| 403:
|
Death of St. Epiphanius of Salamis
|
| 1003:
|
Death of Pope Sylvester II
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| 1191:
|
Marriage of Richard I of England and Berengaria of Navarre
|
| 1250:
|
King Louis IX (St.) of France arrives at Acre from Egypt
|
| 1310:
|
54 Knights Templars burned in France
|
| 1349:
|
The fourth new Vicar of the church in Shaftsbury, England is appointed, when predecessors die of the Plague
|
| 1364:
|
The first University is endowed in Cracow, Poland
|
| 1539:
|
DeSoto leaves Cuba searching for the 7 Cities of Gold
|
| 1588:
|
Day of the Barricades, Paris, France; Henry III flees the city
|
| 1621:
|
Marriage of Edward Winslow to Susanna White, the first to take place in Plymouth Colony, Mass
|
| 1634:
|
George Chapman, English poet, dramatist, translator, dies
|
| 1647:
|
Charles I accepts Parliament's terms, with reservations
|
| 1780:
|
During the American War of Independence, Charles Town (later Charleston), South Carolina, fell to the British after a two-month siege
|
| 1804:
|
Robert Baldwin, Canadian statesman. With Louis Lafontaine he was joint leader of the first and second Liberal administrations in Canada. born
|
| 1809:
|
Sir Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) defeated the French at Oporto, forcing them to retreat from Portugal
|
| 1812:
|
English artist, author and poet Edward Lear was born. Lear is best remembered for his limericks. A limerick has been described as the only "fixed verse form" indigenous to the English language.
|
| 1820:
|
Nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale in Florence, Italy. She served as a nurse in Turkey and the Crimea during the Crimean War. born
|
| 1831:
|
The first indicted bank robber in the United States, Edward Smith, was sentenced to five years hard labor at Sing Sing Prison
|
| 1839:
|
A Shawnee Indian uttered a curse on "The Great White Father" for violating Indian treaties, beginning the curious cycle of American Presidential deaths. Every president elected or re-elected at 20-year cycles died in office from 1840-1960
|
| 1842:
|
Jules Massenet was born outside of St. Etienne, France. "La Grand' Tante" was Massenet's first opera. It was performed when he was 25. An orchestral suite went over pretty well. His delicate sensuality influenced Debussy.
|
| 1845:
|
Composer Gabriel Urbain Faure was born in Pamiers, France. born
|
| 1847:
|
Mormon pioneer William Clayton invented the odometer while crossing the plains in his covered wagon
|
| 1870:
|
Royal assent was given to the Manitoba Act whereby Manitoba entered Confederation as the fifth Canadian province. Manitoba was purchased from the Hudson's Bay Company by the Dominion of Canada
|
| 1871:
|
Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber, French opera composer, died. He developed opera containing spoken as well as sung passages
|
| 1884:
|
Czech composer Bedrich Smetana, composer of operas including ``The Bartered Bride'' and ``The Brandenburgers in Bohemia,'' died
|
| 1888:
|
Charles Sherrill. of the Yale track team, became the first runner to use the crouching start for a fast break in a foot race
|
| 1907:
|
Actress Katharine Hepburn born
|
| 1914:
|
Journalist Howard K. Smith born
|
| 1917:
|
The first imported horse to win the Kentucky Derby was the English-bred colt, Omar Khayyam. He won $49,070 -- the top prize
|
| 1918:
|
Convicted spy Julius Rosenberg born
|
| 1922:
|
The magazine "Radio Broadcast" commented, "the rate of increase in the number who spend at least part of an evening listening to radio is almost incomprehensible."
