| 615:
|
Death of Pope Boniface IV
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| 1147:
|
Death of St. Peter of Tarentaise
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| 1191:
|
Richard I and his army land on Cyprus
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| 1222:
|
Coronation of Henry VII, King of Germany
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| 1373:
|
Dame Julian of Norwich experiences visions of the Passion of Christ
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| 1429:
|
The siege of Orleans ended when French troops stormed the English forts in the Hundred Years War
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| 1444:
|
Island of St. Michael, Azores, discovered
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| 1500:
|
Peter Martyr [Pietro Martine Vermighi], Italian humanist born
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| 1521:
|
St. Peter Canisius born
|
| 1541:
|
Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi River
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| 1559:
|
In England, the Act of Supremacy was passed by which the new Queen Elizabeth I became ``Supreme Governor'' of the Church of England; the Act of Uniformity was passed and a Common Prayer book was introduced
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| 1575:
|
Marriage of Count Ferenc Nadasdy and Elizabeth Bathory
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| 1641:
|
The House of Lords passes the Bill of Attainder against the Earl of Strafford
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| 1660:
|
Charles II proclaimed King of England
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| 1786:
|
Thomas Hancock, founded British rubber industry born
|
| 1794:
|
Antoine Lavoisier, the French chemist who discovered oxygen and is considered the father of modern chemistry, was executed on the guillotine by the Revolutionary Convention during France's Reign of Terror
|
| 1828:
|
Jean Henri Dunant, Swiss founder of the Red Cross Society and a co-founder of the Young Men's Christian Association. He was co-winner of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 born
|
| 1829:
|
Louis Moreau Gottschalk was born. Gottschalk was a New World Liszt, famous for his flashy piano performances. His concerts were built around elaborate variations on popular themes. He had a "rock star" sort of career complete with love scandals and close escapes.
|
| 1846:
|
The first major battle of the Mexican War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas, resulting in victory for General Zachary Taylor's forces
|
| 1847:
|
Robert W. Thompson of England patented the rubber tire
|
| 1849:
|
The first recognized international yacht race was won by Pearl of Bermuda, beating the U.S. yacht, Brenda
|
| 1852:
|
The Treaty of London was signed by Britain, France, Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden, guaranteeing the integrity of Denmark
|
| 1873:
|
John Stuart Mill, British pioneering political economist and exponent of Utilitarianism, died
|
| 1879:
|
George Selden of Rochester, N.Y., filed for the first patent for an automobile. It was granted in 1895
|
| 1880:
|
French novelist Gustave Flaubert, whose works included ``Madame Bovary,'' died
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| 1884:
|
The 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, near Lamar, Missouri. Truman was the last of the nine presidents who did not attend college. Admirers nicknamed him, "Give 'em Hell Harry". He became president on the death of President Roosevelt. born
|
| 1886:
|
Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for "Coca-Cola." World wide consumption of Coke is currently over 12 million gallons daily
|
| 1902:
|
Mount Pelee on Martinique erupted and destroyed the town of St. Pierre; over 30,000 people were killed
|
| 1903:
|
Paul Gauguin, French post-impressionist painter, died in Tahiti
|
| 1921:
|
Sweden abolished capital punishment
|
| 1926:
|
Environmentalist Sir David Attenborough. born
|
| 1926:
|
Comedian Don Rickles born
|
| 1928:
|
Former Kennedy administration official (Ted) Theodore Sorenson born
|
| 1929:
|
Norway annexed Jan Mayen island
|
| 1932:
|
Boxer Sonny Liston born
|
| 1939:
|
The electric starting gate, invented by Clay Puett, was used for the first time at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California
|
| 1940:
|
Actor-singer Rick Nelson (Rick Hilliard Nelson) was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. Rick died in a plane crash near DeKalb, Texas, on New Year's Eve, 1985.
