On this day

1626 - Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on present-day Manhattan Island. He purchased Manhattan from resident Algonquin Indians for the equivalent of $24.

1675 - King Charles II ordered the construction of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation and is best known as the location of 0 degrees longitude, which has determined mapping co-ordinates since that time.

1859 – The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking the counties of Devon and Cornwall in England.

1896 - The first British halfpenny newspaper, the Daily Mail, was published. It was the first paper to sell more than one million copies.

1904 – Charles Stewart Rolls meets Frederick Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, England.

1919 – May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan.

1932 – In Atlanta, Georgia, mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion.

1953 – Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.

1979 – Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

1988 – The PEPCON disaster rocks Henderson, Nevada, as tons of space shuttle fuel detonate during a fire.

2000 – Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London.

1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.

1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.

1760 - The first public hanging took place at Tyburn in London. Earl Ferrers was executed after being convicted of murdering his valet.

1835 – In Belgium, the first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.

1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.

1862 – Cinco de Mayo: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.

1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.

1921 - Chanel No. 5 perfume was launched.

1925 – The government of South Africa declares Afrikaans an official language

1930 - British aviator Amy Johnson took off from Croydon Airport in her Gypsy Moth plane 'Jason'. She became the first woman to fly solo to Australia, arriving on 24th May.

1945 – World War II: Canadian and UK troops liberate the Netherlands and Denmark from Nazi occupation when Wehrmacht troops capitulate.

1961 - Alan B. Shepard became America's first space traveler as he made a 15-minute suborbital flight in a capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1964 - The Council of Europe declared 5th May as Europe Day, an annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe.

1967 - The first ever all-British satellite, Ariel 3, was successfully launched into orbit from the United States.

2004 - Pablo Picasso's painting Boy with a Pipe (1905) sold for a record $104.1 million at a Sotheby's auction.

2011 - The death (in Perth, Western Australia) of Claude Stanley Choules, the last World War I combat veteran and the last military witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow.

1527 – Spanish and German troops sack Rome. Some consider this the end of the Renaissance. 147 Swiss Guards (including their commander), die fighting the forces of Charles V in order to allow Pope Clement VII to escape into Castel Sant'Angelo.

1682 – Louis XIV of France moves his court to the Palace of Versailles.

1840 - The first postage stamps, the 'Penny Black' and two-penny 'blues', which were the brainchild of Roland Hill, officially went on sale in Britain.

1844 – The Glaciarium, the world's first mechanically frozen ice rink, opens.

1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.

1937 - The hydrogen-filled German dirigible Hindenburg crashed in New Jersey, killing 36 of its passengers. It was the largest dirigible ever built and the pride of Nazi Germany.

1954 - Roger Bannister, a 25 year old British medical student, became the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes. His time was 3 minute 59.4 seconds.

1966 – Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors Murders.

1994 - The Queen and France's President Francois Mitterrand formally opened the Channel Tunnel during two elaborate ceremonies in France and Britain.

1997 – The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank's 300-year history.

1763 - Chief Pontiac, leader of the Ottawa Native American tribe, leads an assault on Fort Detroit in an attempt to drive out British settlers. It was the start of Pontiac's War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac%27s_War

1945 - Germany signs an unconditional surrender, ending six years of war in Europe.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...578325.stm

1965 - Ian Smith and his Rhodesian Front party claim an election win in a major step towards independence from the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...880795.stm

1967 - Jimi Hendrix played two shows at London's Saville Theatre. Brian Jones, Ringo Starr, the Moody Blues and the Beach Boys were among the audience members.
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/upload/hen..._13426.JPG

1976 - Italy's worst ever recorded earthquake claims 550 lives and leaves another 80,000 homeless.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...518519.stm

1992 - A leather jacket worn by John Lennon between 1960 and 1963 is auctioned at Christie's in London for £24,200.
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/upload/len..._10290.JPG

1429 – Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning, wounded, to lead the final charge. The victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years' War.

1663 - The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, built by Thomas Killigrew, opened under a charter granted by Charles II.

