Tidbits of History, May 31

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May 31 is National Macaroon Day
Save Your Hearing Day
World No Tobacco Day

1279 BC – Ramses II (The Great) (19th dynasty) became Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

In 1578, Martin Frobisher sailed from Harwich in England to what is now called “Frobisher Bay”, a relatively large inlet of the Labrador Sea in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island. Eventually Frobisher carried 200 tons of iron pyrite (fool’s gold) back to England on his second voyage and 1350 tons on his third. It was used to pave the streets in London.

1621 – Sir Francis Bacon was thrown into Tower of London for one night.

US colony Massachusetts Bay annexed Maine colony in 1634. Maine was a part of Massachusetts until 1820. One of the reasons that Maine was admitted as a state was because of the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This agreement said that there should be an equal number of slave states and free states. When Missouri was admitted as a slave state, Maine was admitted as a free state to keep the balance even.

The Province of Pennsylvania banned all theater productions in 1759.

Birthday of Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819), American poet, famous for Leaves of Grass.

Madison Square Garden opened in New York on May 31, 1879. It was named after 4th President, James Madison.

Dr John Harvey Kellogg patented “flaked cereal” in 1884.

TitanicThe RMS Titanic was launched in Belfast on May 31, 1911.

Otto Adolf Eichmann was hanged in Israel May 31, 1962. He was one of the organizers of the Holocaust. He facilitated and managed the logistics of mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps in Eastern Europe.

Trans-Alaska completed May 31, 1977.May 31, 1977, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed.

Tidbits of History, May 30

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May 30 is Water a Flower Day
National Mint Julep Day

May 30 is also My Bucket’s Got a Hole in it Day This song has a nice “catchy” tune and is based on a conversation, between Henry and Liza, about a leaky bucket. It describes a deadlock situation as follows:

“Henry has got a leaky bucket, and Liza tells him to repair it. But to fix the leaky bucket, he needs straw. To cut the straw, he needs a knife. To sharpen the knife, he needs to wet the sharpening stone. To wet the stone, he needs water. However, when Henry asks how to get the water, Liza’s answer is “in a bucket”. It is implied that only one bucket is available — the leaky one, which, if it could carry water, would not need repairing in the first place.” (Wikipedia)

May 30, 1498, Columbus departed with 6 ships for his third trip to America. He sailed to Porto Santo Island, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and Trinidad. He named the islands Bella Forma (now Tobago) and Concepcion (now Granada).

King Henry VIII of England married Jane Seymour in 1536, a lady-in-waiting to his first two wives.  She died of complications less than two weeks after the birth of her only child, a son who became King Edward VI. She was the only one of Henry’s wives to receive a queen’s funeral, and his only consort to be buried beside him in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

In Florida, Hernando de Soto landed at Tampa Bay on May 30, 1539 with 600 soldiers with the goal of finding gold.

Andrew Jackson1806 – Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson in a duel after Dickinson had accused Jackson’s wife of bigamy. Jackson deeply resented attacks on his wife’s honor. Charles Dickinson had published an attack on Jackson in the local newspaper, and it resulted in a written challenge from Jackson to a duel. Since Dickinson was considered an expert shot, Jackson determined it would be best to let Dickinson turn and fire first, hoping that his aim might be spoiled in his quickness; Jackson would wait and take careful aim at Dickinson. Dickinson did fire first, hitting Jackson in the chest. Under the rules of dueling, Dickinson had to remain still as Jackson took aim and shot and killed him. However, the bullet that struck Jackson was so close to his heart that it could never be safely removed.

1854 – The Kansas–Nebraska Act became law, establishing the US territories of Nebraska and Kansas.
KansasterritoryNebraskaterritory

 

1868 – Decoration Day (the predecessor of the modern “Memorial Day”) was observed in the United States for the first time. It was observed on May 30 until 1971 when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act which moved it to the last Monday in May.

1889 – Brassiere was invented by Herminie Cadolle of France. It was a two-piece undergarment, the lower part being a corset and the upper supporting the breasts with shoulder straps.

1914 – The new, and then the largest, Cunard ocean liner RMS Aquitania, 45,647 tons, set sail on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, England, to New York, New York.

800px-Lincoln_MemorialAnniversary of the dedication in 1922 of the Lincoln Memorial.

Tommy Lasorda May 30, 1948 1948 – Schenectady Blue Jays Tom Lasorda strikes out 25 in 15-inning game. The Blue Jays were a minor league team affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies. On May 31, 1948, future Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda struck out 25 batters for the Schenectady Blue Jays in a 6-5, 15 inning victory over the Amsterdam Rugmakers.

