On This Day In History
5 May 1955. The The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), became a truly sovereign state when the USA, UK, and France ended their military occupation, which began in 1945. With this action, West Germany was given the right to become a full-fledged member of NATO. pic.twitter.com/c1pEBAkw18
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 5, 2023
5 May 1961. Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut to venture into space. He later commanded the Apollo 14 moon mission in 1971, and became the 5th and the oldest astronaut (aged 47) to walk on the Moon. pic.twitter.com/fjCAJV1yVz
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 5, 2023
5 May 1973. American super horse, Secretariat, won the Kentucky Derby in a record time that has never been surpassed. Secretariat went on to win the coveted Triple Crown of the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes. pic.twitter.com/PjoILpE1o9
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 5, 2023
5 May 1981. Provisional IRA member and MP, Bobby Sands, died (aged 27), in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland, after a 66-day hunger strike in protest over the removal of “Special Category Status” by the British government. His protest had gained worldwide publicity. pic.twitter.com/Nz5V26GeHa
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 5, 2023
May 6th
1626 Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
1840 World’s first adhesive postage stamp, the “Penny Black“, is first used in Great Britain
1937 German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground
1941 Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov
Did You Know?
During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque
Today in History in 2001
Would You Believe?
Samuel Pierpont Langley flies his unpiloted Number 5 aircraft using a catapult launch from a boat on the Potomac River, USA. The aircraft travels almost 3/4 of a mile – ten times further than any previous heavier-than-air flying machine.
Today in History in 1896
This day 137 years ago – 6 May 1882 – the Phoenix Park killings took place.
Lord Frederick Cavendish, Chief Secretary for Ireland, and Thomas Henry Burke, his Permanent Undersecretary, were fatally stabbed by the Irish National Invincibles.
C.S. Parnell condemned the killings. pic.twitter.com/0dHTkQQWbV
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 6, 2019
On this day in 1882, President Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act—banning immigrants from China for ten years and prohibiting them from becoming citizens. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/vJpN9ddcJ2
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) May 6, 2023
6 May 1856. Ground-breaking psychologist, Sigmund Freud, was born in Freiberg in Mähren, Moravia, Austrian Empire (now Příbor, Czech Republic). He was the founder of psychoanalysis, a method for treating mental illness through a dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. pic.twitter.com/qvcri3huxl
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 6, 2023
6 May 1889. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was officially opened to the public, though as the lifts to the top did not become operational until 26 May, visitors had to walk up the many stairs to the top. pic.twitter.com/FRVOwKMjs4
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 6, 2023
6 May 1937. The German passenger airship, LZ129 Hindenburg, caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, USA. There were 36 deaths: 13 passengers, 22 crewmen, and one person on the ground. pic.twitter.com/zgJbS0fbNp
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 6, 2023
6 May 1954. British athlete, Roger Bannister, then aged 25, became the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes at Iffley Road track in Oxford. His exact time was 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. pic.twitter.com/pDeghnoM7J
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 6, 2023
6 May 1966. Moors murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, were found guilty of murder. They had killed 5 children: Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward Evans, and were sentenced to life. It was one of the most shocking British criminal cases. pic.twitter.com/6vTA7yZtrY
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 6, 2023
6 May 1994. The Queen and French President, Francois Mitterrand, formally opened the Channel Tunnel. The 31:35 mile long railway tunnel connects Folkestone Kent, England with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, France. pic.twitter.com/gSHOgpRzwH
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 6, 2023
6 May 1999. The first Scottish Parliament for 300 years was elected by the people. The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats formed the Scottish Executive, with the Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), Donald Dewar, becoming the First Minister of Scotland. pic.twitter.com/WinePTGHTv
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 6, 2023
May 7th
1429 English siege of Orleans broken by Joan of Arc and the French army
1867 Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel Patents Dynamite in England, the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive material
1912 Columbia University approves plans for awarding the Pulitzer Prize in several categories, after established by Joseph Pulitzer
1915 RMS Lusitania sunk by German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland; 1198 lives lost
1939 Germany and Italy announce an alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis
1945 World War II: Unconditional German surrender to the Allies signed by General Alfred Jodl at Rheims
1952 The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer
2017 Emmanuel Macron wins France’s presidential election defeating Marine Le Pen
Did You Know?
First printed copies of “Poems” by Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë received, published under pseudonym of Acton, Currer and Ellis Bell (2 copies sold)
Today in History in 1846
Would You Believe?
Paeleoclimatological research claims dinosaur flatulence may have warmed the earth
Today in History in 2012
This day 105 years ago - 7 May 1915 - 1,198 people died when the Lusitania ocean liner was torpedoed by a U-boat 11 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale.
Among the dead were Cork-born art collector Hugh Lane, and Alfred Vanderbilt.
94 children, including 31 infants, also perished. pic.twitter.com/gZQtFspI33
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 7, 2020