On This Day In History
9 May 1921. Sophie Scholl was born in Forchtenberg, Germany. She was a member of the anti Nazi resistance group, The White Rose. She was convicted of treason on 22 February 1943 after distributing leaflets at the University of Munich. As a result, she was executed by guillotine. pic.twitter.com/bAe9uYwOVn
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 9, 2023
9 May 1926. Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett claimed they’d flown over the North Pole in a triple-engined Fokker monoplane, but the later discovery of Byrd’s diary in 1996 indicated that he and Bennett may have turned back 150 miles short of the pole due to an oil leak. pic.twitter.com/gS869w0NT4
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 9, 2023
9 May 1960. The US Food and Drug Administration announced that it would approve the first birth control pill (Enovid), which was produced by the G.D. Searle Company of Chicago, Illinois, USA. It granted greater reproductive freedom to women. pic.twitter.com/h1H2jfWyZI
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 9, 2023
9 May 1986. Legendary mountaineer, Tenzing Norgay, died (aged 71). He was one of the first two individuals known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest, which he accomplished with Edmund Hillary on 29 May 1953. pic.twitter.com/5SfXnSavp0
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 9, 2023
May 10th
1497 Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci leaves for his first voyage to the New World (disputed)
1775 Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and issues paper currency for 1st time
1801 First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America (1st US foreign war)
1857 Indian mutiny against rule by the British East India Company begins with the revolt of the Sepoy soldiers in Meerut
1940 Winston Churchill succeeds Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister
1960 US atomic submarine USS Triton completes 1st submerged circumnavigation of the globe
1994 Nelson Mandela sworn in as South Africa’s 1st black president
Did You Know?
Victoria Woodhull becomes 1st woman nominated for US presidency by Equal Rights Party at Apollo Hall, NYC
Today in History in 1872
Would You Believe?
In an interview with the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ former Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O’Neill states: “if you give Roman Catholics a good job and a good house, they will live like Protestants, … They will refuse to have 18 children”
Today in History in 1969
This day 49 years ago – 10 May 1972 – a referendum was held on whether Ireland should enter the European Economy Community (EEC).
83.1% of voters supported the move, which Taoiseach Jack Lynch described as “a great tribute to our people's innately sound judgement.” pic.twitter.com/R5KvpIbnDI
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 10, 2021
On this day in 1740, South Carolina barred enslaved Black people from learning to read, earning money, and gathering, and authorized white enslavers to whip and kill them for being "rebellious." To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/twhQH3acYP
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) May 10, 2023
10 May. 1774. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette became the King and Queen of France. They are both famous for being overthrown by revolutionaries during the French Revolution, which began in 1789, and being publicly guillotined following the abolition of the monarchy in France. pic.twitter.com/pTsuoxog1N
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
10 May 1824. The National Gallery in London opened to the public, initially by appointment only. The collection now belongs to the British government and entry nowadays is free of charge. In 2019, it was ranked 7th in the world in the list of most visited art museums. pic.twitter.com/IZ9AbhONTo
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
10 May 1857. A revolt by Sepoys (Indian soldiers serving in the British Army), at Meerut, began. It was called the “Indian Mutiny” by the British government at the time, but Indian historians now call it the “First War of Indian Independence”. pic.twitter.com/EnIseVTnUT
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
10 May 1872. Victoria Woodhull, leader of the woman’s suffrage movement, became the first female candidate for US President, but the legality of her run has been questioned as she was younger than the constitutionally mandated age of 35, an issue never raised at the time. pic.twitter.com/thQsjoyurJ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
10 May 1933. Nazi university students and Stormtroopers staged public book burnings in Germany. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as subversive, representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. Among the first books burned were those of Karl Marx and Karl Kautsky. pic.twitter.com/X2NaoOpasE
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
10 May 1978. Liverpool beat the Belgian club FC Bruges 1-0 at Wembley, to become the first British club to win the European Cup (now European Champions League), 2 years in a row. The winning goal was scored by Kenny Dalglish. pic.twitter.com/gxE8kTbXVN
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
10 May 1994. Nelson Mandela was officially sworn in as South Africa’s first black President. In his inaugural address, Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison as a political prisoner, said: “The time for the healing of the wounds has come.” pic.twitter.com/HlrxddPuvP
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
10 May 2013. The One World Trade Centre in New York City was topped out, to become the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the 6th tallest in the world at a height of 1,776 feet. The architect was American David Childs. It opened on 3 November 2014. pic.twitter.com/k6WAdzZwwy
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 10, 2023
May 11th
330 Constantinople (Byzantium) becomes the capital of the Roman Empire
1189 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade
1751 Pennsylvania Hospital founded by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin, in Philadelphia
1995 More than 170 countries agree to extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons [1]
2000 India’s population officially reaches 1 billion – Astha Arora named India’s billionth baby
Did You Know?
Waltz introduced into English ballrooms. Some observers consider it disgusting and immoral.
Today in History in 1812
Would You Believe?
British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons, London. Ironically, descendants of both later stand for the same seat in Parliament at the same time but neither win.
Today in History in 1812
This day 275 years ago - 11 May 1745 - the Battle of Fontenoy was fought.
The Irish Brigade helped secure a victory for the French Army against forces of the Pragmatic Allies.
The Irish Brigade are said to have shouted “Remember Limerick!” (though this is probably apocryphal). pic.twitter.com/YA6thQ08wp
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 11, 2020
On this day in 1926, a white mob in LaBelle, Florida, lynched a young Black man named Henry Patterson for stopping at the home of a white woman to ask for a drink of water. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/CQUvK9e0ID
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) May 11, 2023