May 1873 in History

Events in History

Historic Invention

May 20 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent the first blue jeans with copper rivets

May 23 Canada's North West Mounted Police Force forms (it didn't get the "Royal" until 1904)
May 23 Postal cards sold in San Francisco for 1st time

Historic Discovery

May 27 Heinrich Schliemann discovers "Priam's Treasure" a cache of gold and other objects in Hisarlik (Troy) in Anatolia

Birthdays in History

May 3 Nicoline Magdalene Roll Anker, Norwegian author (Kvinnen og Den), born in Møre og Romsdal, Norway (d. 1942)
May 3 Pavlo Skoropadsky, Ukrainian politician and general, born in Wiesbaden, Germany (d. 1945)
May 5 Leon Czolgosz, American anarchist and assassin of US President William McKinley, born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1901)
May 9 Anton Cermak, American politician (44th Mayor of Chicago, 1931-33), born in Kladno, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1933)

Howard Carter (1873-1939)

May 9 British archaeologist and egyptologist who found King Tutankhamun's tomb, born in London

May 9 Lilian Mary Baylis, English theatrical manager (Old Vic & Sadler's Wells Theater), born in London (d. 1937)
May 10 Carl Eldh, Swedish artist and sculptor, born in Östhammar Municipality, Sweden (d. 1954)
May 10 Jan Kalf, Dutch art historian and literary scholar (Monument Conservation), (d. 1954)
May 17 Dorothy M. Richardson, English novelist (Pilgrimage), born in Abington, Berkshire (d. 1957)
May 17 Henri Barbusse, French novelist (Le Feu), born in Asnieres, France (d. 1935)
May 21 Emil Ermatinger, Swiss literature historian, born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland (d. 1953)
May 21 Everard Verachtert, Flemish translator (I speak beschaafd Dutch)
May 21 Hans Berger, German neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and inventor of electroencephalography (EEG), born in Neuses, German Empire (d. 1941)
May 23 Leo Baeck, rabbi/president (World Union for Progressive Judaism)
May 26 C.G.N. de Vooys, Dutch translator and founder (New Taalgids), born in Gouda, Netherlands (d. 1955)
May 26 Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian artist, born in Oslo, Norway (d. 1958)

Deaths in History

David Livingstone (1813-1873)

May 1 Scottish explorer who was famously found by Henry Morton Stanley in Africa, dies allegedly of malaria and internal bleeding caused by dysentery at 60

May 6 José Antonio Páez, President of Venezuela (1830-35), dies at 82
May 7 Salmon P. Chase, American politician and jurist (Senator and Governor of Ohio, US Chief Justice 1864-73), dies at 65

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

May 8 English philosopher, political economist and utilitarian, dies of erysipelas at 66

May 14 Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and writer (b. 1797)
May 15 Alexandru Ioan Cuza, 1st Prince of united Romania (land reform, emancipated peasants), dies in exile at 53
May 20 Sir George-Étienne Cartier, French Canadian statesman (b. 1814)
May 22 Alessandro Manzoni, Italian poet and novelist (Betrothed), dies at 88