| 325:
|
1st Christian ecumenical council opens at Nica, Asia Minor
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| 794:
|
Murder of St. Ethelbert of the East Angles
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| 1259:
|
Henry III, King of England, cedes Normandy to France
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| 1277:
|
Death of Pope John XXI
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| 1293:
|
Earthquake at Kamakura, Japan
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| 1302:
|
England regains Gascony
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| 1306:
|
Edward I, King of England, gives the Duchy of Aquitaine to his son
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| 1347:
|
Cola di Rienzo made Tribune in Rome
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| 1444:
|
Death of St. Bernardine of Siena
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| 1498:
|
Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut on the Malabar coast, India
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| 1506:
|
Christopher Columbus, explorer, dies in poverty in Spain at 55
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| 1514:
|
Corporation of Trinity House chartered
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| 1520:
|
Panfilo de Narvez defeated by Hernando Cortes
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| 1537:
|
Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente, surgeon, anatomist born
|
| 1553:
|
Three English ships sail in search of Northwest Passage
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| 1569:
|
The Duke of Alba requires religious orthodoxy of midwives in Flanders
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| 1571:
|
Pope Pius V organizes a Holy League with Venice and Spain
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| 1609:
|
Thomas Thorpe publishes William Shakepeare's "Sonnets"
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| 1622:
|
Osman II, Ottoman Sultan, deposed and murdered
|
| 1639:
|
1st American public school established, Dorchester, Mass
|
| 1648:
|
Death of Wladislaus IV, King of Poland
|
| 1750:
|
Stephen Girard, bailed out US bonds during the War of 1812 born
|
| 1768:
|
Dolly Madison Dandridge Payne Todd was born. She was the wife of James Madison, the 4th United States President. born
|
| 1799:
|
French novelist Honore de Balzac in Tours, France. He called his series of almost 80 novels and tales, "La Comedie Humaine" (The Human Comedy). born
|
| 1818:
|
William George Fargo, helped to found Wells, Fargo & Co. born
|
| 1830:
|
The first railroad timetable was published, in the "Baltimore American" newspaper
|
| 1830:
|
H.D. Hyde of Reading, Pennsylvania, patented the fountain pen
|
| 1846:
|
The New York Philharmonic first performed Beethoven's Ninth. The orchestra was then in its fourth season. Beethoven's Ninth was then 24 years old. Its original reviews were mixed, with some critics considering the vocal parts banal
|
| 1861:
|
North Carolina voted to secede from the Union
|
| 1861:
|
The capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond, Virginia
|
| 1887:
|
Chabrier's opera "Le Roi malgre lui" closed just two days after the premiere. The problem wasn't that no one liked the opera; the problem was that the opera house burned down
|
| 1894:
|
American journalist Adela Rogers St. Johns was born in Los Angeles. born
|
| 1896:
|
Clara Schumann died, she was 76. Clara Schumann lived long enough to see her husband's music influence Tchaikovsky's symphonies and even Mahler's
|
| 1899:
|
Jacob German of New York City became the first driver to be arrested for speeding. Mr. German was whipping his taxicab all over Lexington Avenue and was exceeding the posted 12 mile-per-hour speed limit
|
| 1902:
|
The United States ended its occupation of Cuba
|
| 1908:
|
Actor James Stewart in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Jimmy Stewart's films include "It's A Wonderful Life," "Philadelphia Story," and "Rear Window."" born
|
| 1913:
|
William Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Co. born
|
| 1915:
|
Moshe Dayan, Israeli general & politician born
|
| 1920:
|
Actor James McEachin born
|
| 1920:
|
Comedian-actor "Lonesome" George Gobel born
|
| 1926:
|
Singer (The Ames Brothers) Vic Ames (Urick) born
|
| 1927:
|
Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, aboard the "Spirit of St. Louis" on his historic solo flight to France
|
| 1932:
|
Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland for Ireland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic
|
| 1933:
|
Actress Constance Towers born
|
| 1936:
|
Actor Anthony Zerbe born
|
| 1939:
|
Regular transatlantic air service began as a Pan American Airways plane, the "Yankee Clipper," took off from Port Washington, New York, bound for Europe
|
| 1942:
|
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded "I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo" at Victor Studios in Hollywood
|
| 1944:
|
Singer Joe Cocker born
|
| 1946:
|
Singer-actress Cher (Cherilyn Sarkisian) born
|
| 1949:
|
Actor-comedian Dave Thomas born
|
| 1950:
|
"Armed Forces Day," originally "Army Day" has been celebrated the third Saturday in May since 1950
|
| 1952:
|
Musician Warren Cann (Ultravox) born
|
| 1956:
|
Actor Dean Butler born
|
| 1958:
|
Ron Reagan born
|
| 1958:
|
Rock musician Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go's) born
|
| 1959:
|
Actor Bronson Pinchot born
|
| 1960:
|
Actor Tony Goldwyn born
|
| 1960:
|
Singer Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills) born
|
| 1961:
|
Singer Nick Heyward (Haircut 100) born