|
| 1940:
|
Author Peter Benchley (JAWS) born
|
| 1941:
|
Singer John Fred (John Fred and His Playboy Band) born
|
| 1941:
|
Actor James Mitchum born
|
| 1942:
|
Jockey Hall-of-Famer Angel Cordero Junior born
|
| 1942:
|
The Battle of the Coral Sea ended when a U.S. fleet turned back a Japanese invasion force heading for Port Moresby in New Guinea
|
| 1943:
|
Singer Toni Tennille born
|
| 1944:
|
Rock singer Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd) born
|
| 1944:
|
A Czech-Soviet agreement was signed dealing with possible entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia
|
| 1944:
|
The first "eye bank" was established, in New York City
|
| 1945:
|
President Truman announced in a radio address that World War Two had ended in Europe. He officially declared VE Day, the end of World War II in Europe
|
| 1945:
|
King Leopold of Belgium was freed by the U.S. 7th Army
|
| 1947:
|
Henry Gordon Selfridge, founder of Selfridge's department store in London, died
|
| 1948:
|
Readers of "Sovietskaya Musica" were getting their May edition, which included an attack on Shostakovich. It accused him of "sadistic determination" in his Fourth Symphony. "Meaninglessness is multiplied by meaninglessness," the critic huffed
|
| 1951:
|
Singer Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind and Fire) born
|
| 1951:
|
Rock musician Chris Frantz (Talking Heads) born
|
| 1952:
|
William Fox, U.S. film producer, died; he founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 which later became 20th Century Fox
|
| 1953:
|
Rock musician Billy Burnette (Fleetwood Mac) born
|
| 1954:
|
Actor David Keith born
|
| 1954:
|
Actor Stephen Furst born
|
| 1955:
|
Rock musician (drummer) Alex Van Halen born
|
| 1958:
|
Vice President Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru
|
| 1959:
|
Football player Ronnie Lott born
|
| 1962:
|
The musical comedy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" opened on Broadway
|
| 1964:
|
Actress Melissa Gilbert born
|
| 1964:
|
Rock musician Dave Rowntree (Blur) born
|
| 1968:
|
Country musician Del Gray (Little Texas) born
|
| 1970:
|
Construction workers broke up an anti-war protest on New York's Wall Street
|
| 1973:
|
The siege of Wounded Knee in South Dakota ended peacefully as militant Indians who had occupied the tiny prairie settlement for almost 10 weeks began to file out and surrender to the authorities
|
| 1975:
|
Singer Enrique Iglesias born
|
| 1977:
|
In Amsterdam, Peter Menten, a Dutch art dealer and Nazi collaborator, went on trial for murdering Polish Jews in order to obtain their art collections
|
| 1978:
|
David R. Berkowitz pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom to the six murder charges against him in the "Son of Sam" .44-caliber shootings that had terrified New Yorkers
|
| 1983:
|
Secretary of State George P. Shultz wrapped up a two-week tour of the Middle East, during which he had discussed with officials a plan for withdrawing foreign troops from Lebanon
|
| 1984:
|
The Soviet Union declared it would not take part in the Los Angeles Olympics, citing fears over security for its athletes
|
| 1985:
|
Actress Julia Whelan ("Once and Again") born
|
| 1985:
|
President Reagan addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. About a third of the deputies walked out, waved protest signs or booed as Reagan criticized the Soviet Union
|
| 1985:
|
The first cans of "New" Coke went on the market on the 99th anniversary of Coca-Cola. The company soon realized that the introduction was a mistake and its customers still preferred "The Real Thing.""
|
| 1986:
|
The premier of Soviet Ukraine, Alexander Lyashko, told reporters that 84,000 people had been evacuated from settlements near the Chernobyl nuclear plant
|
| 1986:
|
The Coca-Cola Company, celebrating the centennial of its flagship beverage in Atlanta, announced it was revising the soft drink's labels
|
| 1987:
|
An angry and defiant Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, including his relationship with Miami model Donna Rice, withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination
|
| 1988:
|
French President Francois Mitterrand was elected to a second seven-year term, defeating conservative challenger Jacques Chirac
|
| 1988:
|
Science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein died in Carmel, California, at age 80. His works included ``Stranger in a Strange Land.''
