessee. | |
| 9 |
2022 — President Joe Biden signs the 2022 Lend‑Lease Act to accelerate military aid to Ukraine. 2012 — President Barack Obama publicly endorses same‑sex marriage, a major cultural and political milestone. 2005 — The Huffington Post launches, becoming a major digital media outlet. 2001 — NASA launches the Mars Odyssey spacecraft 2001 — Accra Sports Stadium disaster kills 129 people during a soccer match in Ghana. 1997 — Douglas “Pete” Peterson becomes the first ambassador to Vietnam since South Vietnam was taken over by North Vietnam on April 30, 1975 1965 — Soviet Luna 5 spacecraft attempts the first soft landing on the Moon 1960 — FDA approves the world's first commercially produced birth-control bill--Enovid-10 1955 — West Germany joins NATO 1945 — The Soviet Union celebrates Victory Day, marking Nazi Germany’s surrender in WWII. 1926 — Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett complete the first flight over the North Pole. 1914 — Woodrow Wilson proclaims the first Mother’s Day holiday to celebrate America’s mothers. 1901 — The first Australian Parliament opens in Melbourne. 1865 — President Andrew Johnson declares armed resistance in the South at an end, marking the effective close of the American Civil War. | |
| 10 |
2005 — Assassination attempt on U.S. President George W. Bush in Tbilisi, Georgia (grenade fails to detonate) . 1994 — Nelson Mandela inaugurated as President of South Africa 1940 — Neville Chamberlain resigns as Britain's prime minister, Winston Churchill takes over. 1940 — Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg 1924 — J. Edgar Hoover becomes acting director of the FBI 1872 — Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman nominated for U.S. president. 1869 — First U.S. transcontinental railroad completed (Golden Spike) 1801 — Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States, beginning the First Barbary War. 1775 — Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia. 1503 — Christopher Columbus visits the Cayman Islands and names them Las Tortugas | |
| 11 |
1997 — IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Gary Kasparov, the chess champion, marking the first
time a reigning world chess champion loses a match to a computer under standard tournament
conditions. 1995 — The U.S. Navy officially decommissions the USS Missouri, the battleship on which Japan surrendered in 1945. 1995 — More than 170 countries agree to extend the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty indefinitely. 1987 — The first heart–lung transplant in the UK is performed at Papworth Hospital. 1960 — Israeli agents capture Adolf Eichmann in Argentina, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust. 1949 — Israel is admitted to the United Nations as its 59th member state. 1947 — Ferrari made its independent racing debut at a race in Piacenza, Italy 1940 — Germany invades France during World War II. 1927 — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded, later creating the Oscars. 1924 — Mercedes-Benz is formed through the merger of Daimler and Benz companies. 1858 — Minnesota enters the Union, becomes the 32nd U.S. state. 1858 — The first U.S. department store, Macy’s, is founded (originally in Haverhill, Massachusetts). 1812 — British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated, the only British PM ever killed in office. 1502 — Christopher Columbus sets sail from Cádiz on his fourth and final voyage to the New World. 868 — The Diamond Sutra is printed, the oldest known dated printed book. 330 — Constantinople is consecrated, becoming the new capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great. | |
| 12 |
2008 — A powerful earthquake kills 87,587 people in China, inSichuan Province. 2008 — A 7.9‑magnitude undersea earthquake near Lima, Peru kills about 520 people. 2002 — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter becomes the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since 1928. 2000 — The Tate Modern opens in London, becoming one of the world’s most visited modern art museums. 1997 — The Russian–Chechen Peace Treaty is signed, formally ending the First Chechen War. 1970 — The Beatles’ final album, Let It Be, is released in the U.S. 1965 — West Germany and Israel establish diplomatic relations after WWII, a major geopolitical milestone. 1961 — Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam, signaling deeper U.S. involvement. 1957 — Race car driver A.J. Foyt earns his first professional racing victory. 1847 — William Clayton invents the odometer while traveling with Mormon pioneers. 1941 — Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world’s first fully functional programmable computer. 1937 — King George VI is crowned at Westminster Abbey. 1926 — Airship Norge becomes the first aircraft to fly over the North Pole, led by Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile. 1881 — A cyclone strikes the Persian Gulf, killing an estimated 8,000 people. 1820 — Florence Nightingale is born, later founding modern nursing. 1846 — The U.S. declares war on Mexico, beginning the Mexican‑American War. 1551 — The National University of San Marcos is founded in Lima, the oldest university in the Americas still in operation. 254 — Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I as the 23rd pope. | |
