Today in History
Significant Events
- 1896 Dow Jones begins an index of 12 industrial stocks (closing is 40.94)
- 1908 At Masjed Soleyman (مسجد سليمان) in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made, rights acquired by the United Kingdom
- 1927 Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company produce the last (and 15th million) Model T Ford / Tin Lizzie
- 1948 South Africa elects a nationalist government under D. F. Malan with an apartheid policy
- 1967 EMI releases "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" a few days early in the UK; it would go to number one for 15 weeks in the US and 22 weeks in the UK
- 2004 The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
Did You Know?
Alse Young becomes the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, when she is hanged in Hartford, Connecticut
On this day in 1647
Famous Birthdays
John Wayne
(1907 - 1979)
Hank Williams Jr
69th Birthday
Sally Ride
(1951 - 2012)
Tomorrow's Famous Birthdays
Wild Bill Hickok
(1837 - 1876)
Sam Snead
(1912 - 2002)
Christopher Lee
(1922 - 2015)
Famous Weddings
- 1910 US General George S. Patton (24) weds Frederick Ayer's daughter Beatrice Ayer at Beverly Farms Episcopal Church near Boston, Massachusetts
- 1973 Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney (34) weds Mila Pivnicki (19)
- 1984 Actress Annette Bening (25) weds J. Steven White
- 1994 Michael Jackson (35) weds Elvis' daughter Lisa Marie Presley (26) in La Romana, Dominican Republic
- 1995 US Secretary of State John Kerry (51) weds philanthropist Teresa Heinz (56) in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Samuel Pepys
Jimmie Rodgers
Eddie Albert
Robert Koch
Ezzard Charles
Maurice RichardThis Month in History
President Falls From Grace
Paul Deschanel had the makings of a fine President of France – until a series of bizarre incidents culminated in him falling out the window of a moving train.
May 23, 1920
Ship that Changed the Face of Britain
Britain was on its knees after the Second World War, its economy and infrastructure in tatters. For help the Mother Country turned to the Commonwealth.
May 27, 1948
A Modern Major-General of Light Entertainment
William Gilbert, celebrated as the unique lyricist behind the highly popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas, met his death in highly unexpected circumstances.
May 29, 1911
Voltaire: Writer, Wit, Philosopher and Rebel
They burned his books, sent him to the Bastille and into exile, but Voltaire, who died on this day, remained rich, successful – and defiant.
May 30, 1778
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