|
| 1989:
|
Former President Jimmy Carter, a leader of an international team observing Panama's elections, declared that the armed forces were defrauding the opposition of victory
|
| 1989:
|
Janos Kadar, the architect of modern Hungary, was dropped from from his ceremonial post of Communist Party president and from his post on the policy-making Central Committee of the party
|
| 1990:
|
Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich, head of the Roman Catholic church in Ireland, died during a pilgrimage to the French shrine of Lourdes
|
| 1990:
|
The Estonian parliament voted to change the country's name to Republic of Estonia from the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
|
| 1990:
|
One crewman was killed, 18 others injured in a pre-dawn fire that broke out aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Conyngham during routine operations in the Atlantic, about 100 miles southeast of Norfolk, Virginia
|
| 1991:
|
CIA Director William H. Webster announced his retirement; he was eventually succeeded by Robert Gates
|
| 1991:
|
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of American forces in the Persian Gulf War, received a hero's welcome as he addressed Congress
|
| 1991:
|
Concert pianist Rudolf Serkin died in Guilford, Vermont, at age 88
|
| 1992:
|
President Bush wound up two emotional days in riot-ravaged Los Angeles, promising to work harder in Washington to enact a "common-sense agenda" of conservative proposals to help urban America
|
| 1993:
|
The Muslim-led government of Bosnia-Herzegovina and rebel Bosnian Serbs signed an agreement for a nationwide cease-fire
|
| 1994:
|
President Clinton announced a shift in U.S. policy toward Haitian refugees, saying there would be offshore screening of boat people seeking political asylum
|
| 1994:
|
Actor George Peppard died at age 65
|
| 1995:
|
On the 50th anniversary of Nazi Germany's capitulation in World War II, leaders representing the victorious powers gathered in Berlin to remember the dead and pledge peace for the future
|
| 1995:
|
A monster storm began dumping 18 inches of rain on southeast Louisiana, flooding homes and killing five people
|
| 1995:
|
Germans and leaders of the main wartime Allies who defeated them 50 years ago gathered side by side in Berlin to honor the dead of the Second World War
|
| 1996:
|
Spanish bullfighter Luis Miguel ``Dominguin,'' known as the world's best bullfighter in the 1950s, died aged 69; his exploits inspired writer Ernest Hemingway and who had a string of affairs with Hollywood stars
|
| 1996:
|
Postal inspectors wrapped up a two-year sting operation in 36 states against the nation's biggest child pornography ring
|
| 1996:
|
South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for blacks and whites
|
| 1996:
|
Julie Andrews declined her Tony Award nomination after her show, "Victor/Victoria," was snubbed for best musical
|
| 1996:
|
Former Nazi SS captain Erich Priebke went on trial in Rome charged with involvement in the killing of 335 men and boys in Italy's worst World War II atrocity
|
| 1997:
|
President Clinton assured Central American leaders during a summit in Costa Rica that they need not fear mass deportations of immigrants who'd sought refuge in the United States during US-backed conflicts
|
| 1997:
|
After months of railing against Democrats for taking foreign money, the Republican Party announced it had returned $122,400 in contributions from a Hong Kong company
|
| 1997:
|
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi flew to impoverished Niger in apparent defiance of a U.N. ban on flights from Libya
|
| 1998:
|
Big Tobacco settled with the state of Minnesota for $6.6 billion as the state's lawsuit was about to go to a jury; Minnesota became the fourth state to settle with the tobacco industry over the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses
|
| 1999:
|
NATO expressed regret for a mistaken attack on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, but pledged to pursue the bombing campaign. Demonstrators in Beijing threw rocks and smashed cars at the U.S. Embassy
