This Day in History

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 21 2016 Legendary musician and megawatt star Prince dies at 57 On the morning of April 21, 2016, Prince, the virtuosic musician who created more than 30 albums and won seven Grammy Awards over a 40-year career, is found dead in Paisley Park, his Minnesota home and recording studio. The cause of death was an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl. He was 57... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Ancient Rome 753 B.C. Rome founded   Arts & Entertainment 1816 Charlotte Brontë born 1895 First movie projector demonstrated in United States 1973 “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” tops the U.S. pop charts and creates a cultural phenomenon   Inventions & Science 1967 GM celebrates 100 millionth U.S.-made car   Latin American & Caribbean History 1836 Texas militia routs Mexicans in the Battle of San Jacinto   LGBTQ+ History 1966 “Sip-In” takes place at Julius’ Bar in New York City   Natural Disasters & Environment 1930 Prisoners left to burn in Ohio fire   Sports 1980 Rosie Ruiz fakes Boston Marathon win   U.S. Presidents 1865 Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train leaves D.C.   World War I 1918 German flying ace, “Red Baron,” killed in action

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 22 1970 The first Earth Day Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems, is celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 22, 1970. Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches and educational... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1889 The Oklahoma land rush begins   1970s 1978 Bob Marley headlines One Love Peace Concert   21st Century 2004 Pat Tillman killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan   Arts & Entertainment 1978 The Blues Brothers make their world premiere on “Saturday Night Live”   Asian History 1989 100,000 Chinese students gather at Tiananmen Square, demand to meet Li Peng   Cold War 1954 McCarthy-Army hearings begin   Crime 1886 Ohio criminalizes seduction by male teachers   Latin American & Caribbean History 1997 Peruvian President Fujimori orders assault on Japanese ambassador’s home   Natural Disasters & Environment 1992 Sewers explode in Guadalajara, Mexico, killing hundreds   Sports 1876 First National League baseball game played 1957 John Irvin Kennedy plays for Phillies, fully integrating National League   U.S. Presidents 1994 Former President Richard Nixon dies   World War I 1915 Germans introduce poison gas 1915 Second Battle of Ypres begins   World War II 1945 Hitler admits defeat

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 23 1564 William Shakespeare born The great English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564—at least, by historians’ best reckoning. It is impossible to be certain the exact day on which he was born, but church records show that he was baptized on April 26, and three days was a... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1778 John Paul Jones leads American raid on Whitehaven, England   Arts & Entertainment 1961 Judy Garland plays Carnegie Hall   Civil War 1865 “Panic has seized the country,” writes Confederate President Jefferson Davis   Cold War 1945 President Truman confronts Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov   Crime 1969 Sirhan Sirhan receives death penalty for assassination of Robert F. Kennedy   European History 1014 Brian, High King of Ireland, killed in victory over Vikings   Food 1985 New Coke debuts, one of the biggest product flops in history   Sports 1954 Hank Aaron hits first home run of his MLB career   U.S. Presidents 1791 James Buchanan is born   Vietnam War 1975 President Ford says that war is finished for America   World War I 1915 Poet-soldier Rupert Brooke dies in Greece

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 24 1916 Easter Rising begins On April 24, 1916, on Easter Monday in Dublin, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rising, an armed uprising against British rule. Assisted by militant Irish socialists under James Connolly, Pearse and... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1800 Library of Congress established 1982 Jane Fonda’s first workout video released   Civil War 1863 Union issues conduct code for soldiers   Cold War 1955 The Bandung Conference concludes   European History 1953 Winston Churchill knighted   Middle Eastern History 1980 Iran hostage rescue mission ends in disaster   Space Exploration 1967 Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov killed when parachute fails to deploy

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 25 1945 President Truman is briefed on Manhattan Project On April 25, 1945, President Harry S. Truman learns the full details of the Manhattan Project, in which scientists are attempting to create the first atomic bomb. The information thrust upon Truman a momentous decision: whether or not to use the world’s first weapon of mass destruction. America’s... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2014 The Flint water crisis begins   African History 1859 Ground broken for Suez Canal   Arts & Entertainment 1719 “Robinson Crusoe” is published 1917 Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald is born   Crime 1989 A father is exonerated after 21 years   Natural Disasters & Environment 1980 Plane crashes on Canary Islands, killing 146 2015 Magnitude 7.8 earthquake kills thousands in Nepal   Space Exploration 1990 Hubble Space Telescope placed in orbit   Sports 1950 Chuck Cooper becomes first African American selected in NBA draft 1974 NFL adopts overtime for regular-season games   World War I 1915 Allies begin invasion of Gallipoli   World War II 1945 U.S. and Russian armies meet at Torgau, signaling imminent German defeat