| 13 |
1996 — Severe thunderstorms cause the worst tornado outbreak in Bangladesh’s history, killing more than 600 people. 1995 — Alison Hargreaves becomes the first woman to summit Everest alone and without oxygen. 1981 — Pope John Paul II is shot and wounded at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Italy by Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca 1967 — Dr. Zakir Husain becomes India’s first Muslim president. 1958 — French military leaders in Algeria stage a coup, leading to Charles de Gaulle’s return to power. 1950 — The first kidney transplant in the UK is performed at St. Mary’s Hospital, London. 1950 — Diner’s Club issues the first credit card used internationally. 1939 — The first commercial FM radio station is licensed in the United States (W1XOJ). 1888 — Slavery is abolished in Brazil, the last country in the Western Hemisphere to do so. 1880 — Thomas Edison tests his electric railway for the first time in Menlo Park, New Jersey. 1865 — The last land battle of the American Civil War occurs at Palmito Ranch, Texas. 1846 — President James K. Polk formally declares war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas, beginning the Mexican‑American War. 1787 — The First Fleet departs England to establish a penal colony in Australia. 1607 — Jamestown, VA was found, becoming the first permanent English settlement in North America. | |
| 14 |
2002 — A court in Jordan grants a woman a divorce from her husband for the first time in its history 1998 — Frank Sinatra dies at age 82, ending one of the most influential careers in American music. 1973 — Skylab, America's first space station, is successfully launched into an orbit around the earth, marking the beginning of long‑duration U.S. space habitation. 1969 — President Nixon announces Vietnam peace proposal. 1955 — The Warsaw Pact is signed, creating a major Cold War military alliance. 1948 — State of Israel is proclaimed, becoming an independent nation. 1940 — The Netherlands surrenders to Germany during World War II. 1939 — The St. Louis ocean liner departs Hamburg, carrying Jewish refugees who would later be denied entry to multiple countries. 1904 — The 1904 Summer Olympics open in St. Louis, the first Olympic Games held in the United States. 1897 — Guglielmo Marconi makes the first successful wireless communication over open sea. 1796 — Edward Jenner administers the first successful smallpox vaccination, a turning point in medical history. 1607 — The English settlers at Jamestown formally establish the first permanent English colony in North America (the landing occurred May 13; the formal establishment is often dated May 14). | |
| 15 |
2010 — The Deepwater Horizon oil spill becomes the largest marine spill in U.S. history, with new estimates released on this date. 1988 — The Soviet >Union begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, ending eight years of military involvement. 1981 — The 20,000,000th Volkswagen Beetle was produced at the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico 1972 — Governor George Wallace is shot and paralyzed during a presidential campaign stop in Maryland. 1963 — NASA launches Mercury-Atlas 9, with astronaut Gordon Cooper completing 22 Earth orbits. 1958 — The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3, a major early scientific satellite. 1957 — Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. 1948 — The Soviet Union recognizes the State of Israel, one day after its declaration of independence. 1940 — Nylon stockings go on sale for the first time in the U.S., creating massive consumer demand. 1940 — McDonald’s is founded when brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald open their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California. 1930 — Ellen Church becomes the world’s first airline stewardess, flying for Boeing Air Transport. 1928 — Mickey Mouse makes his first (test) appearance in the silent version of Plane Crazy. 1918 — The first regular U.S. airmail service begins, flying between Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. 1911 — The Supreme Court orders the breakup of Standard Oil, ruling it an illegal monopoly. 1905 — Las Vegas is founded when 110 acres are auctioned off by the railroad, it's officially established, later becoming a major entertainment center. 1862 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is created by President Abraham Lincoln. 1800 — President John Adams orders federal government to relocate from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. 1618 — Johannes Kepler confirms his Third Law of Planetary Motion, a cornerstone of modern astronomy. | |
| 16 |
