Today in History

On This Day In History, May 12th

2008 A massive earthquake rocks China
The magnitude 7.9 quake left some 69,000 people dead, 18,000 missings, and 4.8 million homeless. It was the deadliest earthquake in China since 1976 when the Tangshan earthquake killed over 240,000 people.

1998 Violent clashes follow the killing of four protesters in Jakarta, Indonesia
The riots eventually led to the resignation of President Suharto.

1994 The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ends
With the signing of the Bishkek Protocol a week earlier, Armenian and Azerbaijani diplomats had formalized the ceasefire that went into effect on May 12. The conflict itself remains unsolved.

1982 A Spanish priest attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II
Juan María Fernández y Krohn opposed the reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council and believed that the Pope was a Communist agent. John Paul II escaped with minor injuries.

1941 The world's first programmable, fully automatic computer is presented
The Z3 was designed by German inventor, Konrad Zuse. The original machine was destroyed in an air raid. A replica can be seen at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
 

Births On This Day, May 12th 🎂

1946 Daniel Libeskind
American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North, Jewish Museum

1928 Burt Bacharach
American pianist, composer, producer

1921 Joseph Beuys
German sculptor, illustrator

1907 Katharine Hepburn
American actress, singer

1820 Florence Nightingale
Italian/English nurse

Deaths On This Day, May 12th 🪦

2008 Robert Rauschenberg
American painter, illustrator

2001 Perry Como
American singer, actor

1884 Bedřich Smetana
Czech composer

1860 Charles Barry
English architect, designed the Upper Brook Street Chapel, Halifax Town Hall

1003 Pope Sylvester II
 
1294
construction begins for Santa Croce in Florence, Italy,world's largest Francescan church.It was consecrated in 1442
1938
Sandoz Labs begins to manufacture LSD{lysergic acid diethylamide}
1958
U.S.&Canada form North American Air Defense{NORAD}
2002
former U.S. President, Jimmy Carter begins 5 day trip in Cuba meeting with Fidel Castro.He was 1st Pres in/out of office to visit since Castro's 1959 revolution
 

May 12th Birthdays:
1820
Florence Nightingale- British nurse who revoluntized nursing during Crimean War
1845
Gabriel Faure- French composer/organist 'Requiem"
1907
Katherine Hepburn- actress who won 4 Oscars for Best Actress :
Morning Glory'34, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'67, The Lion In Winter'68, On Golden Pond'82
1925
Yogi Berra- MLB Hall of Fame Catcher NY Yankees, NY Mets
1928
Burt Bacharach-composer' "Alfie, I'll Never Fall In Love Again,Do You KNow the Way to Santa Fe' Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' he wrote the music, Hal David-lyrics. He's won 3 Oscars, Best Song'Raindrops' from movie 'Butch Cassidy&Sundance Kid', original score for 'Kid' best orginal song' Arthur's Theme' from movie 'Arthur'
1948
Steve Winwood- British rock singer/songwriter' Gimme Some Lovin,Higher Love, Roll With It'
1981
Rami Malek- actor, won Best Actor Oscar for his role as Freddy Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Deaths:
1992
Robert Reed- actor, best known TV roles "Kenneth Preston' in court room drama'The Defenders' co starred with E.G. Marshall,'Mike Brady' in ABC sitcom'Brady Bunch' 59
2001
Perry Como-singer 'Catch a Falling Star,Its Impossible, And I Love You So' 89
 
On This Day In History, May 13th

1989 Thousands of students begin a hunger strike on Tiananmen Square in Beijing
The non-violent occupation of the square was part of anti-corruption and pro-democracy demonstrations. Some 3000 unarmed civilians were killed when the army cracked down on the protesters on June 3-4, 1989.

1981 Pope John Paul II survives an assassination attempt
Turkish right-wing extremist Mehmet Ali Ağca fired two shots at John Paul II on St. Peter's Square. The Pope was seriously wounded but survived thanks to a 5-hour operation and went on to visit his attacker in prison.