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 26 1986 Test triggers nuclear disaster at Chernobyl On April 26, 1986, the world’s worst nuclear power plant accident occurs at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union. Thirty-two people died and dozens more suffered radiation burns in the opening days of the crisis, but only after Swedish authorities reported the fallout did Soviet... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1798 Mountain man James Beckwourth is born   1950s 1954 Geneva Conference to resolve problems in Asia begins   American Revolution 1777 British rampage Danbury, Connecticut   Arts & Entertainment 1977 Studio 54 opens in New York City 1986 Maria Shriver marries Arnold Schwarzenegger   Civil War 1865 Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth dies   Cold War 1983 Soviet leader Yuri Andropov writes letter to U.S. fifth-grader Samantha Smith   Crime 1913 Murder in Atlanta pencil factory leads to lynching of Leo Frank 2012 Former Liberian president Charles Taylor found guilty of war crimes   Inventions & Science 1954 Polio vaccine trials begin   U.S. Presidents 1984 President Reagan visits China   World War I 1915 Allies sign Treaty of London   World War II 1937 Nazis test new air force, Luftwaffe, on Basque town of Guernica

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 27 4977 B.C. Universe is created, according to Kepler On April 27, 4977 B.C., the universe is created, according to German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, considered a founder of modern science. Kepler is best known for his theories explaining the motion of planets. Kepler was born on December 27, 1571, in Weil der Stadt, Germany. As a... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1805 U.S. agent William Eaton leads first U.S. Marines battle, on “the shores of Tripoli” 1813 Explorer Zebulon Pike killed in battle   1970s 1978 Afghan president is overthrown and murdered   African History 1994 South Africa holds first multiracial elections   Arts & Entertainment 1993 D.A. announces negligence caused death of “The Crow” actor Brandon Lee   Civil War 1865 Sultana steamship explosion kills 1,700   Crime 1861 President Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War 1997 Andrew Cunanan begins his killing spree   Exploration 1521 Navigator Ferdinand Magellan killed in the Philippines   Inventions & Science 2009 GM announces plans to phase out Pontiac   Sports 1956 Rocky Marciano retires as world heavyweight champion   U.S. Presidents 1822 President Ulysses S. Grant is born

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 28 1789 Mutiny on the HMS Bounty Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate. Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a small, open boat, and the Bounty set course for Tubuai south of Tahiti. In December... read more   Sign up for Video of the Day Get a FREE featured video sent right to your inbox, every weekday. Tune in to history with a mix of short videos and fascinating documentaries. Sign Up 21st Century 2004 U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib   Civil War 1862 Union captures New Orleans   Cold War 1965 U.S. troops land in the Dominican Republic in attempt to forestall a “communist dictatorship”   Crime 1996 35 killed in Australia’s Port Arthur Massacre   European History 1969 Charles de Gaulle resigns as leader of France   Inventions & Science 1916 Luxury car magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini is born   Natural Disasters & Environment 1988 Aloha Airlines Flight 243 miraculously lands after losing roof   Sports 1967 Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction   Vietnam War 1970 President Nixon approves Cambodian incursion   World War II 1945 Benito Mussolini executed

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 29 2004 World War II monument opens in Washington, D.C. On April 29, 2004, the World War II Memorial opens in Washington, D.C. to thousands of visitors, providing overdue recognition for the 16 million U.S. men and women who served in the war. The memorial is located on 7.4 acres on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the National Mall between the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1863 Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst is born   Arts & Entertainment 1968 “Hair” premieres on Broadway   Black History 1854 First HBCU, Lincoln University, chartered 1992 Riots erupt in Los Angeles after police officers are acquitted in Rodney King trial   European History 1429 Joan of Arc relieves Orleans 2011 Britain’s Prince William weds Kate Middleton   Holocaust 1945 U.S. Army liberates Dachau concentration camp   Inventions & Science 2004 The end of the road for Oldsmobile   U.S. Presidents 1974 President Nixon announces release of Watergate tapes   World War II 1945 Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun marry