1997 — Zaire is renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo after Laurent-Désiré Kabila seizes power. 1991 — Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress. 1983 — Michael Jackson’s Motown 25 performance airs, featuring the debut of the moonwalk. 1975 — Japanese Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, completing the climb 22 days after an avalanche buried her camp. 1968 — A massive general strike spreads across France, involving students, workers, and unions during the May 1968 uprising. 1966 — The Beach Boys release Pet Sounds, later considered one of the greatest albums in music history. 1963 — Gordon Cooper launches aboard Faith 7, completing the final Mercury mission and orbiting Earth 22 times. 1960 — Theodore Maiman operates the first working laser, a breakthrough in modern physics and technology. 1929 — The first Academy Awards ceremony is held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. 1920 — The U.S. Congress passes the Jones Act, granting U.S. citizenship to residents of Puerto Rico. 1918 — The Sedition Act is passed in the United States, expanding restrictions on speech during World War I. 1868 — The U.S. Senate votes on the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, falling one vote short of removal. 1866 — Charles Elmer Hires invents root beer, debuting it at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. 1770 — Marie Antoinette marries the future King Louis XVI, becoming Dauphine of France. | |
| 17 |
2004 — The first legal same‑sex marriages in the United States take place in Massachusetts,
following the state Supreme Judicial Court’s landmark Goodridge v. Department of Public Health ruling. 1995 — Jacques Chirac is inaugurated as President of France. 1990 — Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meets Lithuanian Prime Minister Kazimiera Prunskienė in an effort to resolve tensions after Lithuania declared independence from the USSR. 1970 — Televised hearings on the Watergate scandal begin, bringing the investigation into millions of American homes. 1956 — The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland. 1954 — The U.S. Supreme Court issues Brown v. Board of Education, ruling that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. 1939 — The first televised sporting event in the U.S. airs, a college baseball game between Princeton and Columbia. 1902 — Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais identifies the Antikythera mechanism<, the world’s oldest known analog computer. 1884 — Alaska’s first recorded volcanic eruption occurs< at Mount Augustine. 1863 — The Battle of Vicksburg begins during the American Civil War, a turning point in the Union’s Mississippi campaign. 1846 — The saxophone is patented by Adolphe Sax in Paris. 1792 — The New York Stock Exchange is founded when 24 brokers sign the Buttonwood Agreement on Wall Street. | |
| 18 |
2015 — A major heatwave in India begins, eventually killing thousands. 1991 — Helen Sharman becomes the first Briton in space, launching aboard Soyuz TM‑12. 1989 — One million protesters fill Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, marking the peak of the pro‑democracy movement. 1980 — Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington State, killing 57 people and causing massive destruction. 1974 — India conducts its first nuclear test, code‑named Smiling Buddha, becoming the world’s sixth nuclear power. 1969 — Apollo 10 launches, serving as the “dress rehearsal” for the first Moon landing. 1953 — Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier, flying an F‑86 Sabre. 1927 — The Bath School disaster occurs in Michigan, the deadliest school attack in U.S. history. 1917 — The U.S. Congress passes the Selective Service Act, authorizing the draft for World War I. 1910 — Earth passes through the tail of Halley’s Comet, prompting worldwide fascination (and some panic). 1908 — The U.S. Congress mandates the use of “In God We Trust” on certain coins. 1896 — The U.S. Supreme Court issues Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. 1861 — Arkansas admitted to the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. 1804 — Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French, marking the rise of the First French Empire. 1803 — The first public demonstration of the steam locomotive takes place in Wales. | |
| 19 |
2018 — A Cuban passenger plane crashes shortly after takeoff from Havana, killing 112 people. 1997 — The first known human death from H5N1 avian influenza occurs in Hong Kong, a 3‑year‑old boy, marking the beginning of global concern over bird‑flu transmission. 1991 — Croatia votes overwhelmingly for independence from Yugoslavia in a national referendum. 1962 — Marilyn Monroe sings “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden. 1943 — Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt meet in Washington, D.C. during the Trident Conference, discussing strategy for the Allied invasion of Europe (which becomes D‑Day). 1918 — A major influenza outbreak begins at Camp Funston, Kansas, part of the early wave of the 1918 flu pandemic. 1919 — Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun, beginning the Turkish War of Independence; this date becomes Turkey’s national Youth and Sports Day. 1864 — President Abraham Lincoln calls for equal treatment of soldiers’ dependents, stating that widows and children of Black Union soldiers should receive the same benefits as those of white soldiers. 1848 — Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, formally ending the Mexican‑American War and transferring vast territory to the United States. 1536 — Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, is executed at the Tower of London on charges of treason, adultery, and incest. | |
