In the blood-soaked spring of 1794, as guillotines claimed heads by the dozen and the French Revolution threatened to devour itself, Maximilien Robespierre unveiled his most audacious experiment yet—not in law or terror, but in theology. On May 7, standing before the National Convention,…
Read MoreOn May 7, 1915, during World War I, the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine, U-20, off the coast of Ireland. The attack resulted in the loss of over 1,100 lives, including civilians and neutral passengers, triggering…
Read MoreIn the uneasy spring of 1659, the republican experiment that had governed England since the execution of Charles I teetered on the edge of collapse. At its helm stood Richard Cromwell, son of the late Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell—an unlikely successor and, to many,…
Read MoreRoger Bannister’s conquest of the four-minute mile barrier on May 6, 1954, stands as one of the most iconic moments in sports history. It was a feat that transcended athletics, embodying the relentless pursuit of human potential and the triumph of determination over perceived…
Read MoreOn May 5, 1866, the small village of Waterloo, New York, held what is widely recognized as the first formal observance of Memorial Day in the United States. Known at the time as Decoration Day, the event was a community-wide tribute to honor the…
Read MoreOn May 4, 1886, the Haymarket Affair, a watershed event marked by ideological conflict and explosive violence, unfolded in Chicago, profoundly shaping America’s political and labor landscape. Occurring amid escalating nationwide tensions driven by a determined campaign for an eight-hour workday, this incident encapsulated…
Read MoreOn May 4th, 1961, one of the most important campaigns in the Civil Rights Movement began with a simple bus ride. The Freedom Rides, a series of audacious bus trips through the segregated South, were orchestrated with a singular purpose: to challenge the legality of segregated…
Read MoreOn May 3, 1802, the City of Washington—the urban core of the newly established District of Columbia—was formally incorporated by act of Congress, inaugurating a mayor-council form of government and dissolving the three-man Board of Commissioners that had governed the district since its inception.…
Read MoreOn May 3, 1957, Walter O’Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team deeply loved by their fans, made a shocking decision. They were leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles. For Brooklynites, the Dodgers were more than just a baseball team; they were a…
Read MoreOn May 2, 1611, in the heart of London, England, printer Robert Barker released the first edition of what would become one of the most influential and widely read books in the English-speaking world: the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Commissioned by…
Read More