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY April 30 1945 Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker On April 30, 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler’s dreams of a “1,000-year” Reich. Since at... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1977 Over 2,000 protesters occupy the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant construction site   Arts & Entertainment 1859 First installment of “A Tale of Two Cities” is published 1997 Controversial “coming out” episode of “Ellen” airs   Asian History 2019 Japan’s Emperor Akihito abdicates   Civil War 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville begins   Early U.S. 1803 United States and France complete the Louisiana Purchase   European History 1997 Big Ben clock stops at 12:11 p.m. for 43 minutes   Great Depression 1939 New York World’s Fair opens   Inventions & Science 1897 British physicist J.J. Thomson announces the discovery of electrons 1948 Original Land Rover debuts at auto show 1993 World Wide Web (WWW) launches in the public domain   Sports 1993 Tennis star Monica Seles stabbed   U.S. Presidents 1789 George Washington gives first presidential inaugural address   Vietnam War 1975 Fall of Saigon: South Vietnam surrenders   World War I 1917 Battle of the Boot takes place between Anglo-Indian and Turkish forces

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 01 1931 Empire State Building dedicated On May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates New York City’s Empire State Building, pressing a button from the White House that turns on the building’s lights. Hoover’s gesture, of course, was symbolic; while the president remained in Washington, D.C., someone else flicked the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1852 Adventurer and performer Calamity Jane is born 1898 The U.S. destroys Spanish Pacific fleet in Battle of Manila Bay   Arts & Entertainment 1941 “Citizen Kane” released 1967 Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu   Cold War 1960 American U-2 spy plane shot down over Soviet Union   Crime 2002 Former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams indicted for manslaughter   European History 1851 First-ever “Great Exhibition” opens in London 1997 Labour Party returns to power in Britain   Inventions & Science 1926 Ford factory workers get 40-hour week   Sports 1955 Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins final LPGA tournament of her career   U.S. Government and Politics 1958 First “Law Day” observed   Women’s History 1915 International Congress of Women adopts resolutions on peace, women’s suffrage 1963 Gloria Steinem publishes first half of her undercover Playboy exposé “A Bunny’s Tale”

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 02 1933 Loch Ness “Monster” sighted for the first time, igniting the modern legend The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news on May 2, 1933. The newspaper Inverness Courier relates an account of a local couple who claim to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.” The story of the “monster” (a moniker chosen by... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1885 “Good Housekeeping” goes on sale for the first time   21st Century 2011 Osama bin Laden killed by U.S. forces   Arts & Entertainment 1949 Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” wins the Pulitzer Prize for drama 1960 Dick Clark survives the Payola scandal   Black History 1963 More than 1,000 schoolchildren protest segregation in the Children’s Crusade   Cold War 1957 Senator Joseph McCarthy dies   Crime 1924 Man arrested in grisly murder that makes rubber gloves standard crime-scene equipment   Exploration 1670 King Charles II grants charter to Hudson’s Bay Company   Inventions & Science 1918 GM buys Chevrolet   U.S. Government and Politics 1972 J. Edgar Hoover dies, ending a five-decade era at the FBI 1974 Former Vice President Spiro Agnew disbarred for tax evasion   World War I 1918 Allies resolve argument over whether to deploy U.S. troops on Western Front   World War II 1945 German troops surrender to Allies in Italy, while Berlin surrenders to Russia’s Zhukov

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 03 1469 Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli born On May 3, 1469, the Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli is born. A lifelong patriot and diehard proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli became one of the fathers of modern political theory. Machiavelli entered the political service of his native Florence by the time he was 29. As... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1980s 1980 MADD founder’s daughter killed by drunk driver   Arts & Entertainment 1810 Lord Byron swims across tumultuous Hellespont strait in Turkey 1933 Funk master James Brown is born 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decides Paramount antitrust case   Asian History 1947 New Japanese constitution goes into effect 1962 Trains collide near Tokyo, killing more than 160 people   Cold War 1951 Congressional hearings on General MacArthur begin   Crime 1992 Kidnapped Exxon executive dies in a wooden box 2007 Three-year-old Madeleine McCann goes missing in Portugal   European History 1968 Students protest at the Sorbonne in Paris, kicking off month of unrest   Exploration 1952 Joseph Fletcher lands first aircraft on the North Pole   Hispanic History 1954 Supreme Court rules in Hernandez v. Texas, broadening civil rights laws   World War II 1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea begins 1946 Japanese war crimes trial begins

