Today in history 5/4/2021-5/7/2021

5/4/2021:

Today in history, In England, the Yorkists defeat the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

Today in history, American Indians sell Manhattan Island for $24 in cloth and buttons in 1626.

Today in history, A French manufacturer debuts the first folding umbrella in 1715.

Today in history, Rhode Island declares independence from England in 1776.

Today in history, The Battle of Chancellorsville ends when Union Army retreats in 1863.

Today in history, A balloon soars over 40,000 feet for the first time in 1927.

Today in history, Mahatma Gandhi (see picture below) is arrested by the British in 1930.

Today in history, The Battle of the Coral Sea (see picture below) commences in 1942.

Today in history, 13 civil rights activists, dubbed Freedom Riders, begin a bus trip through the South in 1961.

5/5/2021:

Today in history, Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica, which he names Santa Gloria in 1494.

Today in history, The first mainland railway line opens in Belgium in 1834.

Today in history, Mexican forces loyal to Benito Juarez defeat troops sent by Napoleon III in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Today in history, Soviet Communist Party newspaper Pravda begins publishing in 1912.

Today in history, Eugene Jacques Bullard (see picture below) becomes the first African-American aviator when he earns a flying certificate with the French Air Service in 1917.

Today in history, American Jesse Owens (see picture below) sets the long jump record in 1935.

Today in history, Alan Shepard (see picture below) becomes the first American in space in 1961.

Today in history, 173rd Airborne Brigade arrives in Bien Hoa-Vung, Vietnam, the first regular U.S. Army unit deployed to that country in 1965.

Today in history, Pulitzer Prize awarded to Norman Mailer for his ‘nonfiction novel’ Armies of the Night (see picture below), an account of the 1967 anti-Vietnam War march on the Pentagon in 1969.

Today in history, The Sun, Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn align – Earth’s moon is also almost in this alignment – leading to Doomsday predictions of massive natural disasters, although such a ‘grand confluence’ occurs about once in every century in 2000.

5/6/2021:

Today in history, German troops begin sacking Rome. Libraries are destroyed, the Pope is captured and thousands are killed in 1527.

Today in history, Babur defeats the Afghan Chiefs in the Battle of Ghaghra, India in 1529.

Today in history, King Louis XIV moves his court to Versailles, France in 1682.

Today in history, U.S. Army troops from Fort Tejon and Fort Miller prepare to ride out to protect Keyesville, California, from Yokut Indian attack in 1856

Today in history, The dirigible Hindenburg (see picture below) explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937.

Today in history, Bob Hope (see picture below) gives his first USO show at California’s March Field in 1941.

Today in history, British runner Roger Bannister breaks the four minute mile in 1954.

Today in history, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1960 in 1960.

Today in history,The first nuclear warhead is fired from a Polaris submarine in 1962.

Today in history, The Channel Tunnel (see picture below) linking England to France is officially opened in 1994.

5/7/2021:

Today in history, The dome of the church of St. Sophia in Constantinople collapses. Its immediate rebuilding is ordered by Justinian in 558.

Today in history, The Second Council of Lyons opens in France to regulate the election of the pope in 1274.

Today in history, Joan of Arc (see picture below) breaks the English siege of Orleans in 1429.

Today in history, Congress divides the Northwest Territory into two parts. The western part will becomes the Indiana Territory and the eastern section remains the Northwest Territory in 1800.

Today in history, Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” premieres in Vienna in 1824.

Today in history, The American Medical Association is formed in Philadelphia in 1847.

Today in history, In the Battle of the Coral Sea  (see picture below). Japanese and American navies attack each other with carrier-launched warplanes. It is the first time in the history of naval warfare where two fleets fought without seeing each other.Two crucial battles in 1942 marked the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

Today in history, Germany signs an unconditional surrender, effectively ending World War II in Europe in 1945.

Today in history 4/27/2021-4/29/2021

4/27/2021:

Today in history, Edward I defeats the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296.

Today in history, Pope Julius II excommunicates the Italian state of Venice in 1509.

Today in history, The first Spanish settlement in Philippines is established in Cebu City in 1565.

Today in history, British Parliament passes the Tea Act in 1773.

Today in history, American forces capture York (present-day Toronto), the seat of government in Ontario in 1813.

Today in history, President Abraham Lincoln (see picture below) suspends the writ of habeas corpus in 1861.

Today in history, The Sultan of Turkey, Abdul Hamid II, is overthrown in 1909.

Today in history, The United Kingdom grants Sierra Leone independence in 1961.

Today in history, The Afghanistan revolution begins in 1978.

Today in history, Protesting students take over Tiananmen Square (see picture below) in Beijing, China in 1989.

4/28/2021:

Today in history, Constantius II visits Rome for the first time in 357.

Today in history, Villagers in Palermo lead a revolt against French rule in Sicily in 1282.

Today in history, French forces besieging Quebec defeat the British in the second Battle on the Plains of Abraham in 1760.

Today in history, Maryland becomes the seventh state to ratify the constitution in 1788.

Today in history, The crew of the HMS Bounty mutinies against Captain William Bligh (see picture below) in 1789.

Today in history, Yokut Indians repel an attack on their land by 100 would-be Indian fighters in California in 1856.

Today in history, Revolution breaks out in the Dominican Republic in 1902.

Today in history, The first organized night baseball game is played in Independence, Kansas in 1930.

Today in history, A yellow fever vaccine for humans is announced in 1932.

Today in history, Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl (see picture below) and five others set out in a balsa wood craft known as Kon Tiki to prove that Peruvian Indians could have settled in Polynesia in 1947.

