This Day in History

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 16 1929 First Academy Awards ceremony On May 16, 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out its first awards, at a dinner party for around 250 people held in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. The brainchild of Louis B. Mayer, head of the powerful MGM film studio, the Academy was organ... read more 1980s 1985 Discovery of Ozone Hole announced American Revolution 1777 Georgia Patriot Button Gwinnett is fatally wounded in duel Art, Literature, and Film History 1717 Satirical writer Voltaire is imprisoned in the Bastille 2014 Pioneering TV journalist Barbara Walters signs off Cold War 1960 U.S.-Soviet summit meeting collapses after U-2 spy plane shot down Crime 1975 A nurse stabs expectant mother to death, steals unborn baby France 1770 French dauphin, Louis, marries Marie Antoinette 1968 Worker protests mount in France Sports 1980 Basketball great, Magic Johnson, plays center as a rookie, wins championships U.S. Presidents 1868 Senate acquits President Andrew Johnson of high crimes and misdemeanors World War I 1918 U.S. Congress passes Sedition Act World War II 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising ends

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 17 1954 Brown v. Board of Ed is decided May 17, 1954: In a major civil rights victory, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to federal tolerance of ra... read more American Revolution 1769 George Washington criticizes "taxation without representation" Art, Literature, and Film History 1873 Writer Dorothy Richardson, pioneer of stream of consciousness, is born 1965 The FBI Laboratory weighs in on the "dirty" lyrics of "Louie Louie" 2000 Final episode of "Beverly Hills, 90210" airs Crime 1974 LAPD raid leaves six SLA members dead Exploration 1970 Norwegian ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl sails papyrus boat Gay Rights 2004 First legal same-sex marriage performed in Massachusetts Native American History 1885 Apache leader Geronimo flees Arizona reservation, setting off panic U.S. Presidents 1973 Televised Watergate hearings begin World War II 1943 The Memphis Belle flies its 25th bombing mission

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 18 1980 Mount St. Helens erupts At 8:32 a.m. PDT on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in southwestern Washington, suffers a massive eruption, killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness. Called Louwala-Clough, or “the Smoking Mountain,” by Native Americans, Mount St. Helens is located... read more 21st Century 2012 Facebook raises $16 billion in largest tech IPO in U.S. history American Revolution 1783 United Empire Loyalists reach Canada Art, Literature, and Film History 1593 Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe 1980 Ian Curtis of Joy Division dies by suicide China 1989 One million protesters take to the streets in Beijing Civil War 1863 The Siege of Vicksburg commences Crime 1926 Popular evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears India 1974 India joins the nuclear club Native American History 1871 Chief Satanta attacks wagon trains, killing teamsters RELIGION 1920 Pope John Paul II born U.S. Presidents 1860 Abraham Lincoln nominated for presidency at Republican Convention 1861 Newspaper prints scathing report about First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln U.S. Government 1896 Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson World War I 1917 U.S. Congress passes Selective Service Act World War II 1943 Adolf Hitler gives the order for Operation Alaric

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 19 1935 Lawrence of Arabia dies T.E. Lawrence, known to the world as Lawrence of Arabia, dies as a retired Royal Air Force mechanic living under an assumed name. The legendary war hero, author and archaeological scholar succumbed to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident six days before. Thomas Edward Lawrence was born in Trem... read more 1970s 1975 New York City's Chinatown shuts down to protest police brutality Africa 2016 EgyptAir flight 804 disappears over the Mediterranean Sea Art, Literature, and Film History 1897 Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde is released after two years in prison Cold War 1967 Soviets ratify treaty banning nuclear weapons from outer space Exploration 1588 Spanish Armada sets sail to secure English Channel Great Britain 1536 Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, is executed Inventions & Science 1997 Avian flu kills young boy U.S. Presidents 1864 President Lincoln proposes equal treatment of soldiers' dependents Westward Expansion 1836 Young Texan girl kidnapped during Native American raid World War I 1916 Britain and France conclude Sykes-Picot agreement World War II 1943 FDR and Winston Churchill plot D-Day

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 20 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans On May 20, 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world's most famous garments: blue jeans. In San Francisco, Strauss established a wholesale dry goods bus... read more Art, Literature, and Film History 1946 English poet W.H. Auden becomes a U.S. citizen 1998 Frank Sinatra is laid to rest 2007 "The Simpsons" airs 400th episode Crime 2005 Convicted sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau marries former victim Exploration 1498 Vasco da Gama reaches India 1506 Christopher Columbus dies Gay Rights 1996 Supreme Court defends rights of gays and lesbians in Romer v. Evans Roaring Twenties 1927 Charles Lindbergh takes off across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis Sports 1989 Sunday Silence wins Preakness Stakes by a nose U.S. Presidents 1862 President Lincoln signs the Homestead Act Vietnam War 1969 Battle for "Hamburger Hill" ends after 10 grueling days World War II 1940 Germans break through to English Channel at Abbeville, France

