On May 13, 1846, the United States Congress formally declared war on the Federal Republic of Mexico—a decision that, while presented to the public as a response to a Mexican military incursion, in fact reflected the culmination of deeper ideological currents, territorial ambitions, and…
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On May 13, 1981, as Pope John Paul II greeted the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Mehmet Ali Ağca emerged from the throng, brandishing a handgun. In a matter of seconds, shots rang out, shattering the tranquility of the moment and plunging the square…
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On May 12, 1743, Maria Theresa of Austria—daughter of the late Emperor Charles VI and the embattled heiress to the Habsburg dominions—was crowned Queen of Bohemia in Prague’s St. Vitus Cathedral, sealing a hard-won victory not only over the armies of her Bavarian rival,…
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On May 12, 1846, the ill-fated journey of the Donner Party began their journey as they departed from Independence, Missouri, embarking on a journey that would ultimately become one of the most tragic tales of American pioneer history. Led by George Donner and James…
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On May 11, 973, a landmark event in English history unfolded at Bath Abbey: the formal coronation of King Edgar, known to posterity as Edgar the Peaceful. Though he had already ruled England since 959, this ceremony was not simply a public confirmation of…
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On May 11, 1997, history was made in the world of chess when IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue defeated the reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in a six-game match. The victory of a machine over a human grandmaster marked a significant milestone in the development of…
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On May 10, 1869, in the arid expanse of Utah Territory at a place called Promontory Summit, two locomotives faced each other across a polished laurel tie as dignitaries and railroad workers looked on. Then, with the ceremonial tapping of a golden spike into…
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May 10 should be considered a special day for everyone. It was that day, in the little town of Grafton, West Virginia, that Mother’s Day was first established as an official holiday. WBOY in West Virginia explains the history of the holiday that has made the…
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On the morning of May 9, 1671, the Tower of London played host to one of the most improbable crimes in British history—a heist so brazen, so theatrical, it defied the line between treason and performance. Colonel Thomas Blood, an Irishman of Protestant birth…
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The passage of the Tea Act by the British Parliament on May 9, 1773, served as a pivotal moment in American history, providing a catalyst for the American Revolution. The Tea Act was essentially designed to bail out the struggling British East India Company by granting it a monopoly…
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