On this day in May
Created | Updated Sep 10, 2002
Previously in May's On this day in History: MAY 2000
Ahhhh May - with its heady scent of spring flowers and the sound of our amphibian friends making gentle love in your neighbours' pond. May also happens to be an excellent month for historical happenings.
1 May
If it's your birthday today then you are in very good company. On this day in 1939 a certain caped crusader made his comic book debut. Batman first appeared in Detective Comics, the cover bearing the legend 'Featuring this issue: the amazing and unique adventures of The Batman!'. Originally a copy cost 10 cents - to buy one of the original issues today in mint condition would set you back a cool $60,000 or roughly £46,000. Happy birthday Batman - you're looking pretty good for 61.
2 May
Today we are just overwhelmed with historical anniversaries. Happy birthday to Catherine the Great (b.1792) and Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka the Red Baron (b.1892). Leonardo da Vinci, the original Renaissance man died this day in 1519.
On May 2nd in 1969, the passenger liner Queen Elizabeth II left on her maiden voyage to New York.
3 May
Today is the birthday of a much maligned character, Niccolo Machiavelli.1 Born in 1469, Niccolo was a Florentine civil servant who was removed from his job after the Spanish conquest of Florence in 1512. In 1514 he wrote The Prince, a political tract which he dedicated to the new ruler Lorenzo de Medici in the hope of getting a new job. It did not work and the book did not become popular until after his death. Although there were many books before and after on the nature of power, The Prince is unique in its unblinkered analysis of early modern politics.2
On May 3rd 1951 the Festival of Britain opened, complete with a Dome of Discovery (I bet you were wondering where they got the idea from!).
4 May
Audrey Hepburn, star of films such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday and My Fair Lady, was born this day in 1929.
On this day in 1780, the Epsom Derby was run for the first time. It was won by Diomed, a horse owned by Sir Charles Bunbury.
5 May
Karl Marx, author of Das Capital and The Communist Manifesto was born this day in 1818.
On 5 May, 1760, Earl Ferrers became the last British peer to be executed. He was hanged in London for the murder of his steward.
6 May
Happy Birthday to the founding father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud and to the French revolutionary, Maximilien Robespierre.
On 6 May 1954 Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in less then four minutes.
7 May
7 May is a truly musical day; the composers Johannes Brahms and Peter I Tchaikovsky were born in 1833 and 1840 respectively.
On this day in 1633 Restoration London gained another theatre when the curtain at the Theatre Royal, Dury Lane rose for the first time.
8 May
Happy Birthday to Dr John Pemberton's secret elixir, which went on sale in Atlanta, Georgia this day in 1886. The drink proved so popular, he sold the formula for over $2,000 three years later.
On this day in 1985, the manufacturers chose to change the formula which greatly displeased the consumers. The company were forced to revert to the Pemberton's original recipe. It remains one of the world's most popular drinks so happy birthday Coca Cola!
9 May
1873 saw the birth of Howard Carter, the British archaeologist who led the expedition that discovered the tomb of the Egyptian boy Pharoah, Tutankhamun.
On this day in 1945, the Channel Islands were liberated from Nazi occupation. The islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied during the Second World War. 3
On this day in 1962, EMI Parlophone signed a certain band called the Beatles and engaged George Martin to produce their recordings.
10 May
10 May is a significant date for perennial rockers, The Rolling Stones, who produced their first recordings on this day in 1963. Exactly four years later, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were arrested for drugs offences at Chichester, West Sussex. They later were sentenced to a prison term.
11 May
On this day in 868 AD the first known printed book, the Diamond Sutra, was published in China.
In 1812, Spencer Perceval became the first and only British Prime Minister to be assasinated. The assasin was a man called John Bellingham, whose ship and cargo had sunk during a trade run to Russia and had been bankrupted as a result. Bellingham believed he was entitled to compensation from the Government of the day and so lobbied his MP, General Isaac Gascoyne. Gascoyne suggested that Bellingham petitioned the Prime Minister direct. When Perceval met Bellingham in the House of Commons lobby, he refused to sanction compensation. As a result Bellingham shot him. Ironically Bellingham was detained by Gascoyne and he later hanged for his crime.
12 May
Happy Birthday to Florence Nightingale, the Angel of Scutari, who was born this day in 1820. The Lady of the Lamp was a pioneer of professional nursing in Britain and did much to champion the rights of women in the 19th century.4
13 May
In 1787 the First Fleet left Plymouth, United Kingdom for Australia. The 11 ships were carrying 778 convicts out of a total of 1,473 people. During the eight months it took to reach Botany Bay, six babies were born and approximately fifty people died.5
14 May
On this day in 1769, the first effective vacination against small pox was carried out by Edward Jenner.
The State of Israel was founded this day in 1948.