1765 - HMS Victory, the ship which became the flagship of British Admiral Horatio Nelson, was launched at Chatham. The ship is now preserved at Portsmouth.

1915 - World War I - The Cunard liner Lusitania, bound for Liverpool, was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland with the loss of almost 1,200 lives.

1942 – During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and sink the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier Shōhō. The battle marks the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.

1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with around 20 employees.

1992 – The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission (STS-49).

1994 – Edvard Munch's iconic painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after having been stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February.

1998 - Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler Corporation for US $40 billion, forming DaimlerChrysler, the largest industrial merger in history.

1999 - The first Scottish Parliament for 300 years was elected.

2000 – Vladimir Putin is inaugurated president of Russia

2007 – Israeli archaeologists discover the tomb of Herod the Great south of Jerusalem.

1541 - Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernando De Soto become the first documented Europeans to reach the Mississippi River in America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto

1945 - Most armed forces under German control ceased active operations by 23:01 CET. The German Instrument of Surrender was officially ratified marking the end of World War II in Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Inst..._Surrender

1984 - The USSR announces it is boycotting the Los Angeles Olympic Games, two weeks before the opening ceremony is due to take place. It is another sign of escalating tension between the US and the Soviet Union as the Cold War reached its peak years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...518931.stm

2000 - The Tate Modern art gallery opens its doors to the media for a sneak preview ahead of the official opening by the Queen on May 11th.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...519069.stm

1886 – Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named "Coca-Cola" as a patent medicine.

1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.

1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.

1933 - Mahatma Gandhi, the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British ruled India began a 21-day fast in protest against the British rule.

1945 - VE Day in Europe. After five years, eight months, and five days of massive devastation, the end of the European phase of World War II was celebrated.

1968 - Gangster twins Reginald and Ronnie Kray and their brother Charlie were arrested after dawn raids by police in London.

1978 – First ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.

1980 – The eradication of smallpox is endorsed by the World Health Organization.

1984 - The official opening of the Thames Barrier in London. The barrier is designed to be raised when exceptionally high tides on the River Thames threaten to flood parts of London.

(06-05-2012 13:35 )skully Wrote:  1937 - The hydrogen-filled German dirigible Hindenburg crashed in New Jersey, killing 36 of its passengers. It was the largest dirigible ever built and the pride of Nazi Germany.

Sorry to be pedantic, but 36 was the total number of fatalities (although by co-incidence there were 36 passengers on board). The Hindenburg was only half-full on what was its first scheduled trip of the summer season, and as dirigibles still took 3-4 days to cross the Atlantic they were set up to rival the luxury of liners, therefore, the crew outnumbered of passengers by almost 2 to 1 (61 crew were on board).

Over the years many conspiracy theories have been put about as to what caused the fire and explosion that totally destroyed the Hindenburg in just 32 seconds, including sabotage by an anti-Nazi circus acrobat and an attempted suicide where somebody tried to shoot themselves but missed but no proper evidence has ever been produced to support such fanciful schemes.

Scientists have concluded that the disaster was probably caused by either, or a combination, of two events. Hydrogen got loose either due to it being deliberately vented as part of the normal landing procedure (in the same way as a hot-air balloon lets out air to land), or the structure was accidentally punctured by part of the mooring equipment. The source of ignition was either static electricity or a lightning strike - thunderstorms in the area had already delayed the landing by several hours and the Captain, Ernst Lehmann, had used the time to take the passengers on a tour around the New York skyline, causing crowds to gather in the streets below to watch in wonderment as the airship flew by.

Given the severity and speed of the disaster it appears at first sight to be amazing that anybody survived but the buoyancy of hydrogen means that most of the fire goes straight up and dissipates very quickly, and a hydrogen fire is far more survivable for living things than, say, a petrol or a house fire.

