On This Day In History
2 May 1975. David Beckham was born in London. He became a huge worldwide football icon. The heyday of his career was for Manchester United and Real Madrid. He also played 115 times for England. He was most brilliant at taking corners and free kicks. pic.twitter.com/KfhRN7ApOw
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 2, 2023
2 May 2011. Osama bin Laden (aged 54), the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on the USA, was shot dead in his home in Pakistan by United States Navy SEALs of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. The operation was code-named Operation Neptune Spear. pic.twitter.com/b0KeNML0Jv
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 2, 2023
May 3rd
1791 Constitution of May 3 is proclaimed by the Great Sejm (Parliament) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, becoming the 1st modern constitution in Europe
1926 Britain’s Trade Union Congress calls for the country’s first ever general strike, begins at 1 minute to midnight in support striking coal miners, lasts 9 days
1937 Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer Prize for “Gone With The Wind”
1945 World War II: German ship “Cap Arcona” laden with prisoners sunk by Royal Air Force in East Sea, 5,800 killed – one of largest maritime losses of life
1947 Japan’s post-war constitution goes into effect, granting universal suffrage, stripping Emperor Hirohito of all but symbolic power and outlawing Japan’s right to make war
Did You Know?
Day depicted by Spanish painter Goya in his “The Third of May”, painted 1814
Today in History in 1808
Would You Believe?
First unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail (“spam”) is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the US west coast
Today in History in 1978
This day 100 years ago – 3 May 1921 – the Government of Ireland Act came into force, creating Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland as separate jurisdictions on the island.
Section 2 of the Act called for “the eventual establishment of a Parliament for the whole of Ireland.” pic.twitter.com/404n6LMN8z
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 3, 2021
#OTD in 1908, Lorine S. Brown presided over the first “Woman’s Day”, which was held at the Garrick Theater in Chicago and attended by 1500 women who supported the fight for economic and political equality for female workers, in particular women's suffrage. https://t.co/mWWaYxs6MB pic.twitter.com/ligd2dzWhb
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) May 3, 2018
On this day in 1913, California enacted a law that barred Asian immigrants from owning land. Later, the state also barred American-born children of Asian immigrants from leasing and owning land. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/bjWbnbJZoy
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) May 3, 2023
3 May 1898. Golda Meir was born in Kyiv Ukraine. She made history in 1969 after being elected as Israel’s first female Prime Minister. She remains the only woman to have held the post. She resigned in October 1974 and was succeeded by Yitzhak Rabin. pic.twitter.com/jUg4hxdSRb
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 1921. Boxing legend, “Sugar” Ray Robinson, was born in Ailey, Georgia, USA. He’s regarded by many Boxing experts as the greatest pound for pound boxer of all time. In 2002, Ring magazine placed him at No 1 in a list of the “80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years”. pic.twitter.com/23CFBKUDon
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 1926. At 11:59 PM, Britain’s first General Strike, organised by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), began. The strike began after a million coal miners were locked out of their mines after their owners demanded longer hours and a 13 per cent pay cut. pic.twitter.com/ETDF4Z3KHu
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 1934. Heavyweight boxing legend, Henry Cooper, was born in London. He held British, Commomwealth and European titles. He famously knocked down Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) in 1963, and fought Ali in a 1966 World title bout but he was stopped due to cuts around his eyes. pic.twitter.com/YLf6vp6tUC
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 1941. Liverpool’s famous Lewis’s department store was gutted, after taking a direct hit by Luftwaffe bombs during the worst night of Liverpool’s “May Blitz”. A new Lewis’s store was designed in 1947 by Gerald de Courcy Fraser. The new store stayed open until 2007. pic.twitter.com/gG416buxt8
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 1952. Newcastle United became the first team since 1891 to retain the FA Cup, by beating Arsenal 1-0 in the final at Wembley stadium. The winning goal was scored by George Robledo. It was Newcastle’s 11th final and Arsenal’s 6th. pic.twitter.com/1QsCb7tjb5
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 1960. The Anne Frank House Museum opened in the building located on a canal called Prinsengracht, Amsterdam, where the Jewish wartime diarist and her family hid from the Gestapo until their arrest in 1944. It’s one of Amsterdam’s most visited museums. pic.twitter.com/eNetPKF4IS
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 1968. Fred West (aged 45), underwent Britain’s first heart transplant operation. It was conducted by a team of 18 doctors and nurses at the National Heart Hospital in Marylebone, London, led by South African-born surgeon Donald Ross. West only lived for 45 days afterwards. pic.twitter.com/TxYEqh2Xit
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 2002. Labour politician, Barbara Castle, died (aged 91). She was Labour MP for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979. As Labour Transport Minister, she introduced permanent speed limits, breathalysers and seat belts. As Employment Minister, she introduced the Equal Pay Act 1970. pic.twitter.com/J2IXsmmBHx
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
3 May 2007. Madeleine McCann (aged 3), went missing from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. She still remains missing in spite of a huge police hunt and the tireless campaigning efforts of her parents. In 2020, German prosecutors stated they believed she is dead. pic.twitter.com/wisMnX2IWG
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 3, 2023
May 4th
1471 Battle of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, final battle between the Houses of Lancaster and York: Prince of Wales, Edward of Westminster killed and King Edward IV restored to his throne. Re-restores political stability to England until his death in 1483.
1814 King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decree of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism
1904 Construction begins by the United States on the Panama Canal
1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Did You Know?
“The Don’t Make A Wave Committee,” a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to the “Greenpeace Foundation”
Today in History in 1972
Would You Believe?
Cowboy Bill Pickett invents bulldogging, the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground
Today in History in 1893
This day 131 years ago - 4 May 1889 - Dr Patrick Henry Cronin, a Cork-born physician and Clan na Gael member, was stabbed to death in Chicago.
Cronin had had a rivalry with Clan na Gael leader Alexander Sullivan.
The criminal trial that followed was the longest in U.S. history. pic.twitter.com/TZkNVDq51I
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 4, 2020