Tidbits of History, May 29

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Learn About Composting Day
End of Middle Ages Day
National Biscuit Day

Birthday of Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736), American Revolutionary statesman who said “Give me Liberty or give me Death”.
The famous speech was given to the Virginia Convention. Henry was attempting to convince the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War effort.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace – but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

May 29, 1660 – Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland becomes King, restoring the monarchy there.

 

Rhode Island header, May 29, 1790Rhode Island Admission Day Admitted to the Union in 1790 as the thirteenth state.

  • Capital: Providence
  • Nickname: The Ocean State/Little Rhody
  • Bird: Rhode Island Red
  • Flower: Violet
  • Tree: Red Maple
  • Motto: Hope

See our page for Rhode Island for more interesting facts and trivia about Rhode Island.

Wisconsin header, May 29, 1848Wisconsin Day Admitted May 29, 1848 as the thirtieth state.

  • Capital: Madison
  • Nickname: Badger State
  • Bird: Robin
  • Flower: Wood violet
  • Tree: Sugar Maple
  • Motto: Forward

See our page for Wisconsin for more interesting facts and trivia about Wisconsin.

1849 – Abraham Lincoln said:

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”

1886 – The Pharmacist John Pemberton placed his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, the ad appearing in The Atlanta Journal.

Kennedy assassinated 1963Birthday of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917), thirty-fifth president of the United States.

On May 29, 1922 the US Supreme Court ruled that organized baseball is a sport and not a business and thus is not subject to antitrust laws.

1942 – Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”, the best-selling Christmas single in history.

May 29, 1953 – Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first people known to have reached the top of Mount Everest from the Nepalese side.

1978 – First class postage increased to 15 cents. It was increased another 3 cents to 18 cents in 1981.

Tidbits of History, May 28

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May 28 is Amnesty International Day
National Brisket Day

May 28 is also the feast day of Saint Bernard of Menthon, patron saint of all mountain climbers and skiers. He founded a hospice that has served travelers in the Alps for nearly a millennium. The St. Bernard dog is so named in his memory.

George I, King of England (born May 28, 1660; died June 11, 1727), could neither speak nor write the English language. This German prince from Hanover and heir to the throne succeeded Queen Anne when he was fifty-four years old. He had no desire and made no attempt to learn the language of the country he ruled for thirteen years.

—From Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts. New York, Bell Publishing Company, 1981

French and Indian War, May 28, 1754: in the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia, under the 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington, defeated a French reconnaissance party in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Dionne Quintuplets born May 28, 1934Near Callander, Ontario, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets were born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne on May 28, 1934; they were the first quintuplets to survive infancy. The five girls (Yvonne, Annette, Cecile, Emilie, and Marie) were removed from their home and made wards of the government. They spent their youth being tourist attractions. There were Dionne dolls and paperdolls, and movies. They were returned to their parents in 1943. Annette and Cecile are still living. Emilie died in 1954, Marie in 1970, and Yvonne in 2001.

1937 – Volkswagen (VW), the German automobile manufacturer was founded.

The Palestine Liberation Organization was formed in 1964.

Tidbits of History, May 27

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May 27 is Memorial Day in 2024.
Tomb on the Unknown Soldier, May 30, 19581958 – Memorial Day: the remains of two unidentified American servicemen, killed in action during World War II and the Korean War respectively, are buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

Sun Screen Day

National Grape Popsicle Day

1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founded the city of Saint Petersburg. In 1914 the name was changed to Petrograd; in 1924 to Leningrad; and in 1991 back to Saint Petersburg.

Birthday of Julia Ward Howe (May 27, 1819), American author of the lyrics of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic“.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

27-Birthday of Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1878), American dancer.

27 Birthday of Amelia Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818), social reformer who fought for temperance and women’s rights but is remembered for her advocacy of “sensible” dress which she demonstrated by the wearing of full trousers that came to be known as “bloomers”.

Birthday of Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907), American biologist whose book “Silent Spring” published in 1962 aroused worldwide concern for the dangers of environmental pollution.

In 1907, Bubonic plague broke out in San Francisco, California. It was imported from a ship traveling from Hong Kong in 1899 and began in the Chinatown area of the city. It was thought to have been brought under control until the earthquake of 1906 brought about a second epidemic throughout the city. The plague was finally stopped when the city collected and killed its rat and ground squirrel populations.

May 27, 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
Ford Model T discontinued in 1927Ford Model A introduced in 1927


Chrysler_Building opens May 27, 1930The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public on May 27, 1930.

In 1933, the Walt Disney Company released the cartoon Three Little Pigs, with its hit song Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”


Golden Gate, May 27, 1937On May 27, 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to people crossing it on foot, opening to vehicle traffic the next day.

