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U.S. Hockey Team Miracle On Ice
In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York.
First Kentucky Derby
The most exciting two minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby, a 1.25 mile race for three-year-old thoroughbred, has its first race.
The day was May 17, what year was it?
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First Academy Awards Ceremony
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out its first awards, at a dinner party in the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.
The day was May 16, what year was it?
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U.S. Airmail Service Begins
Air mail service begins, but initially letters only flew between the cities of New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
The day was May 15, what year was it?
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Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark expedition leaves St. Louis on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
The day was May 14, what year was it?
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President Polk Declares War on Mexico
U.S. Congress overwhelmingly votes in favor of President James Polk's request to declare war on Mexico.
The day was May 13, what year was it?
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Racer A.J. Foyt Gets 1st Victory
A.J. Foyt scores his first professional victory, in a U.S. Automobile Club (USAC) midget car race in Kansas City, Missouri.
The day was May 12, what year was it?
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Dust Storm Sweeps from Great Plains
A massive storm sends millions of tons of topsoil flying from across the parched Great Plains region of the United States as far east as New York, Boston and Atlanta.
The day was May 11, what year was it?
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Transcontinental Railroad Completed
The presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah, and drive a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads.
The day was May 10, what year was it?
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L. Ron Hubbard Published Dianetics
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard published Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. The book quickly caught fire and morphed into a belief system boasting millions of subscribers: Scientology.
The day was May 9, what year was it?
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Victory in Europe Day
Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine.
The day was May 8, what year was it?
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Famous Painting, "The Scream" Recovered
Norway's most famous painting, "The Scream" by Edvard Munch, was recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo.
The day was May 7, what year was it?
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English Channel Tunnel Opens
A rail tunnel under the English Channel was officially opened, connecting Britain and the European mainland for the first time since the Ice Age.
The day was May 6, what year was it?
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First American Astronaut Travels Into Space
Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. is launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to travel into space.
The day was May 5, what year was it?
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Rabin and Arafat Sign Accord
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat reached agreement in Cairo on the first stage of Palestinian self-rule.
The day was May 4, what year was it?
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Niccolo Machiavelli Born
The Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli is born. A lifelong patriot and diehard proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli became one of the fathers of modern political theory.
The day was May 3, what year was it?
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Loch Ness Monster sighted
Although accounts of an aquatic beast living in Scotland's Loch Ness date back 1,500 years, the modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news.
The day was May 2, what year was it?
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Empire State Building Dedicated
President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates New York City's Empire State Building, pressing a button from the White House that turns on the building's lights.
The day was May 1, what year was it?
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Adolf Hitler Commits Suicide
Holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head.
The day was April 30, what year was it?
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World War II Monument Opens in Washington
The National World War II Memorial opens in Washington, D.C., to thousands of visitors, providing overdue recognition for the 16 million U.S. men and women who served in the war.
The day was April 29, what year was it?
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Benito Mussolini Executed
Benito Mussolini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci, are shot by Italian partisans who had captured the couple as they attempted to flee to Switzerland.
The day was April 28, what year was it?
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Universe Created, According to Kepler
The universe is created, according to German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, considered a founder of modern science.
The day was April 27, what year was it?
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Polio Vaccine Trials Begin
The Salk polio vaccine field trials, involving 1.8 million children, begin at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia
The day was April 26, what year was it?
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Andropov Writes to U.S. Student
The Soviet Union releases a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American fifth-grader from Manchester, Maine, inviting her to visit his country.
The day was April 25, what year was it?
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Easter Rebellion Begins
The Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule.
The day was April 24, what year was it?
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William Shakespeare Born
According to tradition, the great English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-on-Avon.
The day was April 23, what year was it?
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