|
| 1925:
|
Critic John Simon born
|
| 1925:
|
Baseball Hall of Fame member Yogi Berra born
|
| 1926:
|
Shostakovich's First Symphony was premiered by the Leningrade Philharmonic. Shostakovich was 19 years old. His symphony had been a graduation exercise. The Shostakovich First is an extremely good piece of music, full of clever ideas
|
| 1926:
|
Norwegian Roald Amundsen, Italian Umberto Nobile and American Lincoln Ellsworth crossed the North Pole in an airship
|
| 1926:
|
Marshal Jozef Pilsudski led a successful military coup against the Polish government
|
| 1929:
|
Composer Burt Bacharach born
|
| 1932:
|
The body of the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was found in a wooded area of Hopewell, New Jersey
|
| 1933:
|
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration were established to provide help for the needy and farmers
|
| 1936:
|
Talk show host Tom Snyder born
|
| 1937:
|
Comedian George Carlin born
|
| 1937:
|
George VI was crowned king of England, succeeding his brother Edward, who abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson
|
| 1938:
|
Andrei Amalrik, Soviet author, historian and political dissident. He achieved worldwide fame with the publication in 1970 of his provocative essay ``Will The Soviet Union Survive Until 1984?.'' born
|
| 1938:
|
Actress Millie Perkins born
|
| 1939:
|
Former White House press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler born
|
| 1942:
|
Country singer Billy Swan born
|
| 1943:
|
Actress Linda Dano born
|
| 1943:
|
During World War Two, Axis forces in North Africa surrendered
|
| 1945:
|
Musician Ian McLagan (Small Faces; The Faces) born
|
| 1948:
|
Actress Lindsay Crouse born
|
| 1948:
|
Singer-musician Steve Winwood born
|
| 1949:
|
The Soviet Union announced an end to the Berlin Blockade
|
| 1950:
|
Actor Gabriel Byrne born
|
| 1950:
|
Actor Bruce Boxleitner born
|
| 1950:
|
Singer Billy Squier born
|
| 1950:
|
The American Bowling Congress abolished its white males-only membership restriction after 34 years
|
| 1955:
|
Country singer Kix Brooks (Brooks and Dunn) born
|
| 1955:
|
Passengers crowded in to ride the last run of the Third Avenue elevated, "The El," in New York City. The train traveled from Chinatown to the Bronx
|
| 1957:
|
Baseball player Lou Whitaker born
|
| 1957:
|
A.J. Foyt earned his first auto racing victory in Kansas City, Missouri. He went on to become a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 -- in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977
|
| 1957:
|
Erich Von Stroheim, film actor and one of the silent screen's greatest directors, died. Films he directed included ``Greed'' and ``The Wedding March.''
|
| 1958:
|
Actress Kim Greist born
|
| 1960:
|
Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley exchanged hits when they appeared on the same TV special. Sinatra sang "Love Me Tender" and Elvis sang "Witchcraft.""
|
| 1961:
|
Rock musician Billy Duffy (The Cult) born
|
| 1961:
|
Actor Ving Rhames born
|
| 1962:
|
Actor Emilio Estevez born
|
| 1962:
|
France and independent French-speaking West African states initialed an agreement setting up a West African Monetary Union
|
| 1965:
|
Country musician Eddie Kilgallon (Ricochet) born
|
| 1965:
|
West Germany and Israel exchanged letters establishing diplomatic relations
|
| 1966:
|
Actor Stephen Baldwin born
|
| 1967:
|
John Masefield, English poet and, from 1930, poet laureate, died
|
| 1969:
|
Actress Kim Fields Freeman born
|
| 1970:
|
The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Harry A. Blackmun as a Supreme Court justice
|
| 1971:
|
Actress Jamie Luner born
|
| 1973:
|
Actor Mackenzie Astin born
|
| 1975:
|
The White House announced the new Cambodian government had seized an American merchant ship, the "Mayaguez," in international waters
|
| 1976:
|
Singer Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm (Spice Girls) born
|
| 1976:
|
Sixteen-year-old racing-jockey Steve Cauthen rode in his first race. He finished far back in the pack at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Cauthen got his first win just five days later
|
| 1978:
|
Actor Jason Biggs ("American Pie") born
|
| 1978:
|
The Commerce Department said hurricanes would no longer be named exclusively after women
|
| 1980:
|
Maxie Anderson and his son, Chris were the first to make a non-stop balloon flight across North America in a 75-foot-high helium balloon - "The Kitty Hawk." They went from San Francisco to Quebec in 4 days, 2,200 miles
|
| 1981:
|
President Benjamin Sheares of Singapore died in office
|
| 1982:
|
In Fatima, Portugal, security guards overpowered a Spanish priest armed with a bayonet who was trying to reach Pope John Paul the Second
|
| 1983:
|
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 17-11 to approve the release of $625 million for development of the M-X missile that had been blocked by Congress
|
| 1984:
|
The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition began a six-month run in New Orleans. (The fair proved a financial disaster, with organizers forced to file for bankruptcy protection from its creditors.)