Montreal Expos – Major League Baseball’s National League awards Montreal the first franchise in Canada and the first franchise outside the United States on May 27, 1968. After the 2004 season, Major League Baseball moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals. In 1994, a players’ strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. Montreal was in first place by six games in the National League East division when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994.

Tidbits of History, May 26

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May 26 is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day
National Cherry Dessert Day

Sally Ride Day honors Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space. She was born May 26, 1951 in Los Angeles, California. On June 18, 1983, she became the first American woman in space as a crew member on Space Shuttle Challenger. She died July 23, 2012 of pancreatic cancer.

May 26, 1647- Alse Young became the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, when she was hanged in Hartford, Connecticut. Her daughter was accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts 30 years later.

Indian Removal Act, May 26,1830 The Indian Removal Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on May 26, 1830; it was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later. It authorized Jackson to negotiate with five Indian tribes in the South to be removed to federal territory west of the Mississippi in exchange for their homelands. Eventually led to the Trail of Tears in 1831.

1857 –Dred Scott was emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners in 1857, three months after the Supreme Court ruled that any person descended from Africans was not a citizen of the U.S.

Montana Territory, May 26, 18791864 – Montana is organized as a United States territory.

1896 – Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. By tracking the closing stock prices of twelve companies, adding up their stock prices and dividing by twelve, Dow came up with his average. The index became a popular indicator of stock market activity. The initial twelve companies, none of which are still components of the DJIA, were:

  • American Cotton Oil Company, now part of Unilever;
  • American Sugar Company, now Domino Foods, Inc.;
  • American Tobacco Company, broken up in a 1911 antitrust action;
  • Chicago Gas Company, now an operating subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group;
  • Distilling and Cattle Feeding Company, now Millennium Chemicals;
  • General Electric, removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2018;
  • Laclede Gas Company, now Spire Inc,;
  • National Lead Company, now NL Industries;
  • North American Company, broken up by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1946;
  • Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company, now U.S. Steel, removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1991;
  • U.S. Leather Company, dissolved in 1952;
  • United States Rubber Company, now Michelin .

The very first average price of industrial stocks, on May 26, 1896, was $40.94.

May 26, 1897 – Dracula, a novel by the Irish author Bram Stoker, was published.

House on Un-American Activities formed on May 26, 1938; it was abolished in 1975.

May 26, 1998, The United States Supreme Court ruled that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.

May 26, 2004, The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols was found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing. He was incarcerated at a super-maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado.

Tidbits of History, May 25

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Etan Patz disappeared May 25, 1978National Missing Children’s Day in honor of Etan Patz who disappeared on this day in 1979. Etan was the first ever missing child to be pictured on the side of a milk carton.  It wasn’t until 2012 that Pedro Hernandez became a suspect. A former bodega stock clerk confessed to luring 6-year-old Etan Patz into a basement and attacking him; he was found guilty of murder and kidnapping and sentenced to 25 to life in 2017, 38 years after Etan disappeared.

Tap Dance Day, celebrated on the birthday of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson(May 25,1878).

National Brown-Bag-It Day

National Wine Day

Birthday of Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803), American essayist, poet, and lecturer.

1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opened at the Opera Comique in London. Also called “The Lass that Loved a Sailor”.

1895 – The playwright, poet, and novelist Oscar Wilde was convicted of “committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons” and sentenced to serve two years in prison.

1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes was indicted for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in Tennessee.

May 25, 1961, Apollo program: The U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced, before a special joint session of the Congress, his goal to initiate a project to put a “man on the Moon” before the end of the decade.

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space.”

Gateway Arch, May 25, 19681968 – Saint Louis Gateway Arch was dedicated.

Tidbits of History, May 24

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May 24 is: National Escargot Day
National Patriots Day (Quebec)

May 24, 1689, English Parliament guaranteed freedom of religion for Protestants

John Wesley was converted on May 24, 1738, in a meeting room on Aldersgate Street, London. This essentially launched the Methodist movement. The day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day and a church service is generally held on the preceding Sunday.

May 241775 John Hancock was unanimously elected President of the Second Continental Congress, replacing Peyton Randolph. The Second Congress convened on May 10, 1775 with representatives from 12 of the colonies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shortly after the battles of Lexington and Concord,

1818 General Andrew Jackson captured Pensacola, Florida

1844 – Samuel Morse sent the message “What hath God wrought” (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate the first telegraph line.

Birthday of Lillian M Gilbreth (May 24, 1878), engineer and pioneer in time-motion studies. Part of the American literary scene with the publication of Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., her son.