|
| 1999:
|
The Citadel, South Carolina's formerly all-male military school, graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Ruth Mace
|
| 1999:
|
British actor Sir Dirk Bogarde died in London at age 78
|
| 2000:
|
The remains of Cardinal John O'Connor were entombed inside New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral after a funeral Mass that drew thousands of mourners, including President Clinton
|
| 2000:
|
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban discrimination based on weight or height
|
| 2005:
|
Anti-Bush protest in Amsterdam
|
| 2005:
|
Disneyland marks 50th anniversary
|
| 2005:
|
Google suffers DNS outage
|
| 2005:
|
Mars rover engineers build test sandbox
|
| 2005:
|
British supermarket Tesco wants to start a film downloading service
|
| 2005:
|
Bus drivers strike for six days in Auckland
|
| 2005:
|
UUP leader loses seat in UK General Election
|
| 2005:
|
New Zealand recalls squid boats
|
| 2005:
|
VE Day 60th anniversary commemorated across Europe & USA
|
| 2005:
|
Satellite imagery shows viewing stand for North Korean nuclear test
|
| 2006:
|
Rescue of Tasmanian miners delayed
|
| 2006:
|
Sex-for-aid spreads in war-torn Liberia
|
| 2006:
|
U.S. President George W. Bush nominates Gen. Michael Hayden as director of CIA
|
| 2006:
|
Thailand election was invalid, rules court
|
| 2006:
|
Union criticizes East London Line 'privatisation'
|
| 2006:
|
Soft drink foes cheer victory, lament remaining junk foods in schools
|
| 2006:
|
Anti-censorship developers targeting China's "Great Firewall"
|
| 2006:
|
Theo Walcott is the big surprise in Eriksson's preliminary World Cup squad
|
| 2006:
|
Apple Corps loses court case against Apple Computer
|
| 2007:
|
Tajik president meets Khamenei in Tehran
|
| 2007:
|
Parti Québécois leader steps down
|
| 2007:
|
NCAA Sports: Mid-Con name to be dropped in favor of Summit League
|
| 2007:
|
NASA observes largest supernova on record
|
| 2007:
|
Six arrested in plot against US army base in New Jersey
|
| 2007:
|
Dunedin Subway manager sacks New Zealand worker for sharing drink, lays theft charges
|
| 2008:
|
UN Secretary General releases new statement as UN aid starts to reach Myanmar
|
| 2008:
|
Police kill gunman in London, England
|
| 2008:
|
DEA raids San Diego State University dorms
|
| 2008:
|
Leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq arrested
|
| 2008:
|
Leader of Lord Our Righteousness Church jailed on charges of sexual contact with minors
|
| 2008:
|
Angry driver takes out cyclist pack
|
| 2009:
|
Televangelist Pat Robertson compares same-sex marriage to child molestation, pedophilia
|
| 2009:
|
Over 13,500 evacuated after wildfire in California
|
| 2009:
|
Parents prosecuted after homeopathic treatment leads to daughter's death
|
| 2010:
|
Death toll from China rainstorm reaches 65
|
| 2010:
|
Boat in DR Congo capsizes, 80 feared dead
|
| 2010:
|
Football: Falkirk relegated from Scottish Premier League
|
| 2010:
|
Two Egyptian peacekeepers killed in Darfur by gunmen
|
| 2010:
|
Ice Hockey: Detroit Red Wings beat San Jose Sharks 7-1 in fourth NHL quarter final match
|
| 2010:
|
British National Party loses all seats in Barking & Dagenham after elections
|
| 2010:
|
Nineteen Spanish airports closed due to ash
|
| 2010:
|
New York's Staten Island Ferry crashes, 60 injured
|
| 2011:
|
Passenger flight diverted to New Mexico after 'security threat'
|
| 2011:
|
Queensland cab conversations to be recorded
|
| 2011:
|
Gaddafi loyalists allegedly using Red Cross helicopters to bomb rebel held city
|
| 2012:
|
Albert Pujols ends his worst homerun drought
|
| 2012:
|
Australian women win VISA Water Polo International
|
| 2012:
|
Thai petrochemical accident kills twelve
|
History
Icons
Farmer, railroad worker, clerk and 33rd President of the United States, Harry S Truman born in Lamar, Missouri
US Navy seaman, actor and comedian, Don Rickles born in New York City
Pop singer Ricky Nelson born in Teaneck, New Jersey
Grammy Award winning singer Toni Tennille born in Montgomery, Alabama
Actress Julia Whelan born in Oregon