Historical Events on May

  • European Union

    2004

    Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.

  • Death of Osama bin Laden

    2011

    Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

  • Jamaica

    1494

    Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.

  • Virginia Woolf

    1927

    To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published.

  • Pope John Paul II

    2001

    During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.

  • Napoleon I of France

    1797

    War of the First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.

  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

    1937

    The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Westminster Abbey.

  • Philadelphia

    1985

    Police release a bomb on MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.

  • Bangladesh

    1996

    Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.

  • Washington, D.C.

    1800

    The process of the U.S. Government moving the United States capital city from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. begins.

  • Herbert Henry Asquith

    1915

    The last British Liberal Party government (led by Herbert Henry Asquith) falls.

  • Brussels

    1940

    World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.

  • Tiananmen Square massacre

    1989

    The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.

  • Romania

    1990

    The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.

  • Colombia

    1851

    Slavery is abolished in Colombia, South America.

  • Big Ten Conference

    1935

    Jesse Owens of Ohio State University breaks three world records and ties a fourth at the Big Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

  • Ronald Reagan

    1988

    The U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

  • International Space Station

    1999

    Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.

Famous Birthdays on May

Famous Deaths on May

April

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