Today in history, Boxer Muhammad Ali (see picture below) refuses to be inducted into the U.S. Army after his local draft board rejects his application to be classified as a conscientious objector for religious reasons in 1967. (He is a Muslim.) Ali will subsequently be banned from boxing, stripped of his titles, and convicted of draft evasion. In 1971, in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court will overturn his conviction.

4/29/2021:

Today in history, Qalawun, the Sultan of Egypt, captures Tripoli in 1289.

Today in history, Joan of Arc (see picture below) leads French forces to victory over English at Orleans in 1429.

Today in history, Louis XIII appoints Cardinal Richelieu (see picture below) chief minister of the Royal Council of France in 1624.

Today in history, The Chinese Ming dynasty occupies Taiwan in 1661.

Today in history, Rubber is patented in 1813.

Today in history, The first edition of Peter Roget’s Thesaurus is published in 1852.

Today in history,  The film All Quiet on the Western Front (see picture below), based on Erich Maria Remarque’s novel Im Western Nichts Neues, premiers in 1930.

Today in history, As World War II draws to a close, Adolf Hitler marries longtime partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor. Both Hitler and Braun will commit suicide the following day in 1945.

Today in history, Former Japanese leaders are indicted in Tokyo as war criminals in 1946.

Today in history, Harold Washington (see picture below) is sworn in as Chicago’s first black mayor in 1983.

Today in strangeness for 5/24/2020-5/30/2020

Here’s this week’s today in strangeness. Hope you enjoy!

May 24th/25th:

Today in strangeness, On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy made his historic speech before a joint session of Congress, declaring that America would aim to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. On this date in 1977, movie history was made when Star Wars opened in theaters. The film would forever change the way movies were marketed by studios after if grossed over $300 million dollars in its initial run.

Photographer Produces ‘Vintage’ UFO Images: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/photographer-produces-vintage-ufo-images/

May 26th:

Today in strangeness, On May 26, 1977, George Willig climbed the South Tower of the World Trade Center in NYC. Known as “the human fly,” Willig was subsequently fined by New York’s Mayor Beame for $1.10– one cent for each of the skyscraper’s 110 stories. On this day in 1984, Don Cain of Philadelphia set the record for keeping a frisbee aloft– for an astonishing 16.72 seconds.

The Mystery of Green Egg Yolks: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/mystery-of-green-egg-yolks/

May 27th:

Today in strangeness, The ‘laziest man in history,’ a wealthy English heir named Jeremiah Carlton, went to bed and stayed there for 70 years. He died on today’s date in 1790 at age 89. On May 27, 1994, the highest temperature created by humans, a balmy 920,000,000 F degrees (30 times hotter than the center of the sun) was produced at the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

Mysterious ‘Giant’ Spotted in Mexico: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/mysterious-giant-spotted-in-mexico/

May 28th:

Today in strangeness, A solar eclipse in Asia Minor occurred, leading to a battle truce, and historical astronomy has set May 28th, 585 BC as the likely day for this event. This became a cardinal point from which other dates in ancient history have been calculated. On this day in 1959, two monkeys, Able and Baker, became the first living creatures to survive a space flight. Their voyage reached speeds of 10,000 mph and lasted 15 minutes.

Shadow Figure Filmed by Hotel Security Camera?: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/watch-shadow-figure-filmed-by-hotel-security-camera/

May 29th:

Today in strangeness, On this day in 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to conquer Mount Everest. “A symmetrical, beautiful, snow cone summit,” Hillary said of the peak that is 29,028 feet above sea level. May 29, 1954 saw the first meeting of the annual Bilderberg group, a secretive, invitation-only gathering with the elite from such fields as politics, commerce, and banking.

Hoping to Obtain Superpowers, Bolivian Boys Let Black Widow Bite Them: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/hoping-to-obtain-superpowers-bolivian-boys-let-black-widow-spider-bite-them/

May 30th:

Today in strangeness, On this day in 1432, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The nineteen year old, who claimed heavenly voices had urged her to lead France to victory over England, was condemned by the Church and executed for heresy.

Monkeys Steal Covid-19 Samples from Lab Worker in India: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/monkeys-steal-covid-19-samples-from-lab-worker-in-india/

Today in history 5/16/2020

Today in history, Marie Antoinette marries future King Louis XVI of France in 1770.

Today in history, The Treaty of Gandamak between Russia and England sets up the Afghan state in 1879.

Today in history, Joan of Arc (see picture below) is canonized in Rome in 1920.

Today in history, The first Academy Awards are held in Hollywood in 1928.

Today in history, A specially trained and equipped Royal Air Force squadron destroys two river dams in Germany in 1943.

Today in history, Chinese Communist Forces launch second phase of the Chinese Spring Offensive in the Korean War and gain up to 20 miles of territory in 1951.

Today in history, After 22 Earth orbits, Gordon Cooper (see picture below) returns to Earth, ending the last mission of Project Mercury in 1963.

Today in history 5/7/2020

Today in history, The dome of the church of St. Sophia in Constantinople collapses. Its immediate rebuilding is ordered by Justinian in 558.

Today in history, The Second Council of Lyons opens in France to regulate the election of the pope in 1274.

Today in history, Joan of Arc (see picture below) breaks the English siege of Orleans in 1429.

Today in history, Congress divides the Northwest Territory into two parts. The western part will becomes the Indiana Territory and the eastern section remains the Northwest Territory in 1800.

Today in history, Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” premieres in Vienna in 1824.

Today in history, The American Medical Association is formed in Philadelphia in 1847.

Today in history, In the Battle of the Coral Sea  (see picture below). Japanese and American navies attack each other with carrier-launched warplanes. It is the first time in the history of naval warfare where two fleets fought without seeing each other.Two crucial battles in 1942 marked the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

Today in history, Germany signs an unconditional surrender, effectively ending World War II in Europe in 1945.