1950 The first Formula One World Championship season kicks off
Giuseppe Farina won the first FIA World Championship of Drivers for the Alfa Romeo team.

1940 Igor Sikorsky pilots his VS-300 helicopter's maiden flight
The helicopter was the first successful model to use the single vertical tail rotor that most helicopters feature today.

1909 The Giro d'Italia cycle race is held for the first time
The Giro is considered one of the world's most important cycle races. Luigi Ganna won the first edition, which went from Milan to Naples and back.
 
Births On This Day, May 13th 🎂

1964 Stephen Colbert
American comedian, actor, talk show host

1950 Stevie Wonder
American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer

1914 Joe Louis
American boxer

1842 Arthur Sullivan
English composer

1717 Maria Theresa
Austrian wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor

Deaths On This Day, May 13th 🪦

2001 R. K. Narayan
Indian author

1977 Mickey Spillane
American mobster

1975 Bob Wills
American singer-songwriter

1930 Fridtjof Nansen
Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate

1832 Georges Cuvier
French biologist
 
13th May

1660 Diarist Samuel Pepys witnessed the removal of the Irish Harp from the Union Flag, on the Restoration of Charles II. The cross of St Patrick was not added until 1801.

1787 The first fleet of ships carrying convicts to the new penal colony of Australia left England. A group of over 1,400 people in 11 ships set sail from Portsmouth, England. Their destination was a vaguely described bay in the continent of Australia, newly discovered to Europeans. In a stunning feat of planning and navigation, nearly all of the voyagers survived and arrived in Botany Bay several months later.

1868 A team of Aboriginal cricketers arrived in England to play 47 matches. They preceded a white Australian team by more than ten years. The gruelling 6-month tour had the team playing 47 two-day games of which 14 were won, 14 lost and 19 drawn. Aside from playing cricket, the players were forced to entertain crowds as a side-show with demonstrations of boomerang and spear throwing. Though the team was able to eventually win the respect of the English cricket world, they experienced much sickness, death and racism during the tour.

1912 The Royal Flying Corps, (now known as the Royal Air Force), was established.
 
1767
Wolfgang Mozart's 1st opera he wrote when he was 11,"Apollo et Hyacinthus' debuts in Salzburg
1918
U.S. airmail stamps issued,cost 24 cents
1958
V.P. Richard Nixon's motorcade was attacked while in Carcas,Venezula,several of his staff members were injured
1973
U.S. men's tennis player,Bobby Riggs defeated Australian player, Margaret Court in Calif. She got trounced by Riggs, 6-2,6-1 This was a prequel to the "Battle of The Sexes' tennis match Riggs played Billie Jean King
1991
Apple releases Macintosh System 7.0
2019
actress Felicity Huffman pleads guilty in U.S. college admission scandal.She paid a college admission consultant to inflate her daughter, Sophia's SAT score. She apologized to the court,regretted what she did. She was sentenced to 14 days in federal prison,served 11,paid $30,000 fine,did 250 hrs of community service
 
May 13th Birthdays:
1840
Arthur Sullivan- British operatic composer'Pirates of Penzance,H.M.S. Penafore
1914
Joe Lewis- U.S. boxer, world heavyweight champion '37-'49
1927
Herb Ross-film director "Footloose, Steel Magnolias'
1950
Stevie Wonder- U.S. singer/songwriter, 'My Cherie Amour, You Are The Sunshine of My Life,Sir Duke. He has been honored with 25 Grammy Awards inc LIfetime Achievement Award,had over 30 top ten hits
1986
Lena Dunham- actress/writer/ producer-created HBO series "Girls'
Deaths:
1961
Gary Cooper 2 time Oscar winning actor 60
1972
Dan Blocker- actor best known TV role' Hoss' On NBC western'Bonanza' 43
1999
Gene Sarazen- U.S PGA golfer, won 7 Grand Slam titles, 38 PGA Tour events 97
2013
Dr Joyce Brothers- U.S. psychologist 85
2019
Doris Day-singer/ actress /animal rights activist 'Sentimental Journey, Que Sera,Sera movies' Pillow Talk,Man Who Knew Too much, Please Don't Eat the Daisys' 97
 
On This Day In History, May 14th

1973 Skylab blasts off into orbit
The United States' first space station crashed back to Earth on July 11, 1979, four years ahead of schedule. In its six years of service, the laboratory was used for many biomedical and technological experiments.

