On This Day

May 1874 in History

Events in History

  • May 5 Dutch 2nd Chamber passes child labor law
  • May 9 London's Victoria Embankment opens
  • May 9 The first horse-drawn bus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, plying two routes
  • May 12 US Assay Office in Helena, Montana, authorized
  • May 13 Pope Pius IX encyclical "On Greek-Ruthenian rite"
  • May 14 1st admission charge at a football game, Harvard beats Uni of McGill (Montreal) 3-0
  • May 16 1st recorded dam disaster in US (Williamsburg, Massachusetts)
  • May 29 Present constitution of Switzerland takes effect

Birthdays in History

  • May 1 Romaine Brooks [Beatrice Romaine Goddard], American painter, born in Rome, Italy (d. 1970)
  • May 3 François Coty, French perfume manufacturer, born in Ajaccio, Corsica, France (d. 1934)
  • May 3 V. Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1954)
  • May 10 Moses Schorr, Polish rabbi, senator, historian and orientalist (d. 1941)
  • May 12 Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet, Austrian physician (Reaction of Pirquet)
  • May 20 Folkert E Posthuma, Dutch minister of Agriculture/Industry
  • May 22 Daniel François Malan, Prime Minister of South Africa (1948-54) who began the implementation of apartheid, born in Riebeek-Wes, Cape Colony (d. 1959)

Person of interestHenri Farman

May 26 Henri Farman, British-French aviator who broke several aviation records, born in Paris (d. 1958)

Aviator Henri Farman
Aviator
Henri Farman
  • May 27 Richard von Schaukal, Moravian-Austria poet and writer (Eros Thanatos), born in Brno, Czech Republic (d. 1942)
  • May 29 G. K. Chesterton [Gilbert Keith], English writer (Man Who Made Gold), born in London, England

Deaths in History

  • May 11 Franklin Buchanan, American first superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, dies at 73