| 20 |
2015 — East Timor becomes independent 1961 — Ford builds the presidential limousine for John F. Kennedy 1956 — United States drops hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll 1927 — Charles Lindbergh begins his first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris 1899 — First speeding ticket issued in New York 1862 — President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, granting 160 acres of public land to settlers who lived on and improved it for five years 1837 — Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans 1609 — Thomas Thorpe published Shakespeare’s Sonnets in London, possibly without the author’s consent. 1506 — Christopher Columbus dies in Valladolid, Spain 1498 — Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrived in Calicut, becoming the first European to reach India by sea, opening the door to centuries of global trade and colonialism. 1293 — A major earthquake struck Kamakura, killing around 30,000 people 526 — A catastrophic earthquake struck Antioch in the Byzantine Empire, killing an estimated 200,000 people 325 — The first ecumenical council of Christian bishops met in Nicaea (modern-day İznik, Turkey) | |
| 21 |
2003 — Over 2,000 people are killed after a powerful undersea earthquake strikes Algeria and
affects coastal Spain. 1991 — Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated in Tamil Nadu. 1960 — A massive earthquake hits Chile, killing thousands and leaving millions homeless. 1927 — Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, landing in Paris. 1901 — First speed limit law is enacted 1881 — American Red Cross is founded by Clara Barton. 1851 — Colombia passes a law abolishing slavery, effective the following year. 1502 — Portuguese explorer João da Nova discovers the island of Saint Helena. 1499 — Francisco de Bobadilla is appointed Governor of the Indies, replacing Christopher Columbus. 1281 — Kublai Khan launches his second invasion of Japan, beginning with an attack on Tsushima Island. 1216 — French crown prince Louis invades England with 700 ships during the First Barons’ War. 996 — Otto III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Gregory V. 878 — Syracuse is captured by the Muslim sultanate of Ifriqiya during the Arab–Byzantine wars. | |
| 22 |
1990 — After 150 years apart, Marxist South Yemen and conservative North Yemen are unified as the
Republic of Yemen, with Ali Abdullah Saleh becoming president and Ali Salem al‑Baidh becoming
vice president. 1972 — President Richard Nixon arrives in Moscow for a summit with Soviet leaders. 1960 — Over 2,000 people are killed after a 9.5 earthquake strikes Chile; a tsunami 30ft (10m) high eliminates entire villages in Chile. 1927 — A major earthquake in China kills approximately 40,900 people. 1819 — The SS Savannah departs on the first steam‑assisted transatlantic crossing. 1803 — The first U.S. public library opens in Connecticut. 1761 — The first life insurance policy in North America is issued (in Philadelphia) 1570 — The first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, is published; Created by Abraham Ortelius, it contains 70 maps and becomes a foundational work in cartography | |
| 23 |
2015 — Ireland becomes the first country to legalize same‑sex marriage by national referendum. 2002 — A severe heat wave kills more than 1,030 people in Andhra Pradesh, India 1962 — Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital perform the first successful reattachment of a human limb. 1949 — Federal Republic of Germany is established 1939 — The U.S. Navy submarine Squalus sinks off New Hampshire; 26 die and 33 are rescued. 1915 — Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering World War I on the side of the Allies. 1900 — William Harvey Carney becomes the first Black American to earn the Medal of Honor. 1873 — The North‑West Mounted Police (later the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) is established 1865 — Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith surrenders, marking the effective end of the American Civil War. 1788 — South Carolina becomes the eighth U.S. state to ratify the Constitution. 1785 — Benjamin Franklin reveals his design for bifocal glasses in a letter. | |
| 24 |
