On This Day In History
11 May 1573. Henry of Anjou (Henry III), the son of King Henry II of France, was elected as the first king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. During his brief rule, he recognised the Polish nobility’s right to freely elect their own monarch. pic.twitter.com/eoSbdmD0NW
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 11, 2023
11 May 1985. 56 football spectators were killed in a fire at Bradford City Stadium (Valley Parade). It occurred during the 3rd Division Bradford City v Lincoln City match. The fire was caused by a lighted cigarette falling on paper rubbish that had accumulated under the stand. pic.twitter.com/8iGET2u7x5
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 11, 2023
11 May 2006. Boxing legend, Floyd Patterson, died (aged 71). He was twice the World Heavyweight Champion from 1956 to 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title, and he was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. pic.twitter.com/k0GV2dEwiU
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 11, 2023
May 12th
1789 William Wilberforce makes his first major speech on abolition in the UK House of Commons, reasoning the slave trade morally reprehensible and an issue of natural justice
1940 Nazi blitzkrieg and conquest of France begins with the crossing of the Muese River
1943 Axis forces in North Africa surrender
2002 Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.
2008 Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people
Did You Know?
Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin
Today in History in 1941
Would You Believe?
Crouching start 1st used in track and field by Charles Sherrill of Yale
Today in History in 1888
This day 79 years ago - 12 May 1940 - Éamon de Valera condemned the invasion of Belgium and Holland by Nazi Germany.
“...it would be unworthy of this small nation if, on an occasion like this, I did not utter our protest against the cruel wrong that has been done them.” pic.twitter.com/YbxhpaMNiK
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 12, 2019
On this day in 1898, Louisiana adopted a new constitution that excluded Black voters and jurors using restrictions like a poll tax and discriminatory literacy and property requirements. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/URp60ZTyhY
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) May 12, 2023
12 May 1820. Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. She came to prominence during the Crimean War, organising nursing care for wounded soldiers and earning the title “The Lady with the Lamp”. She was also a key figure in the foundation of professional nursing. pic.twitter.com/H0dpdOzvkB
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
12 May 1926. The TUC General Council met at 10 Downing Street, to announce that the 9-day General Strike was being called off, with the agreement that no striker would be victimised. Outraged by the capitulation, the Miners Union remained on strike for 6 more months. pic.twitter.com/jPvtN2vitA
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
12 May 1945. Football legend, Alan Ball, was born in Farnworth. He was a member of the 1966 England World Cup winners. He was also a star player for Blackpool, Everton and Arsenal at the peak of his career, and he managed a number of clubs, most notably, Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/1g0KBF8tmV
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
12 May 1949. The Soviet Union lifted the Berlin blockade, which had been the first major dispute of the Cold War. The Allied response in the form of the Berlin Airlift, represented the first major triumph for the west in the Cold War. pic.twitter.com/is06qJl48E
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
12 May 1971. Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger, married the stylish, Bianca Perez Morena de Macias, in St Tropez, France. It was one of the most iconic and heavily publicised weddings of the 1970s. The union lasted for 7 years. pic.twitter.com/eGSvm1ILHH
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
12 May 1994. Popular Labour Leader, John Smith, died (aged 55) in London after a sudden heart attack. Tony Blair succeeded him as leader and went on to victory in the three subsequent general elections, thus showing how unexpected events often change the course of history. pic.twitter.com/jQZ4BkUSal
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
12 May 2001. Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-1 in the first FA Cup Final held outside England, at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Michael Owen scored the winning goal. The move to Cardiff was due to the reconstruction of Wembley Stadium. It was Arsenal’s 14th final and Liverpool’s 12th. pic.twitter.com/PW9HvfOuEX
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
12 May 2018. Serial killer, Dennis Nilsen, died (aged 72). He murdered at least 12 young men between 1978 and 1983, who were invited to his the two North London residences where he had lived. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for his horrific crimes and never released. pic.twitter.com/s5TiCmsRWl
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 12, 2023
#RIP #OTD in 1889 Quaker and English proprietor, tea and coffee trader and founder of Cadbury, John Cadbury died in Birmingham, England, aged 87. Witton Cemetery, Metropolitan Borough of Birmingham, West Midlands, England https://t.co/OUJ4dRzBib pic.twitter.com/1isLNJseNj
— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 11, 2023
May 13th
1787 Arthur Phillip sets sails with 11 ships of criminals to Botany Bay, Australia
1830 Republic of Ecuador is founded, with Juan Jose Flores as president
1934 Great dustbowl storm sweeps across US prairies
1940 Winston Churchill says “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” in his first speech as Prime Minister to British House of Commons
1981 Pope John Paul II is shot and critically wounded by Turkish gunman Mehemet Ali Agca in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City
1989 Approx 2,000 students begin hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China
Did You Know?
Cardinal Richelieu of France reputedly creates the table knife
Today in History in 1637
Would You Believe?
22 year old UK blogger halts spread of global ransomware cyber-attack by accidentally identifying “kill switch”
Today in History in 2017
This day 62 years ago - 13 May 1957 - a boycott of Protestant businesses began in the village of Fethard-on-Sea, Co. Wexford, when Protestant Sheila Cloney refused to raise her children in her husband's Catholic faith.
Éamon de Valera described the boycott as “deplorable.” pic.twitter.com/EEGPrwSyDE
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) May 13, 2019
On this day in 1960, six years after Brown v. Board of Education, South Carolina’s legislature passed a bill to stall the integration of racially segregated public schools. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/lobXNOdJtG
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) May 13, 2023