1970 The Red Army Faction (RAF) begins operations
The German left-wing activist group grew out of the peace and anti-imperialist movement of the 1960s. In reaction to the violent oppression by the German state, they later began operating as a terrorist cell and are responsible for several murders.

1955 The Warsaw Pact is established
Eight communist bloc countries signed the mutual defense treaty, which played an important role during the Cold War as an antagonist of NATO.

1948 Israel becomes an independent state
The announcement by Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, triggered a 10-month armed conflict known as the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. It started the day after the proclamation as troops of Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, and Iraq invaded the young nation.

1796 The first smallpox vaccination is administered
The British physician, Edward Jenner, successfully inoculated an 8-year-old smallpox patient using material from a cowpox lesion. The word “vaccine” is derived from the Latin word for cow (Vacca).
Possible shower
 
Births On This Day, May 14th 🎂

1984 Mark Zuckerberg
American computer programmer, businessman, co-founder of Facebook

1977 Roy Halladay
American baseball player

1969 Cate Blanchett
Australian actress

1923 Adnan Pachachi
Iraqi politician

1922 Franjo Tuđman
Croatian general, politician, 1st President of Croatia

Deaths On This Day, May 14th 🪦

2015 B.B. King
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer

1998 Frank Sinatra
American singer, actor

1987 Rita Hayworth
American actress, dancer

1940 Emma Goldman
Lithuanian/American activist, writer

1881 Mary Seacole
Jamaican/English nurse
 
1607
English colonists established 1st English permanent settlement in Jamestown not knowing at the time they landed it was the worst drought in 800yrs
1853
land surveyor/ newspaper publisher/inventor, Gail Borden patents his process of condensed milk
1919
jockey, Johnny Loftus aboard horse' Sir Barton' wins The Preakness , would go on to win the 1st Triple Crown horse title
1939
movie'The Adventures of Robin Hood' directed by Michael Curtiz,William Keighly is released. It starred Errol Flynn{Robin},Olivia deHavailland{Marien}, Claude Rains, Basil Rathbone. The movie won Oscars for orignal score, art direction Its considered Flynn's greatest role
2005
the USS America,a decomissioned U.S. Navy supercarrier is deliberately sunk in Atlantic Ocean after 4wks of live fire exercises.Its the largest ship ever to be disposed of as target in a military exercise
 
Tish said:
1796 The first smallpox vaccination is administered
The British physician, Edward Jenner, successfully inoculated an 8-year-old smallpox patient using material from a cowpox lesion. The word “vaccine” is derived from the Latin word for cow (Vacca).
Click to expand...
The smallpox vaccine is one of the greatest successes of modern medicine, and Jenner's vaccine was a significant advancement. However it was practiced in Africa and China well before 1796.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_vaccine
 
May 14th Birthdays:
1924
Brad Anderson-cartoonist'Marmaduke'
1936
Bobby Darin- singer 'Mack the Knife,Splish-Splash,Beyond the Sea
1944
George Lucas- film director,creator of 'Star Wars,Indiana Jones film franchises,' American Graffiti'
1958
Christine Brennan- sports columnist with USAToday
1969
Cate Blanchett- Australian actress -2 time Oscar winner:
best supp Oscar for"The Aviator''04, Best Actress 'Blue Jasmine '13, 'Lord of The Rings,Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Deaths:
1919
Henry John Heinz- founder of JHHeinzCompany pre-pared foods 74
1970
Billie Burke- stage/screen/ radio actress'Ziefield Follies, The Wizard Of Oz' 85
1982
Hugh Beaumont-actor, best known TV role' Ward Cleaver' in sitcom'Leave It To Beaver' 73
2003
Robert Stack- actor' host of 'Unsolved Mysteries',TV show'The Untouchables,he played'Eliot Ness',movie'Airplane' a funny spoof 84
2015
BBKing- blues guitarist'The Thrill is Gone' 89
 
14th May

1847 HMS Driver completed the first circumnavigation of the world by a steamship when it arrived back at Spithead on the Hampshire coast.