|
| 1985:
|
Amy Eilberg was ordained in New York as the first woman rabbi in the Conservative Jewish movement
|
| 1986:
|
A Soviet government statement reported six deaths from burns and radiation in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
|
| 1987:
|
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir rejected Foreign Minister Shimon Peres' proposal for an international Middle East peace conference, calling it "perverse and criminal." Peres angrily accused Shamir of arrogance
|
| 1988:
|
Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze, meeting in Geneva, resolved nearly all remaining questions on an intermediate-range missile treaty
|
| 1989:
|
The nation's largest airline computer reservation system, the American Airlines Sabre system, shut down for nearly 12 hours -- disrupting the operations of thousands of travel agencies nationwide
|
| 1989:
|
Retired British pilot Jack Mann was kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists in Beirut. He was the oldest of the Westerners held hostage in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war
|
| 1990:
|
The presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania forged a united front by reviving a 1934 political alliance in hopes of enhancing their drive for independence from the Soviet Union
|
| 1990:
|
Three car bombs in Colombia killed 27 people as the country's drug barons appeared to switch to indiscriminate attacks in their war against the government
|
| 1991:
|
Syrian President Hafez Assad, meeting with U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, refused to yield on key demands for joining a Middle East peace conference
|
| 1991:
|
The moderate Nepali Congress won Nepal's first multi-party elections in 32 years
|
| 1992:
|
Four suspects were arrested in the beating of trucker Reginald Denny at the start of the Los Angeles riots
|
| 1992:
|
President Bush announced he would travel to the Earth Summit in Brazil
|
| 1992:
|
CIA Director Gates said he had begun declassifying all relevant information on the President Kennedy assassination to end the notion that the CIA was involved
|
| 1992:
|
Actor Robert Reed of TV's "The Brady Bunch" died in Pasadena, California, at age 59
|
| 1993:
|
President Clinton proposed putting all money raised from new taxes and spending cuts into a trust fund dedicated solely to reducing the nation's huge budget deficit
|
| 1993:
|
Franco Nobili, the head of Italy's biggest state firm IRI, was arrested in Rome after a 15-month corruption probe
|
| 1994:
|
A token force of Palestinian police crossed the Jordan River in preparation for the end of 27 years of Israeli military rule in a West Bank enclave around Jericho
|
| 1994:
|
The Senate joined the House inpassing a bill banning blockades, violence and threats against clinics where abortions are performed
|
| 1994:
|
British Labor Party leader John Smith died unexpectedly at age 55
|
| 1995:
|
Actors Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten ("Everybody Loves Raymond") born
|
| 1995:
|
President Clinton, during a stopover in Ukraine, visited Babi Yar, the site where more than 30,000 Kiev Jews were massacred by the Nazis in 1941
|
| 1996:
|
Authorities in Florida called off the search for possible survivors from the crash of ValuJet Flight 592, a day after the jetliner nose-dived into the Everglades with 110 people on board
|
| 1997:
|
At the Oklahoma City bombing trial of Timothy McVeigh, star prosecution witness Michael Fortier testified that McVeigh had
|
| 1997:
|
India and Pakistan agreed to release each other's imprisoned nationals and to set up a telephone hotline to ease tensions
|
| 1997:
|
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov signed a peace accord promising to end 400 years of intermittent conflict
|
| 1998:
|
A day after India's first atomic test blasts in 24 years, neighboring Pakistan said it was ready to test a nuclear device itself. Indonesian President Suharto's security forces killed at least six student demonstrators
|
| 1999:
|
Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin announced he was quitting in July. (He was succeeded by his deputy, Lawrence Summers.)