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 21 1881 American Red Cross founded In Washington, D.C., humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons found the American National Red Cross, an organization established to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters in congruence with the International Red Cross. Barton, born in Massachusetts in 1821, worked ... read more American Revolution 1758 Lenape Indians abduct Mary Campbell from western Pennsylvania Art, Literature, and Film History 1999 Soap star Susan Lucci wins first Emmy after 19 nominations Cold War 1956 United States drops hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll Crime 1924 Murderers Leopold and Loeb gain national attention 1992 "Long Island Lolita" is arrested Exploration 1542 Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto dies in American wilderness Inventions & Science 1901 Connecticut enacts first speed-limit law Natural Disasters & Environment 1960 Huge earthquake hits Chile Roaring Twenties 1927 Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo, nonstop transatlantic flight U.S. Presidents 2000 Former president James Garfield's spine put on display Westward Expansion 1539 Black Spanish explorer Estevan is reported killed Women's History 1932 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to make solo, nonstop transatlantic flight World War I 1911 French troops occupy Fez, sparking second Moroccan Crisis World War II 1940 Nazis kill "unfit" people in East Prussia 1942 Thousands of Jews die in Nazi gas chambers; IG Farben sets up factory

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 22 1843 A thousand pioneers head West as part of the Great Emigration The first major wagon train to the northwest departs from Elm Grove, Missouri, on the Oregon Trail. Although U.S. sovereignty over the Oregon Territory was not clearly established until 1846, American fur trappers and missionary groups had been living in the region for dec... read more American Revolution 1781 Patriot siege of Ninety Six, South Carolina begins Art, Literature, and Film History 1859 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, is born 1958 Jerry Lee Lewis drops a bombshell in London 2004 Controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" wins Palme d'Or prize Civil War 1856 Southern congressman beats Northern senator with a cane in the halls of Congress Crime 1981 Atlanta child murderer is traced using rare nylon fiber 2002 Chandra Levy's remains found 2017 Manchester Arena bombed during Ariana Grande concert Great Britain 1455 The War of the Roses begins Middle East 1990 South Yemen and North Yemen are unified as the Republic of Yemen U.S. Presidents 1802 First Lady Martha Washington dies 1972 President Nixon arrives in Moscow for historic summit World War I 1917 Crisis mounts in Austria-Hungary amid hunger and discontent World War II 1939 The Pact of Steel is signed; the Axis is formed

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 23 1934 Police kill famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde On May 23, 1934, notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police while driving a stolen car near Sailes, Louisiana. Bonnie Parker met the charismatic Clyde Barrow in Texas when she was 19 years old and her husband (she married when she was 16)... read more 21st Century 2015 Ireland legalizes same-sex marriage American Revolution 1777 Meigs Expedition claims Patriot victory on Long Island Art, Literature, and Film History 1921 “Shuffle Along,” the first major African American hit musical, premieres on Broadway 1979 Tom Petty defies his record label and files for bankruptcy BLACK HISTORY 1900 William Carney becomes first Black American awarded the Medal of Honor Cold War 1949 Federal Republic of Germany is established EARLY 20th CENTURY U.S. 1911 New York Public Library dedicated Great Britain 1701 Captain Kidd is executed Holocaust 1960 High-ranking Nazi official Adolf Eichmann captured Natural Disasters & Environment 1960 Deadly tsunami hits Hawaii U.S. Presidents 2004 George W. Bush recovers from bicycle accident World War I 1915 Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary World War II 1941 Lord Mountbatten, cousin to a king, sunk by German dive-bombers 1945 Nazi SS Chief Heinrich Himmler dies by suicide

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 24 1883 Brooklyn Bridge opens After 14 years, the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River opens, connecting the great cities of New York and Brooklyn for the first time in history. Thousands of residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan Island turned out to witness the dedication ceremony, which was presided over by President Chester A. Ar... read more American Revolution 1775 John Hancock becomes president of Congress Crime 1989 Lori Ann Auker disappears from a parking lot Inventions & Science 1543 Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus dies 1844 Samuel Morse demonstrates the telegraph with the message, "What hath God wrought?" Sports 1935 MLB holds first night game 1964 Riot erupts at Lima, Peru soccer match, killing hundreds U.S. Presidents 1797 Thomas Jefferson inquires about a former flame World War I 1917 British naval convoy system introduced World War II 1941 German battleship, the Bismarck, sinks Britain's HMS Hood 1943 Auschwitz gets a new doctor: "the Angel of Death"