15 May
On this day in 1940, there were scenes of mass hysteria across the United States as 'N-Day' saw nylon stockings go on sale. Cheaper, finer and easier to maintain then traditional silk stockings, nylons were an instant smash with the total stock of four million pairs selling out within four days!
British women had to wait until the end of the Second World War before they were able to buy them for themselves, but visiting GIs, stationed in Britain from 1942, found nylons to be a useful second currency.
16 May
The actor Henry Fonda was born this day in 1905. He appeared in over 90 films and received an Oscar for his part in On Golden Pond. The honour came a year after he had received an Academy Award for lifetime achievement. He passed away in August 1982.6
On this day in 1929, the very first Academy Awards were presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at a low key dinner in Los Angeles.
17 May
On this day in 1985, CBS-TV first broadcast the season finale to the popular saga, Dallas. In this episode Bobby Ewing, played by Patrick Duffy, died after being hit by a car. Such was the negative effect on the show's ratings that the following season they bought him back to life in a shower scene now more infamous then the one in Psycho. Unfortunately this caused the show's ratings to tumble even further!
Happy Birthday to Christian Lacroix7, French fashion designer born this day in 1950. Perhaps his finest hour was appearing in the final episode of the BBC's Absolutely Fabulous.
18 May
Today is the anniversary of Mount St. Helens eruption, which occurred in 1980. This volcano in Washington State, USA performed one most violent volcanic eruptions ever recorded in North America. Sixty people and thousands of animals were killed in the eruption and subsequent mudslides. The resulting cloud of ash was over 2,500 miles long and 1,000 miles wide. 8
On this day in 1804 Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France and her dominions by Pope Pius VII at Notre Dame de Paris. The ceremony was designed specifically to remind all of Europe of Pope Leo III crowning Charlemagne as the first Holy Roman Emperor.
19 May
On this day in 1925, Malcolm X, the American civil rights activist, was born.
On this day in 1999, in a blaze of publicity Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace opened in cinemas across America. Here's what h2g2 has to say on the subject of the phenomena that is Star Wars.
20 May
Born this day in 1961, the rather poptastic Nick Heyward!
On this day in 1927, the Spirit of St Louis took off from Roosevelt Field, New York. The aeroplane landed safely in Paris 33 and a half hours later making its pilot Charles A Lindberg the first man to succesfully fly across the Atlantic.
21 May
On this day in 1804 Pere Lachaise Cemetery opens in France. The site includes the earthly remains of, among others, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Sarah Bernhadt, Isadora Duncan, Edith Piaf and Marcel Proust.
22 May
Morrissey and Sir Lawrence Olivier were born on this day in 1959 and 1907 respectively.
On this day in 1455, England finally faced up to the inevitability of a period of long and bloody civil war. The victory of the Yorkists over the Lancastrians at the Battle of St Albans heralded the start of the Wars of the Roses.9
23 May
On this day in 1618, the Defenestration of Prague kicked off the Thirty Years War which raged across Europe for, you guessed it, thirty years!
On this day in 1934 the infamous Bonnie and Clyde perished in a hail of bullets after being bought to bay by the Louisiana State Police. Coincidentally Dr Robert Moog, the inventor of the synthesiser was born on the same day!
24 May
On this day in 1819, Queen Victoria was born.
Today is an excellent day for bridges! In London, Westminster Bridge opened this day in 1862. 21 years later to the day, the Brooklyn Bridge opened in New York.
25 May
On this day in 1951, two British Foriegn Office officials were reported missing. It later transpired that Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess had fled to Russia, having passed state secrets to the KGB for some time previously.
26 May
Born this day in 1799 and 1886 respectively, Alexander Pushkin and Al Jolson.
27 May
On this day in 1936 the cruise liner, the Queen Mary left Southampton on her maiden voyage.
Birthdays today include Wild Bill Hickok (1837), Christopher Lee (1922) and Joseph Fiennes (1970).
28 May
Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, was born this day in 1908. He shares his birthday with British prime minister, William Pitt who was born in 1759.
In 1742, London became the home of the first public indoor swimming pool.
29 May
This day in 1630 saw the birth of Charles II, the merry monarch whose performance was such that his mistresses took to calling him 'Old Rowley' after his favourite stallion. Charles was passionate about horseracing and in particular, racing on Newmarket heath. One of the courses at Newmarket is still called the Rowley Mile to this day.
30 May
Mel Blanc was born this day in 1908 and was allergic to carrots. This did not, however, stop him voicing one of the world's most famous rabbits, Bugs Bunny.
Blanc also provided voices for a host of Looneytunes characters and the Flinstones. Even when he was bed ridden after a serious car crash he continued to work, the microphone being suspended from the ceiling.
31 May
On this day in 1902 the Peace of Vereeniging was signed. This bought to an end the fighting between the British and Boers in Southern Africa