|
| 1961:
|
A white mob attacked a busload of "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Alabama, prompting the federal government to send in US marshals to restore order
|
| 1963:
|
Rock musician Brian Nash born
|
| 1966:
|
Actress Mindy Cohn born
|
| 1966:
|
Rock musician Tom Gorman (Belly) born
|
| 1969:
|
US and South Vietnamese forces captured Apbia Mountain, referred to as "Hamburger Hill" by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War
|
| 1970:
|
Some 100,000 people demonstrated in New York's Wall Street district in support of US policy in Vietnam and Cambodia
|
| 1972:
|
Rapper Buster Rhymes born
|
| 1974:
|
Judge John Sirica ordered President Nixon to turn over tapes and other records of 64 White House conversations on the Watergate affair
|
| 1983:
|
During a visit to Miami, President Reagan told a cheering audience of anti-Castro Cuban-Americans that Congress would be writing a "prescription for disaster" if it failed to approve his military and economic aid program for Central America
|
| 1984:
|
Former Argentine President Isabel Peron, ousted from office by a military coup in 1976, returned to her homeland from Spain to lead a Peronist delegation in talks with President Raul Alfonsin
|
| 1985:
|
The FBI arrested John A. Walker Jr., who was later convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
|
| 1985:
|
Israel released more than 1,100 Arab prisoners in exchange for three Israeli soldiers
|
| 1985:
|
The United States began broadcasts to Cuba on Radio Marti
|
| 1986:
|
President Reagan urged the Senate to adopt, without changes, a major tax-overhaul bill reducing the top individual rate to 27 percent
|
| 1987:
|
The commander of the U.S. frigate Stark, who lost 37 of his sailors in an Iraqi missile attack, broke his silence. Captain Glenn Brindel said he was warned seconds before the missiles struck, leaving him no time to activate the ship's defenses
|
| 1988:
|
Thirty-year-old Laurie Dann walked into a Winnetka, Illinois, elementary school classroom, where she shot to death eight-year-old Nicholas Corwin and wounded several other children. After wounding a young man at his home, Dann took her own life
|
| 1989:
|
Chinese Premier Li declared martial law in Beijing in response to heightened student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square
|
| 1989:
|
Comedian Gilda Radner died in Los Angeles at age 42
|
| 1990:
|
An Israeli opened fire on a group of Palestinian laborers south of Tel Aviv, killing seven; the gunman was later sentenced to life in prison
|
| 1990:
|
Romania's ruling National Salvation Front scored victories in the country's first free elections in more than 50 years
|
| 1990:
|
The Hubble Space Telescope sent back its first photographs
|
| 1991:
|
Lawmakers in the Soviet Union voted to liberalize foreign travel and emigration
|
| 1991:
|
The American Red Cross announced measures aimed at screening blood more carefully for the AIDS virus
|
| 1991:
|
The movie "Barton Fink" won the top prizes at the 44th annual Cannes Film Festival
|
| 1992:
|
Proclaiming his innocence to the end, Roger Keith Coleman was executed in Virginia's electric chair for the 1981 rape-murder of his sister-in-law, Wanda McCoy
|
| 1993:
|
An estimated 93 million people tuned in for the final first-run episode of "Cheers" on NBC TV
|
| 1993:
|
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Stephens struck down Michigan's law banning assisted suicide, ruling the Michigan Legislature had unconstitutionally added the measure to an existing bill
|
| 1994:
|
Tributes poured in following the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. President Clinton said of the former first lady: "She captivated our nation and the world with her intelligence, her elegance and her grace.""
|
| 1995:
|
President Clinton announced that the two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House would be permanently closed to motor vehicles as a security measure
|
| 1995:
|
"Timber Country" won the Preakness at Pimlico
|
| 1996:
|
The Supreme Court struck down, 6-to-3, a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination. another decision, the court curtailed, 5-to-4, huge jury awards aimed at punishing or deterring misconduct
|
| 1996:
|
The commander of the US frigate Stark, who lost 37 of his sailors in an Iraqi missile attack, broke his silence. Captain Glenn Brindel said he was warned only seconds before the missiles struck, and that he'd had no time to activate the ship's defense system
|
| 1997:
|
The Senate approved legislation to ban certain late-term abortions, but fell three votes shy of the total needed to override President Clinton's threatened veto
|
| 1998:
|
The government unveiled the design for the new $20 bill, featuring a larger and slightly off-center portrait of Andrew Jackson
|
| 1998:
|
The House voted overwhelmingly to block future satellite exports to China
|
| 1998:
|
In Beverly Hills, California, Hollywood royalty bid farewell to Frank Sinatra, who had died almost a week earlier at age 82, in a private, invitation-only funeral
|
| 1999:
|
An armed 15-year-old boy opened fire at Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga., wounding six students
|
| 1999:
|
NATO warplanes hammered Belgrade and its suburbs, leaving a hospital in smoldering ruins, three patients dead and the nearby homes of three European ambassadors damaged
|
| 2000:
|
The five nuclear powers on the UN Security Council agreed to eventually eliminate their nuclear arsenals, as part of a new disarmament agenda approved by 187 countries
|
| 2000:
|
"Red Bullet" won the Preakness Stakes, outpacing Kentucky Derby winner "Fusaichi Pegasus."