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 25 1787 Constitutional Convention begins Four years after the United States won its independence from England, 55 state delegates, including George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, convene in Philadelphia to compose a new U.S. constitution. The Articles of Confederation, ratified several months before the British s... read more 1970s 1975 Grizzly bear is classified as a "threatened" species 21st Century 2020 George Floyd is killed by a police officer, igniting historic protests Art, Literature, and Film History 1977 "Star Wars" opens in theaters Cold War 1977 Chinese government removes ban on Shakespeare Crime 1861 President Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War 1895 Oscar Wilde is sent to prison for indecency 1979 6-year-old Etan Patz—boy on milk carton—goes missing Great Britain 1660 The English Restoration begins Inventions & Science 1994 Pennsylvania man buried with his beloved Corvette Natural Disasters & Environment 1979 American Airlines plane crashes in Chicago, killing all aboard Sports 1935 Babe Ruth hits last home run U.S. Presidents 1961 JFK asks Congress to support the space program

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 26 1897 "Dracula" goes on sale in London The first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker, appear in London bookshops on May 26, 1897. A childhood invalid, Stoker grew up to become a football (soccer) star at Trinity College, Dublin. After graduation, he got a job in civil service at Dublin Castle, where h... read more 1990s 1991 Plane crashes in Thai jungle Art, Literature, and Film History 1907 John Wayne is born 1962 The British Invasion has an odd beginning with clarinetist Acker Bilk Civil War 1865 One of the last Confederate generals surrenders Inventions & Science 1927 Last day of Model T production at Ford Native American History 1637 Pequot massacres begin Russia 1896 Czar Nicholas II crowned COLD WAR 1960 United States charges Soviets with espionage U.S. Presidents 1868 President Johnson acquitted in Senate impeachment trial 1924 President Coolidge signs Immigration Act of 1924

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 27 1939 Ship carrying 937 Jewish refugees, fleeing Nazi Germany, is turned away in Cuba A boat carrying 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution is turned away from Havana, Cuba, on May 27, 1939. Only 28 immigrants are admitted into the country. After appeals to the United States and Canada for entry are denied, the rest are forced to sail back to Europe, where they're distributed ... read more 19th Century 1887 Chinese gold miners are slaughtered in the Hells Canyon Massacre American Revolution 1813 Thomas Jefferson writes to John Adams Art, Literature, and Film History 1963 Dylan's breakthrough album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," is released Civil War 1861 President Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus is challenged Cold War 1972 SALT agreements signed Crime 2005 Murder suspect spends third day perched on crane Landmarks 1937 Golden Gate Bridge opens Russia 1703 St. Petersburg founded by Peter the Great 1905 The Battle of Tsushima Strait 1994 Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn returns to Russia after exile U.S. Presidents 1941 FDR proclaims an unlimited national emergency in response to Nazi threats Vietnam War 1971 Sweden announces support to Viet Cong Westward Expansion 1831 Comanche kill mountain man Jedediah Smith World War II 1940 British evacuation of Dunkirk turns savage as Germans commit atrocity 1941 British navy sinks the German battleship Bismarck 1943 U.S. Olympian Louis Zamperini's plane goes down in the Pacific

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 28 1961 Appeal for Amnesty campaign launches On May 28, 1961, the British newspaper The London Observer publishes British lawyer Peter Benenson's article "The Forgotten Prisoners" on its front page, launching the Appeal for Amnesty 1961-a campaign calling for the release of all people imprisoned in various parts of the world because of the pea... read more Africa 1991 Ethiopian capital falls to rebels, ending 17 years of Marxist rule Art, Literature, and Film History 1935 John Steinbeck publishes "Tortilla Flat" 1983 Irene Cara has a #1 pop hit with the "Flashdance" theme 1998 Comic Phil Hartman killed by wife Colonial America 1754 First blood of the French and Indian War Inventions & Science 1937 Volkswagen is founded Middle East 1964 Palestine Liberation Organization is founded 2010 Terrorists attack Ahmadiyya mosques in Pakistan Native American History 1830 Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act into law Sports 1957 Baseball owners allow Dodgers and Giants to move 2006 Barry Bonds hits 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth on MLB list Vietnam War 1969 U.S. troops abandon "Hamburger Hill" World War I 1918 U.S. troops score victory at Cantigny