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 04 1970 National Guard kills four students in Kent State shootings On May 4, 1970, in Kent, Ohio, 28 National Guardsmen fire their weapons at a group of anti-war demonstrators on the Kent State University campus, killing four students, wounding eight and permanently paralyzing another. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1886 The Haymarket Square Riot   African History 2002 Nigerian aircraft crashes in crowded city   American Revolution 1776 Rhode Island becomes first colony to renounce allegiance to George III   Arts & Entertainment 1929 Legendary actress Audrey Hepburn is born 1948 Norman Mailer’s first novel, “The Naked and the Dead,” is published 1956 Gene Vincent records “Be-Bop-A-Lula” 1994 A lawmaker introduces the pun “May the Fourth be with you” on the floor of U.K. Parliament   Black History 1959 Ella Fitzgerald becomes first Black woman to win a Grammy Award 1961 The first Freedom Ride departs from Washington, D.C.   Crime 1990 Electric chair malfunctions in Florida, leading states to change execution methods   Landmarks 1904 U.S. officially acquires Panama Canal, takes over construction   Middle Eastern History 1994 Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat sign accord for Palestinian self-rule   Sports 1924 Paris hosts its second Olympic Games 1966 Willie Mays breaks National League home run record   U.S. Presidents 1865 President Lincoln is buried in Springfield, Illinois   Women’s History 1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female prime minister   World War I 1916 Germany agrees to limit its submarine warfare

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 05 1961 Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space On May 5, 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. is launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to travel into space. The suborbital flight, which lasted 15 minutes and reached a height of 116 miles into the atmosphere, was a major triumph... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1920s 1921 Chanel No. 5 perfume launches   1970s 1978 Ben & Jerry’s opens its first ice cream shop   1980s 1981 IRA militant Bobby Sands dies   Arts & Entertainment 1816 The Examiner publishes John Keats’ first poem 2002 “Spider-Man” becomes first movie to top $100 million in opening weekend   Black History 1868 Martha Jones becomes first Black woman to receive a U.S. patent   Cold War 1955 Allies end occupation of West Germany   Crime 1905 British murder trial begins, the first to be solved by fingerprint evidence 2004 Human remains found in suitcase near Virginia Beach   European History 1821 Napoleon dies in exile   Latin American & Caribbean History 1862 Outnumbered Mexican army defeats French at Battle of Puebla   Sports 1904 Cy Young pitches first perfect game in MLB history   World War I 1919 Italian delegates announce return to Paris peace conference   World War II 1945 Six killed in Oregon by Japanese bomb

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 06 1994 English Channel tunnel opens In a May 6, 1994 ceremony presided over by England’s Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand, a rail tunnel under the English Channel is officially opened, connecting Britain and the European mainland for the first time since the Ice Age. The Channel Tunnel, or “Chunnel,”... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1940 John Steinbeck wins a Pulitzer for “The Grapes of Wrath” 2004 Final episode of “Friends” airs on NBC   Cold War 1955 West Germany joins NATO 1992 Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev reviews Cold War in speech at Westminster College   Crime 1876 “Duchess of Devonshire” painting stirs interest—and theft 2013 Ohio kidnap victims rescued after years in captivity   Natural Disasters & Environment 1937 The Hindenburg disaster   Sports 1954 Roger Bannister runs first four-minute mile 1991 Harry Gant is oldest NASCAR winner—again   U.S. Presidents 1935 FDR creates the Works Progress Administration (WPA) 1994 Paula Jones accuses Bill Clinton of sexual harassment   World War II 1942 All American forces in the Philippines surrender unconditionally

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 07 1994 Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” recovered after theft On May 7, 1994, Norway’s most famous painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, is recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo. The fragile painting was recovered undamaged at a hotel in Asgardstrand, about 40 miles south of Oslo, police said. The iconic 1893 painting of a... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1950s 1954 French defeated at Dien Bien Phu   Arts & Entertainment 1824 Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 debuts   Asian American & Pacific Islander History 1843 First Japanese immigrant arrives in the U.S.   Cold War 1960 Leonid Brezhnev becomes leader of the USSR   Crime 1896 Serial killer H.H. Holmes is hanged in Philadelphia   Inventions & Science 1998 Daimler-Benz announces purchase of Chrysler Corp. 2004 Marine biologist Richard Thompson coins the term “microplastics”   Native American History 1763 Ottawa Chief Pontiac’s Rebellion against the British begins   Vietnam War 1984 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange win $180 million settlement   World War I 1915 German submarine sinks Lusitania   World War II 1945 Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allies at Reims