1956 — First Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland; Switzerland wins with “Refrain” by Lys Assia. 1935 — First Major League Baseball night game is played; The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 under floodlights. 1930 — Amy Johnson becomes the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia; She lands in Darwin after an 11,000‑mile journey. 1899 — First parking garage opens: The first public garage was opened by W.T. McCullough. 1844 — Samuel Morse sends the first telegraph message: “What hath God wrought?” between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. 1883 — Brooklyn Bridge opens: After 14 years of construction, the Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic in New York City. 1775 — John Hancock becomes president of Congress 1595 — First printed catalog of an institutional library appears. | |
| 25 |
2011 — The final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show airs. 1992 — Jay Leno hosts his first episode of The Tonight Show; Leno officially takes over from Johnny Carson, beginning a 22‑year run as host. 1979 — American Airlines Flight 191 crashes in Chicago kills killing all 271 people on board 1935 — Babe Ruth hits the 714th and final home run of his career. 1787 — The Constitutional Convention begins in Philadelphia; Delegates gather to revise the Articles of Confederation but ultimately draft the U.S. Constitution. 1660 — Charles II returns to England to reclaim the throne. | |
| 26 |
2004 — Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 murder charges for the Oklahoma City bombing; Nichols is
convicted for his role in the 1995 attack. 2002 — A China Airline Boeing 747, bound for Hong Kong from Taipei, crashes off the coast of Taiwan, killing all 225 people on board; China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrated in mid‑air due to metal fatigue, with debris falling into the Taiwan Strait. 1991 — A Boeing 767 crashes near Bangkok, Thailand, killing all 223 people on board; Lauda Air Flight 004 broke apart after an uncommanded thrust reverser deployment shortly after takeoff. 1966 — Guyana gains independence from the United Kingdom. 1953 — First 3-D sci-fi film opens; It Came from Outer Space, one of the earliest 3‑D science‑fiction films, premieres. 1940 — Operation Dynamo begins; the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk starts, ultimately rescuing over 330,000 soldiers. 1896 — Czar Nicholas II crowned; Nicholas II is crowned Emperor of Russia in Moscow’s Uspensky Cathedral. 1868 — President Andrew Johnson is acquitted in his impeachment trial. 1865 — General Edmund Kirby Smith surrenders the Trans‑Mississippi Department, effectively ending major Confederate resistance. | |
| 27 |
2006 — 2006 — A 6.2‑magnitude earthquake strikes Java, Indonesia, killing more than 5,700 people, devastating the city of Yogyakarta and
surrounding areas. 1999 — The International Criminal Tribunal indicts Slobodan Milošević, he becomes the first sitting head of state charged with war crimes. 1971 — U.S. Senators publicly announce support for North Vietnam 1937 — Golden Gate Bridge opens to the public; pedestrians are allowed to cross the bridge for the first time; more than 200,000 people walk across on opening day. 1930 — The Chrysler Building opens in New York City; it briefly becomes the tallest building in the world. 1924 — Jules Stein founds the Music Corporation of American (MCA) in Chicago; MCA begins as a talent agency and later becomes a major entertainment conglomerate. 1905 — Battle of Tsushima ends with a decisive Japanese victory; Japan destroys most of the Russian Baltic Fleet during the Russo‑Japanese War. 1813 — Americans capture Fort George from the British in Upper Canada during the War of 1812. 1707 — The Act of Union is proclaimed in Scotland; It formally unites England and Scotland into Great Britain. 1703 — St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great 1647 — Alse Young becomes the first person executed for witchcraft in the American colonies; she is hanged in Hartford, Connecticut. 1529 — Treaty of Zaragoza is signed; Spain and Portugal divide the Eastern Hemisphere for exploration and trade. | |
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1998 — Pakistan conducts nuclear tests; five underground detonations in Balochistan mark Pakistan’s entry into the nuclear‑armed nations. 1991 — Ethiopian capital falls to rebels; rebel forces of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front enter Addis Ababa, ending Mengistu Haile Mariam’s regime. 1961 — Amnesty International is founded; British lawyer Peter Benenson launches the human‑rights organization. 1952 — Women in Greece gain the right to vote in national elections. 1937 — Golden Gate Bridge opens to vehicular traffic 1940 — Belgium surrenders unconditionally to Germany; King Leopold III orders the Belgian Army to lay down arms during World War II. 1934 — The Dionne quintuplets are born in Ontario, Canada; they become the first known quintuplets to survive infancy. 1892 — Sierra Club is founded; John Muir and others establish the organization to protect wilderness areas in the United States. 1830 — U.S. Congress passes the Indian Removal Act; the act authorizes the forced relocation of Native American tribes, leading to the Trail of Tears. | |