|
| 2000:
|
Flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal died in Paris at age 78
|
| 2005:
|
Computer giants attack Aussie CSIRO's WLAN patent
|
| 2005:
|
Australia prepares to return Afghan detainees
|
| 2005:
|
IDA Ireland opens Shanghai office
|
| 2005:
|
Red Cross reveals it told U.S. officials about Koran disrespect on multiple occasions
|
| 2005:
|
Adrian dissipates, producing heavy rains
|
| 2005:
|
FCC requires VoIP providers to have 911 service
|
| 2005:
|
Illegal version of Star Wars III hits the internet hours after world-premiere
|
| 2005:
|
Marburg virus outbreak in Angola claims over 300 lives
|
| 2006:
|
'Da Vinci Code' opens in theaters, sparks controversy
|
| 2006:
|
Two Christchurch, New Zealand, hospitals have a virus outbreak
|
| 2006:
|
Australian PM pushes for "full-blooded" nuclear energy debate
|
| 2006:
|
Sydney off-ramp to charge $1.20 for 200m drive
|
| 2006:
|
Australian Democrats in "continuous downward spiral": Founder
|
| 2006:
|
Crusaders to meet Hurricanes in Super 14 final
|
| 2006:
|
5 killed in Kentucky coal mine explosion
|
| 2006:
|
Munster win Heineken Cup
|
| 2006:
|
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro injured in Preakness, does not finish race
|
| 2006:
|
Rep. Hunter calls for hearings about alleged "cold-blooded killings" of civilians by U.S. Marines
|
| 2006:
|
Iraq swears in first full-term government
|
| 2006:
|
Explosion blasts Palestinian intelligence service HQ
|
| 2006:
|
US Navy sailors jailed in Australia on drug smuggling charges
|
| 2006:
|
China completes "mammoth" Three Gorges Dam hydro-electricity project
|
| 2006:
|
Riot at Guantanamo Bay detention camp
|
| 2007:
|
Horse racing: Curlin wins Preakness Stakes
|
| 2007:
|
Fighting erupts between Lebanese army and Islamist group
|
| 2007:
|
David Hicks transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Australian prison
|
| 2007:
|
Three dead, three wounded in Idaho, USA shooting
|
| 2007:
|
UK's Radio 1 "Big Weekend" closes, sinister plot game continues
|
| 2008:
|
Abel prize awarded to John G. Thompson and Jacques Tits
|
| 2008:
|
Ted Kennedy diagnosed with brain tumor
|
| 2008:
|
Detroit Red Wings win NHL Western finals
|
| 2008:
|
Asbestos discovery triggers evacuation and closure of New Jersey middle school
|
| 2008:
|
Ma Ying-jeou becomes President of Republic of China
|
| 2008:
|
Explosives found in California cave
|
| 2009:
|
Canadian nuclear reactor shutdown causes worldwide medical isotope shortage
|
| 2009:
|
Airplane crash in Indonesia kills 100
|
| 2009:
|
Oleg Yankovsky, prominent Russian actor, dies at age 65
|
| 2009:
|
Daniel Carasso, name-giver and leader of Danone, dies at 103
|
| 2009:
|
Canadian still faces public beheading in Saudi Arabia
|
| 2010:
|
Works valued at €100 million stolen from the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
|
| 2010:
|
Surf's up in Chile; championship competition in Pichilemu
|
| 2010:
|
YouTube, Facebook blocked in Pakistan
|
| 2011:
|
Obama supports Middle East protesters in speech
|
| 2012:
|
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg marries girlfriend Priscilla Chan
|
History
Icons
USAF Brigadier General, Golden Globe and Academy Award winning actor, Jimmy Stewart born in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company, William Hewlett born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Moshe Dayan born in Degania, Palestine
Oscar nominated actress, Peggy Cass born in Boston, Massachusetts
Singer and actress Constance Towers born in Whitefish, Montana
Composer and rock singer, Joe Cocker born in Sheffield, England
Academy Award winning actress, songwriter and singer, Cher born Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere in El Centro, California