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 08 1945 Allied nations worldwide celebrate V-E Day On May 8, 1945, Great Britain, the United States and other Allied countries celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in the U.S., U.K., and Western Europe, along with in the Soviet Union, Canada and Australia put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine during World War... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1846 Future president Zachary Taylor fights the Battle of Palo Alto   Arts & Entertainment 1852 Louisa May Alcott publishes her first story 1963 American moviegoers get their first view of James Bond in “Dr. No” 1976 The theme song from “Welcome Back, Kotter” is the #1 song in America 2010 Betty White becomes oldest “Saturday Night Live” host   Civil War 1864 General Lee’s army beats Grant’s Union troops to Spotsylvania   Cold War 1984 Soviets announce boycott of 1984 Olympics   Early U.S. 1792 Militia Act establishes conscription under federal law   Exploration 1541 Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi   Native American History 1973 American Indian Movement (AIM) ends occupation of Wounded Knee   Natural Disasters & Environment 1902 Mount Pelée begins to erupt, burying Caribbean city   U.S. Presidents 1884 Harry S. Truman is born   Vietnam War 1970 Nixon defends invasion of Cambodia   World War I 1919 New celebration of Armistice Day proposed   World War II 1945 High-ranking Nazi Hermann Göring is captured by the U.S. Seventh Army

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 09 1960 FDA approves “the pill” On May 9, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the world’s first commercially produced birth-control pill—Enovid-10, made by the G.D. Searle Company of Chicago, Illinois. Development of “the pill,” as it became popularly known, was initially commissioned by birth-control pioneer... read more   Sign up for Video of the Day Get a FREE featured video sent right to your inbox, every weekday. Tune in to history with a mix of short videos and fascinating documentaries. Sign Up 19th Century 1887 “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” show opens in London   Arts & Entertainment 1950 L. Ron Hubbard publishes “Dianetics” 1964 An unlikely challenger ends the Beatles’ reign atop the U.S. pop charts   Crime 1671 Irish adventurer “Colonel Blood” steals crown jewels 1978 Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is found dead 1988 Woman convicted of killing two in Excedrin tampering 1997 Andrew Cunanan continues murder spree   Exploration 1926 Explorer Richard Byrd claims to have flown over the North Pole   U.S. Presidents 1914 Woodrow Wilson proclaims the first Mother’s Day holiday 1974 House votes to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Nixon   Vietnam War 1969 Reporter breaks news of secret bombing in Cambodia 1970 President Nixon meets with anti-war protesters at the Lincoln Memorial   World War I 1915 Allies launch dual offensive on Western Front

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 10 1869 Transcontinental railroad completed, unifying United States On May 10, 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah, and drive a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history. No longer would... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT African History 1994 Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president, is inaugurated   American Revolution 1773 British parliament passes unpopular Tea Act 1775 Second Continental Congress assembles as Americans capture Fort Ticonderoga   Asian History 1990 China releases 211 prisoners arrested during Tiananmen Square protests   Civil War 1863 Confederate general Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson dies 1865 Confederate President Jefferson Davis captured by Union forces   Crime 1924 J. Edgar Hoover begins his 48-year tenure as FBI director 2002 Robert Hanssen, FBI agent turned Russian spy, is sentenced to life in prison   European History 1871 Treaty of Frankfurt ends Franco-Prussian War 1940 Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of Britain   Exploration 1534 French navigator Jacques Cartier begins exploring the Canadian coast 1996 Eight climbers die on Mt. Everest   Inventions & Science 1980 Government approves $1.5 billion loan for Chrysler   Sports 1970 Photographer captures soaring Stanley Cup champion Bobby Orr in iconic image

