On May 16th 1770, at Versailles, Louis, the French dauphin, married Marie Antoinette, the daughter of Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. France hoped their marriage would strengthen its alliance with Austria, its longtime enemy. In 1774, with the death of King Louis XV, Louis and Marie were crowned king and … Continue reading May 16 1770 Louis marries Marie Antoinette
Category: Daily History
On This Day In History
May 15 1756 The Seven Years War begins
On May 15th 1756, the Seven Years War, a global conflict known in America as the French and Indian War, officially began when England declared war on France. However, fighting and skirmishes between England and France had been going on in North America for years. In the early 1750s, French expansion into the Ohio River … Continue reading May 15 1756 The Seven Years War begins
May 14 1955 Warsaw Pact formed
The Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites sign a treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defence organisation that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. The Warsaw Pact, so named because the treaty was signed in Warsaw, included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East … Continue reading May 14 1955 Warsaw Pact formed
May 13 1568 Mary Queen of Scots defeated at Battle of Langeside
On May 13th 1568, at the Battle of Langside, the forces of Mary Queen of Scots were defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, the regent of her son, King James VI of Scotland. During the battle, which was fought out in the southern suburbs of Glasgow, a cavalry charge routed Mary's … Continue reading May 13 1568 Mary Queen of Scots defeated at Battle of Langeside
May 12 1937 King George VI crowned at Westminster Abbey
On May 12th 1937, at London's Westminster Abbey, George VI and his consort, Lady Elizabeth, are crowned king and queen of the United Kingdom as part of a coronation ceremony that dates back more than a millennium. George, who studied at Dartmouth Naval College and served in World War I, ascended to the throne after … Continue reading May 12 1937 King George VI crowned at Westminster Abbey
May 11 1988 Soviet double agent Kim Philby dies
On May 11th 1988, Kim Philby, a former British Secret Intelligence Service officer and double agent for the Soviet Union, died in Moscow at the age of 76. Philby was perhaps the most famous of a group of British government officials who served as Russian spies from the 1930s to the 1950s. Philby came from … Continue reading May 11 1988 Soviet double agent Kim Philby dies
May 10 1990 China releases Tiananmen Square prisoners
On May 10th 1990, the government of the People's Republic of China announced that it was releasing 211 people arrested during the massive protests held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in June 1989. Most observers viewed the prisoner release as an attempt by the communist government of China to dispel much of the terrible publicity … Continue reading May 10 1990 China releases Tiananmen Square prisoners
May 9 1671 Captain Blood steals crown jewels
On May 9th 1671, in London, Thomas Blood, an Irish adventurer better known as "Captain Blood," was captured attempting to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Blood, a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War, was deprived of his estate in Ireland with the restoration of the English monarchy in 1660. In 1663, … Continue reading May 9 1671 Captain Blood steals crown jewels
May 8 1963 Sean Connery stars in his first Bond movie, Dr. No
On May 8th 1963, with the release of Dr. No, moviegoers get their first look--down the barrel of a gun--at the super-spy James Bond (codename: 007), the immortal character created by Ian Fleming in his now-famous series of novels and portrayed onscreen by the relatively unknown Scottish actor Sean Connery. Connery had acted in repertory … Continue reading May 8 1963 Sean Connery stars in his first Bond movie, Dr. No
May 7 1960 Brezhnev becomes president of the USSR
On May 7th 1960, Leonid Brezhnev, one of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's most trusted proteges, was selected as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet—the Soviet equivalent to the presidency. This was another important step in Brezhnev's rise to power in Russia, a rise that he later capped by taking control of the Soviet … Continue reading May 7 1960 Brezhnev becomes president of the USSR
May 6 1937 Airship Hindenburg explodes in New Jersey
On May 6th 1937, the German airship Hindenburg, the largest dirigible ever built, exploded as it arrived in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people died in the fiery accident that has since become iconic, in part because of the live radio broadcast of the disaster. The dirigible was built to be the fastest, largest and most … Continue reading May 6 1937 Airship Hindenburg explodes in New Jersey
May 5 2002 Spider-Man tops $100 million in opening weekend
On May 5th 2002, the eagerly awaited comic book adaptation Spider-Man, released on Friday May 3rd, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire in the title role, quickly became the fastest movie ever to earn more than $100 million at the box office, raking in a staggering $114.8 million. After a genetically altered spider bites … Continue reading May 5 2002 Spider-Man tops $100 million in opening weekend
May 4 1979 Margaret Thatcher sworn in as British Prime Minister