1856 The trial of William Palmer, doctor and poisoner, began at the Old Bailey. Palmer’s victims were poisoned with strychnine. They included creditors, at least four of his 14 illegitimate children, his mother-in-law, his wife who had brought him a large dowry, and other relations. Palmer was found guilty and executed in his native Staffordshire.

1889 The children's charity the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, was launched in London. Liverpool businessman Thomas Agnew had visited the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and was so impressed that he returned to England determined to provide similar help.

1957 The lifting of restrictions on fuel consumption imposed during the Suez crisis.
 
On This Day In History, May 15th

1948 Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, and Iraq invade Israel
The First Arab-Israeli War was initiated by Israel's proclamation of independence on the day before the invasion. It lasted nearly 10 months and caused thousands of casualties on both sides.

1940 The first McDonald's fast-food restaurant opens
Maurice “Mac” and Richard “Dick” McDonald opened McDonald's Bar-B-Q in San Bernardino. Today, McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food chain.

1930 The first airline stewardess goes on duty
Ellen Church and her team served snacks on a United Airlines flight from Oakland to Chicago. The flight attendants were also responsible for refueling the aircraft, handling luggage, and checking tickets.

1928 The first Mickey Mouse film is screened
The 6-minute film “Plane Crazy” directed by Walt Disney shows Mickey trying to fly an airplane in reference to Charles Lindbergh. Today, Mickey Mouse is one of the world's most recognized cartoon characters and the official mascot of the Walt Disney Company.

1718 The world's first machine gun is patented
British lawyer, James Puckle, invented the 25.4 mm caliber “Puckle Gun” for use on ships. It was designed for two bullet types: round bullets for Christians and (more damaging) square bullets for Turks.
 
Births On This Day, May 15th 🎂

1987 Andy Murray
Scottish tennis player

1981 Patrice Evra
French footballer

1948 Brian Eno
English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, producer

1856 L. Frank Baum
American author

1773 Klemens von Metternich
German/Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire

Deaths On This Day, May 15th 🪦

2012 Carlos Fuentes
Mexican author

1978 Robert Menzies
Australian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia

1967 Edward Hopper
American painter

1956 Austin Osman Spare
English painter, magician

1886 Emily Dickinson :cry:
American poet
 
15th May

1536 The trial of Anne Boleyn. She was accused of incest, sleeping with 4 men and an assassination plot against her husband, King Henry VIII. She was found guilty by a specially-selected jury and executed four days later.

1800 George III survived two assassination attempts in one day, the second coming from James Hadfield who fired a shot at the King during a performance at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. Hadfield was later acquitted by reason of insanity.

1921 The formation of the British Legion. It brought together four National Organisations of ex-Service men that had established themselves after the Great War of 1914-1918 and it is the UK's leading Armed Forces charity. It provides practical, emotional and financial support to all members of the British Armed Forces past and present, and to their families.

1995 The British Police Federation voted against the routine arming of police officers.

2010 Lydia Eva, the world's last surviving steam-powered herring drifter steamed back to Great Yarmouth for the first time in many years. Built in 1930 she was purchased by the Maritime Trust in 1971 and , until 1986 she was part of the Maritime Trust exhibition at St Katherine's Dock next to London's Tower Bridge.
 