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 11 1934 Dust storm sweeps from Great Plains across Eastern states On May 11, 1934, a massive storm sends millions of tons of topsoil flying from across the parched Great Plains region of the United States as far east as New York, Boston and Atlanta. At the time the Great Plains were settled in the mid-1800s, the land was covered by prairie grass, which held... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1858 Minnesota enters the Union   1970s 1972 Labor organizer and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez begins hunger strike   Arts & Entertainment 1981 Reggae star Bob Marley dies at 36   Civil War 1864 Confederate Cavalry General J.E.B. Stuart is mortally wounded   Crime 1812 British prime minister Spencer Perceval assassinated 1949 Evidence found against French serial killer known as “The Queen of Poisoners”   Holocaust 1960 High-ranking Nazi official Adolf Eichmann captured   Inventions & Science 1947 B.F. Goodrich Co. announces development of tubeless tire 1997 Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess match   Sports 1985 Fire kills 50 at soccer stadium   Vietnam War 1961 President Kennedy orders more troops to South Vietnam 1969 Bloody 10-day battle at “Hamburger Hill” begins   World War II 1987 “Butcher of Lyon,” former Nazi Gestapo chief, charged with war crimes

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 12 1932 Kidnapped Lindbergh baby found dead The body of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh’s baby is found on May 12, 1932, more than two months after he was kidnapped from his family’s Hopewell, New Jersey, mansion. Lindbergh, who became the first worldwide celebrity five years earlier when he flew The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic,... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1975 American freighter ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian navy   American Revolution 1780 Americans suffer worst defeat of revolution at Charleston   Arts & Entertainment 1907 Celebrated actress Katharine Hepburn is born 1963 Bob Dylan walks out on “The Ed Sullivan Show” 1965 Rolling Stones record “Satisfaction,” which came to Keith Richards in his sleep   Cold War 1949 Soviet Union lifts its 11-month blockade against West Berlin   Sports 1957 Ferrari race car crashes at Mille Miglia race, killing 11 1957 Race car driver A.J. Foyt gets first pro victory   U.S. Presidents 1903 Teddy Roosevelt’s trip to San Francisco is captured on film   Vietnam War 1961 Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 13 1846 U.S. Congress declares war on Mexico On May 13, 1846, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly votes in favor of President James K. Polk’s request to declare war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas. Under the threat of war, the United States had refrained from annexing Texas after the latter won independence from Mexico in 1836. But in 1844,... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Cold War 1958 Vice President Nixon is attacked   Crime 1981 Pope John Paul II shot 1985 Philadelphia police drop bomb on MOVE headquarters, killing 11   European History 1568 Mary Queen of Scots defeated 1940 Churchill announces: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”   Sports 1973 Bobby Riggs and Margaret Court face off in first “Battle of the Sexes”   U.S. Government and Politics 1920 Socialist party nominates “Convict 2253” for president   World War I 1915 Edith Wharton writes of the war’s effect on France 1919 German foreign minister protests Versailles Treaty terms

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 14 1804 Lewis and Clark depart to explore the Northwest May 14, 1804: One year after the United States doubled its territory with the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition leaves St. Louis, Missouri, on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Even before the U.S. government concluded purchase... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1990s 1991 Two trains crash in Japan, killing more than 40   American Revolution 1787 Constitutional Convention delegates begin to assemble   Arts & Entertainment 1998 Frank Sinatra dies   Cold War 1955 The Warsaw Pact is formed   Colonial America 1607 Jamestown settlers arrive   Inventions & Science 1796 Early smallpox vaccine is tested   Middle Eastern History 1948 State of Israel proclaimed   Space Exploration 1973 America’s first space station, Skylab, is launched   Sports 1904 First American Olympiad opens in St. Louis, Missouri   U.S. Presidents 1999 President Clinton apologizes to Chinese leader for embassy bombing

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY May 15 1937 Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, is born Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, is born Marie Jana Korbelova on May 15, 1937, in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). The daughter of Czech diplomat Josef Korbel, Albright fled to England with her family after the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939.... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2009 GE finally initiates cleanup of polluted Hudson River   American Revolution 1765 Parliament passes the Quartering Act   Arts & Entertainment 1982 “Ebony And Ivory” begins a seven-week run at #1 on the pop charts   Cold War 1988 Soviets begin withdrawal from Afghanistan   Crime 1948 A three-year-old’s brutal murder begins an unusual investigation 1972 Alabama governor George Wallace shot 1976 Young woman and her married lover arrested for killing her family    Inventions & Science 1942 Seventeen states put gasoline rationing into effect   U.S. Presidents 1800 President John Adams orders federal government to Washington, D.C. 1942 Ronald Reagan applies for transfer to Army Air Force   World War II 1941 First Allied jet-propelled aircraft flies 1942 Legislation creating the Women’s Army Corps becomes law