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2015 — FIFA corruption scandal erupts; seven officials are arrested in Zurich, triggering the largest corruption investigation in FIFA history. 1999 — Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station. 1988 — President Ronald Reagan arrives in Moscow for summit talks; Reagan meets with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in their fourth summit, advancing late‑Cold‑War diplomacy and arms‑reduction efforts. 1953 — Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Mount Everest; they become the first confirmed climbers to reach the world’s highest peak. 1942 — Jews in Paris are ordered to sew a yellow Star of David onto their clothing; the Nazi occupation authorities require all Jews over age six to wear the yellow star beginning June 7, marking a major escalation in persecution. 1917 — President John F. Kennedy is born in Brookline, Massachusetts. 1914 — The Empress of Ireland sinks after colliding with the Norwegian freighter Storstad, killing 1,012 people; the ship sinks in just 14 minutes in the St. Lawrence River, becoming one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Canadian history. 1848 — Wisconsin becomes the 30th U.S. state. 1790 — Rhode Island becomes the 13th U.S. state. 1660 — Charles II is restored to the English throne; after years of exile during the English Commonwealth, Charles II returns to London on his 30th birthday. | |
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2012 — Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is sentenced to 50 years for war crimes; he becomes the first former head of
state convicted by an international tribunal since Nuremberg. 1999 — Over 4,000 people are killed after a powerful earthquake strikes Northern Afghanistan; A magnitude‑6.0 quake devastates the Takhar region, destroying villages and causing massive landslides. 1990 — Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Washington, D.C., for a U.S.–Soviet summit; Gorbachev meets President George H. W. Bush to discuss arms control and the rapidly changing political landscape of Eastern Europe. 1989 — The Tiananmen Square protests escalate; more than 1 million people gather in Beijing as martial law is defied. 1967 — The Republic of Biafra is proclaimed; Eastern Nigeria declares independence as Biafra, triggering the Nigerian Civil War 1966 — NASA launches Surveyor 1; it becomes the first U.S. spacecraft to soft‑land on the Moon. 1935 — Over 30,000 people are killed after a powerful earthquake strikes Pakistan; the 7.7‑magnitude Quetta earthquake devastates Balochistan, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in South Asian history. 1922 — The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.; Chief Justice William Howard Taft presides over the ceremony. 1868 — Decoration Day is observed for the first time; General John A. Logan calls for a national day to honor Civil War dead; it later becomes Memorial Day. 1806 — Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in a duel; Jackson is wounded but survives; Dickinson dies from his injuries. 1431 — Joan of Arc is executed in Rouen; at age 19, she is burned at the stake after being convicted of heresy by an English‑backed court. | |
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1996 — Benjamin Netanyahu is elected Prime Minister of Israel; he becomes Israel’s youngest prime minister
at the time, defeating Shimon Peres in a close election. 1977 — The Trans‑Alaska Pipeline is completed; The 800‑mile pipeline becomes one of the largest engineering projects in North America. 1970 — Over 70,000 people are killed after a powerful earthquake strikes the Peruvian Andes; The 7.9‑magnitude Ancash earthquake triggers a catastrophic landslide from Mount Huascarán, burying the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca. 1962 — Adolf Eichmann, a key architect of the Holocaust, is executed in Israel; he is hanged at Ramla Prison after being convicted of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. 1961 — South Africa declares itself a republic and leaves the Commonwealth. 1921 — A massive race massacre begins in Tulsa, Oklahoma; white mobs attack the prosperous Black neighborhood of Greenwood, destroying “Black Wall Street” and killing hundreds. 1910 — The Union of South Africa is created; The British colonies of Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River unite into a single dominion. 1859 — Big Ben rings for the first time in London; the Great Clock of Westminster begins operation. 1759 — Pennsylvania bans theater; the colony passes a law prohibiting theatrical performances, dancing, and other “entertainments,” reflecting strict colonial moral codes. 1578 — King Henry III of France lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf in Paris; it becomes the oldest standing bridge across the Seine. 1279 BC — Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great) becomes Pharaoh of Egypt; his reign becomes one of the longest and most influential in ancient Egyptian history. | |
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