1869
National Woman's Suffrage Association is founded in NYS by suffergette,Susan B.Anthony, women's rights activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
1940
Richard&Maurice McDonald open the 1st McDonald's restaurant in San Bernadino,Calif
1957
Great Britian tests its 1st hydrogen bomb near Christmas Island in Indian Ocean
2010
Jessica Watson age 16 becomes the youngest person to sail solo around the world non stop,unassisted.She left Syndey Harbor,took her 7 months, she traveled 19,000 nautical miles
 
May 15th Birthdays:
1856
L.Frank Baum- children's book author'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'
1909
James Mason-British actor,'Loilta,North by Northwest,Boys From Brazil
1937
Madeline Albright- United Nations diplomat '93-'97 1st female Sec of State '97-'01
1950
Nicholas Hammond- actor, best known movie role' Frederic' in Sound of Music'
1987
Andy Murray- British tennis player, won Wimbledon in '13,'16,gold medal at 2012 Summer Olympics
Deaths:
1886
Emily Dickinson -U.S. poet 55
1948
Edward Flanagan- priest/ founder of Boy's Town 62
1992
Barbara Lee -pop singer with girl group The Chiffons 'He's So Fine' 44
2020
Fred Willard- comedy actor' Best In Show, TV show 'Everybody Loves Raymond" 86
 
On This Day In History, May 16th

1975 Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to conquer Mount Everest
The ascent by the Japanese adventurer came 22 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit.

1966 In China, the Cultural Revolution begins
The publication of the May 16 notification marks the beginning of the political campaign, which was initiated by Mao Zedong and lasted ten years. Its objective was to strengthen communism by removing capitalist, traditional and cultural elements from Chinese society.

1960 Theodore Maiman fires the first functional laser
The American physicist's invention, an advancement of earlier research by scientists in the U.S. and the Soviet Union, was patented in 1967.

1929 The Oscars are awarded for the first time
The first Academy Awards were presented at a private dinner with about 270 attendees. Today, it is the world's most important entertainment awards ceremony.

1919 Albert Cushing Read takes off on the first transatlantic flight in history
The crossing from New York State, USA to Lisbon, Portugal on a Curtiss NC-4 flying boat took 19 days.
 
Births On This Day, May 16th 🎂

1966 Janet Jackson
American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, actress

1953 Pierce Brosnan
Irish/American actor, singer, producer

1919 Liberace
American singer, pianist, actor

1905 Henry Fonda
American actor, singer, producer

1831 David Edward Hughes
Welsh/American scientists, co-invented the microphone

Deaths On This Day, May 16th 🪦

2012 Maria Bieşu
Moldovan opera singer

1990 Jim Henson
American puppeteer, director, and producer, founded The Company

1990 Sammy Davis, Jr.
American actor, singer, dancer

1977 Modibo Keïta
Malian politician, 1st President of Mali

1953 Django Reinhardt
Belgian guitarist, composer
 
16th May

1220 Henry III of England laid the foundation stone of a new Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, thus beginning the new abbey-church which was completed in 1245.

1532 Sir Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor of England. He opposed the King's separation from the Catholic Church and refused to accept the King as Supreme Head of the Church of England. He was imprisoned in 1534, tried for treason in 1535 where he was convicted on perjured testimony and beheaded.

1908 Britain’s first diesel submarine was launched. D1 was laid down by Vickers on 14 May 1907 and was launched on 16 May 1908 at Barrow. She was commissioned in September 1909.

1943 The famous ‘Dam Busters’ raid by the 617 Squadron of Lancaster bombers led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson breached the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany using the ‘bouncing’ bombs developed by Dr Barnes Wallis.

1991 Queen Elizabeth II addressed the U.S. Congress, the first British monarch to do so.
 
1866
pharmacist,Charles E.Hines invents 'Hires Root Beer'
1929
The 1st Academy Awards was held at the Rooselvelt Hotel in Hollywood,Calif with 250 people in attendance.The winners were actor Emil Jannings,actress Janet Gaynor, movie'Wings'. The ceremony lasted 15 min
1966
The Beach Boys release their album'Pet Sounds' which inc hit singles' God Only Knows,Sloop John B,Wouldn't It Be Nice'
2019
the finale episode of CBS sitcom'The Big Bang Theory' 20 mill viewers tuned in
 

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