On May 4th 1979, the Oxford-educated chemist and lawyer, Margaret Thatcher, leader of the Conservative Party, was sworn in as Britain's first female prime minister, the day after the Conservatives won a 44-seat majority in general parliamentary elections. She was born Margaret Hilda Roberts in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, on October 13th 1925. Roberts attended Huntingtower … Continue reading May 4 1979 Margaret Thatcher sworn in as British Prime Minister
May 3 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea begins
On May 3rd 1942, the first day of the first modern naval engagement in history began, called the Battle of the Coral Sea. A Japanese invasion force succeeded in occupying Tulagi of the Solomon Islands in an expansion of Japan's defensive perimeter. The United States, having broken Japan's secret war code and forewarned of an … Continue reading May 3 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea begins
May 2 1957 Death of Senator Joseph McCarthy
On May 2nd 1957, Senator Joseph McCarthy, a Republican from Wisconsin, succumbed to illness exacerbated by alcoholism, and died at age 48. McCarthy had been a key figure in the anticommunist hysteria popularly known as the "Red Scare" that engulfed the United States in the years following World War II. McCarthy was born on November … Continue reading May 2 1957 Death of Senator Joseph McCarthy
May 1 1941 Citizen Kane released
On May 1st 1941, Orson Welles’ landmark film Citizen Kane, which had generated such controversy that Radio City Music Hall refused to show it, finally debuted at at the smaller RKO Palace Theater. Citizen Kane is now revered as one of the greatest movies in history. George Orson Welles, an American actor, director, writer and … Continue reading May 1 1941 Citizen Kane released
April 29 1429 Joan of Arc relieves Orleans
On April 29th 1429, during the Hundred Years' War, the 17-year-old French peasant Joan of Arc lead a French force in relieving the city of Orleans, besieged by the English since October. Joan was born around 1412 in the village of Domremy, on the border of France and the Holy Roman Empire, in the current … Continue reading April 29 1429 Joan of Arc relieves Orleans
April 28 1789 Mutiny on the HMS Bounty
On April 28th 1789, three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty, under the command of Captain William Bligh, was seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master's mate. Captain Bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a small, open boat, and the … Continue reading April 28 1789 Mutiny on the HMS Bounty
April 27, 1521 Ferdinand Magellan killed in the Philippines
On April 27th 1521, after travelling three-quarters of the way around the globe, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan was killed during a tribal skirmish on Mactan Island in the Philippines. Earlier in the month, his ships had dropped anchor at the Philippine island of Cebu, and Magellan met with the local chief, who after converting to … Continue reading April 27, 1521 Ferdinand Magellan killed in the Philippines
April 26 1954 Geneva Conference begins
On April 26th 1954, in an effort to resolve several problems in Asia, including the war between the French and Vietnamese nationalists in Indochina, representatives from the world's powers met at the Geneva Conference. The conference marked a turning point in the United States' involvement in Vietnam. The Soviet Union, the United States, France, the … Continue reading April 26 1954 Geneva Conference begins
April 25 1983 Yuri Andropov writes to U.S. student
On April 25th 1983, the Soviet Union released a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov had written to Samantha Smith, an American fifth-grader from Manchester, Maine, inviting her to visit his country. Andropov's letter came in response to a note Smith had sent him in December 1982, asking if the Soviets were planning to start … Continue reading April 25 1983 Yuri Andropov writes to U.S. student
April 24 1945 Truman learns about Manhattan Project
On April 24th 1945, President Harry Truman learnt the full details of the Manhattan Project, in which scientists were attempting to create the first atomic bomb. The information thrust upon Truman a momentous decision: whether or not to use the world's first weapon of mass destruction. The Manhattan Project began modestly in 1939, but grew … Continue reading April 24 1945 Truman learns about Manhattan Project
April 23 1564 and 1616 Birth and Death of William Shakespeare
On April 23rd 1564, the great English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon, and on April 23rd 1616, he died. It is impossible to be certain the exact day on which he was born, but church records show that he was baptised on April 26, and three days was a customary amount … Continue reading April 23 1564 and 1616 Birth and Death of William Shakespeare
April 22 1937 Jack Nicholson born
On April 22nd 1937, John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson, famous for his roles in such movies as Easy Rider, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and As Good As it Gets, was born in Neptune, New Jersey. He would become known as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Nicholson’s father left his mother before … Continue reading April 22 1937 Jack Nicholson born
April 21 1989 Tiananmen Square Protest Begins In China
On April 21st 1989, about 100,000 students gathered at Beijing's Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu Yaobang, and voice their discontent with China's authoritative communist government. Hu, the deposed, reform-minded leader of the Chinese Communist Party, had died six days earlier. The next day, an official memorial service for Hu Yaobang was held in Tiananmen's Great Hall … Continue reading April 21 1989 Tiananmen Square Protest Begins In China
Craig Hill 