1830 – Mary Had a Little Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale was published. The rhyme is also famous for being the very first thing recorded by Thomas Edison on his newly invented phonograph in 1877.

Mary had a little lamb,
its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go;

He followed her to school one day–
That was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play,
to see a lamb at school.

Brooklyn Bridge opens May 24, 1883The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic May 24, 1883 by President Arthur and NY governor Cleveland. Construction began in 1869. The bridge connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River.

1918 Cleveland Indians Stan Coveleski sets club record for most innings pitched (19) as the Indians beat the Yankees 3-2.
The star of the Indians pitching staff, he won over 20 games each year from the epidemic-shortened 1918 season through 1921, leading the AL in shutouts twice and in strikeouts and earned run average (ERA) once each during his nine years with the club. The star of the 1920 World Series, he led the Indians to their first championship with three complete-game victories, including a 3–0 shutout in the Game 7 finale.

(On May 1, 1920 the Brooklyn Robins went to play the Boston Braves at Boston, in front of a crowd of 2,000 spectators. Leon Cadore was the starting pitcher for the Robins and Joe Oeschger pitched for the Braves. The game was held scoreless until the fifth inning, when Ernie Krueger scored on Ivy Olson RBI single. The game was tied in the sixth when Walton Cruise tripled, then scored on Tony Boeckel single. The game was ruled as a tie after 26 innings because of darkness. Oescheger only gave up 9 hits the entire game, while Cadore allowed 15. If they had played one more inning the pitchers would have played the equivalent of three games.) See comment by Christie Stone below.

1935 – The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Crosley Field. 632 individual lamps in eight metal stanchions were erected. In the White House, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a button that lit up Crosley Field, where a crowd of 20,422 fans, sizable for a last-place team in the middle of the Great Depression, came out to watch the game.

Tidbits of History, May 23

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May 23 is
Lucky Penny Day – “See a penny, pick it up… All day long you’ll have good luck.”
Superstitions related to Lucky Penny

World Turtle Day
National Taffy Day

South Carolina HeaderSouth Carolina Admission Day 1788 as the eighth state

  • Capital: Columbia
  • Nickname: Palmetto State
  • Bird: Carolina Wren
  • Flower: Yellow Jessamine
  • Tree: Palmetto
  • Motto: Prepared in mind and resources/While I breathe, I hope

See our page on South Carolina for more interesting facts and trivia about South Carolina.

May 23, 1568 – The Netherlands declared independence from Spain.

1701 – After being convicted of piracy and of the murder of gunner, William Moore, Captain William Kidd was hanged in London, England.

1829 – Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire. Demian’s instrument bore little resemblance to modern instruments. It only had a left hand buttonboard, with the right hand simply operating the bellows.

1873 – The Canadian Parliament established the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Bonnie and Clyde captured May 23, 1934 1934 – The American bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed by police and killed in Black Lake, Louisiana.

1945 – World War II: Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Schutzstaffel, (Nazi SS) committed suicide while in Allied custody. On Hitler’s behalf, Himmler formed the Einsatzgruppen and built extermination camps. As facilitator and overseer of the concentration camps, Himmler directed the killing of some six million Jews, between 200,000 and 500,000 Romani people, and other victims; the total number of civilians killed by the regime is estimated at eleven to fourteen million people. Most of them were Polish and Soviet citizens.

May 23, 1949 – The Federal Republic of Germany was founded. Commonly called West Germany, it reunited with East Germany in 1990.

Tidbits of History, May 22

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May 22 is Buy a Musical Instrument Day
National Vanilla Pudding Day

On May 22, 1807, a Grand Jury indicted former Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr on a charge of treason. He was acquitted.

Birthday of Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813), German composer famous for his operas, “Tännhauser”, and “Lohengrin”. Part of the third Act of Lohengrin is better known as “Here Comes the Bride” or “The Wedding March”.


Mary Cassatt, born May 22, 1844Birthday of Mary Cassatt (May 22, 1844), American artist noted for her pictures of mothers and children. Examples of her work can be viewed at Wikiart: Mary Cassatt

In 1849, Abraham Lincoln was issued a patent for an invention to lift boats over obstacles in a river, the only patent ever issued to a U.S. President.

On this day in 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made attacking Southerners who sympathized with the pro-slavery violence in Kansas (“Bleeding Kansas”).

Birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859), British novelist known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Amnesty Act into law in 1872, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.

In 1906, the Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their “Flying-Machine”.

May 22, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced the goals of his Great Society social reforms to bring an “end to poverty and racial injustice” in America.

May 22, 1972 – Ceylon changes its name to Sri Lanka and became a Republic.

Pac-Man release May 22, 1980May 22, 1980 – The Pac-man game is released.