|
| 1999:
|
Russian President Boris Yeltsin dismissed Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and the Cabinet
|
| 2000:
|
Adam Petty, 19, the fourth-generation driver of NASCAR's most famous family, died in a crash during practice for the Busch 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway
|
| 2000:
|
During visits to Ohio and Minnesota, President Clinton called for open trade with China, saying it would help the communist nation move closer to democracy
|
| 2005:
|
Millions worldwide still in slavery
|
| 2005:
|
Dog laws strengthened in Virginia county
|
| 2005:
|
Serbia and Montenegro: Red Star advances to cup finals
|
| 2005:
|
European MEPs abolish right to opt-out of Working Time Directive
|
| 2005:
|
Security flaws in Mozilla Firefox internet browser fixed
|
| 2005:
|
U.S. Senator Voinovich allows Bolton nomination to pass to full Senate vote
|
| 2005:
|
Gaza settlers protest planned pull-out
|
| 2005:
|
Former U.S. Homeland Security chief defends Canada border security
|
| 2005:
|
U.S. Senate: U.K. and French politicians were allocated Iraqi oil
|
| 2006:
|
Australian emergency telephone service lost in Southern NSW, ACT
|
| 2006:
|
Giorgio Napolitano elected Italian president
|
| 2006:
|
Israeli gasoline supplier to Palestinians cuts supply
|
| 2006:
|
Exiled Chagos islanders win right to return home
|
| 2006:
|
Judge suspends California High School Exit Exam requirement
|
| 2006:
|
USA Today reports NSA obtained call logs from communications companies
|
| 2006:
|
Oil pipeline explodes in Nigeria; 200 feared dead
|
| 2006:
|
Calls for corporate tax reform in Australia goes unheeded
|
| 2006:
|
Jihadis still work online
|
| 2006:
|
Palestinians get interim aid
|
| 2007:
|
Ayatollah Emami-Kashani calls Americans 'murderers'
|
| 2007:
|
Syrian democracy advocate Kamal Labwani jailed for 12 years
|
| 2007:
|
Two children witness woman being killed by a tiger
|
| 2007:
|
Violence surrounds political rally in Pakistan
|
| 2007:
|
Stevenage Borough win FA Trophy at Wembley Stadium
|
| 2007:
|
Longest coffee table symbolises World Fair Trade Day in Belgium
|
| 2007:
|
Tamil Nadu film 'Sivaji: The Boss' release date changes again
|
| 2007:
|
President of Guinea submits to military
|
| 2007:
|
Serbia wins Eurovision Song Contest 2007
|
| 2007:
|
Object that fell through roof of New Jersey home not a meteorite
|
| 2008:
|
UK opposition leader calls for Burma aid to be dispatched by air if access for aid workers does not improve
|
| 2008:
|
Large earthquake hits central China
|
| 2008:
|
Polish humanitarian Irena Sendler dies at age 98
|
| 2008:
|
Dottie Rambo dies in tour bus crash
|
| 2008:
|
Republic of Molossia announces new customs station
|
| 2008:
|
Ben Folds performs at Western Connecticut State University
|
| 2008:
|
British Airways Flight 38 suffered low fuel pressure; investigation continues
|
| 2009:
|
NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis
|
| 2009:
|
American journalist in Iran freed from prison
|
| 2009:
|
44 dead and over 300,000 homeless after flooding in Brazil
|
| 2009:
|
Jenson Button wins Spanish Grand Prix
|
| 2009:
|
Former U.S. soldier convicted of raping Iraq teen, four murders
|
| 2010:
|
Over 100 dead in Libyan plane crash
|
| 2010:
|
Explosives investigation at US Embassy in Chile; Pakistani man detained
|
| 2010:
|
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledges support for Afghanistan
|
| 2010:
|
At least fourteen dead in Pakistan after drone strikes
|
| 2010:
|
New Albertan Lieutenant Governor takes office
|
| 2011:
|
Facebook hired PR firm to discredit Google, reveals leaked correspondence
|
| 2011:
|
Campaigners angry at new British police tracking system
|
| 2011:
|
Actress Mia Amber Davis dies aged 36
|
| 2011:
|
Man commits suicide by jumping from Burj Khalifa
|
| 2012:
|
News briefs: May 12, 2012
|
| 2012:
|
Obama's new stance on same-sex marriage earns donations
|
| 2012:
|
Nude unicyclist arrested near Houston, Texas
|
History
Icons
Statistician, philanthropist and nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale born in Florence, Italy
Academy Award winning actress Katharine Houghton Hepburn born in Hartford, Connecticut
Baseball Hall of Fame catcher and manager, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra born in St Louis, Missouri
Grammy Award winning composer, singer and pianist Burt Bacharach born in Kansas City, Missouri
Grammy Award winning comedian George Carlin born in Manhattan, New York
Actress Linda Dano born in Long Beach, California