Of the 97 people on board, 35 died (13 passengers and 22 crew) and 1 member of ground staff was also killed. Most of the fatalities were on the starboard side and in the bow, as the port side and stern lurched downwards putting the starboard side into the path of the fire, although some of the deaths were caused by people trying to jump to safety. The circus acrobat used his training to good effect and suffered just a sprained ankle on landing. 6 of the fatalities survived the initial crash but died of their injuries, including Captain Lehmann. 14 year old kitchen boy Werner Franz survived and is one of only two survivors still alive today. Franz had an almost miraculous escape - he was surrounded by flames but as the airship lurched to one side a watertank tipped over drenching him and putting out the fire in the immediate area. He walked away soaking wet with just singed eyebrows.

The disaster was a blow to Nazi prestige, and services came to a halt pending the official enquiry. The first airship service had started in 1928 but Air France had been experimenting with transatlantic aircraft passenger flights since 1934 and even if WW2 hadn't come along Pan Am's entry into the transatlantic airline market in 1939 meant that the days of airship travel were numbered.

The arrival of the Hindenburg was a major news story and newsreel cameras were therefore at the scene and captured the disaster on film. Commentator Herbert Morrison's broadcast has become one of the most famous in history, remembered for his comment of "oh the humanity" .

1092 - Lincoln Cathedral was consecrated. For 249 years it was reputedly the tallest building in the world.

1662 - The first recorded Punch & Judy Show in Britain took place at Covent Garden in London.

1671 - Irishman Colonel Thomas Blood (disguised as a clergyman) attempted to steal the British Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Despite being caught red-handed, he was pardoned by King Charles II.

1901 – Australia opens its first parliament in Melbourne.

1941 - World War II: The German submarine U-110 was captured by the Royal Navy. On board was the latest Enigma cryptography machine which Allied cryptographers later used to break coded German messages.

1945 – World War II: The Channel Islands are liberated by the British after five years of German occupation.

1970 – Vietnam War: In Washington, D.C., 75,000 to 100,000 war protesters demonstrate in front of the White House.

1979 – Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000 member strong Jewish community of Iran.

1980 – In Norco, California, five masked gunman hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase.

2002 – The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected terrorists among them deported to several different countries.

(04-05-2012 12:26 )skully Wrote:  1904 – Charles Stewart Rolls meets Frederick Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, England.

Given the fame that Rolls-Royce achieved, it is astonishing to think that their professional partnership lasted little more than five years, with their first model being produced in December 1904. Although Rolls worked hard and put much effort into publicising the quietness and smoothness of the Rolls-Royce and at the end of 1906 even travelled to the USA to promote the new cars, he was mainly the financial backer, with Royce being the engineering brains.

The company was winning awards for the quality and reliability of its cars by 1907, but by 1909 Rolls' interest in the business was waning, and at the end of the year he resigned as Technical Managing Director and became a non-executive director.

As any schoolboy used to be able to tell you, the first person to be killed in a railway accident in Britain was the then Foreign Secretary, William Huskisson, who, whilst attending the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, got out of his carriage on the "wrong" side and was struck by a train coming down the opposite track.

What is less well known is that Charles Rolls was the first person to be killed in an aircraft accident in the UK. He had become interested in aviation at an early age and had made over 170 balloon flights before buying an aeroplane in 1909. On 2 June 1910, he became the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane, taking 95 minutes – faster than Blériot. For this feat, which included the first East-bound aerial crossing of the English Channel, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club. Just a month later he was killed when he crashed after the tail of his Wright Flyer aeroplane broke off during a display at an airfield near Bournemouth. He was only 32 years old.

Rolls was an exceptionally tall man for his time - he was 6 feet 5 inches - and a coffin had to be specially built to accommodate his body. He was buried in a small churchyard near the family estate near Monmouth in South Wales.

Royce carried on designing and it was ironic that after refusing to build an aircraft engine for Rolls in 1907, Royce went on to design some of the most famous prototypes for the fledgling RAF, incluing the R-R "Merlin".

The night before he died he sat up in bed and drew a sketch on the back of an envelope which he gave to Miss Aubin (his nurse and housekeeper) telling her to see that the "boys" in the factory got it safely. This was the first adjustable shock-absorber.

Royce, who was 14 years older than Rolls, had been dogged by ill-health and in 1912 had been given just a few months to live, but he lived until 1933, dying at the age of 70.