Today in history

[hangon 3]

A new topic..its easy all you gotta do is post some historical fact for that day..

 

Today in history...The Dambusters and the bouncing bomb

 

The attack on German dams took place on the night of 16-17 May 60 years ago and was famously made into a film, starring Sir Michael Redgrave.

 

Two dams were breached in the raid, but an estimated 1,294 people drowned, while 53 aircrew were killed and three taken prisoner.

 

One of the most famous bombing raids ever.

[Kor37 9]

1963 After 22 Earth orbits, Gordon Cooper returns to Earth, ending the last mission of Project Mercury

[trekz 7]

May 16, 1929

 

First Academy Awards ceremony

On this day in 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out its first awards, at a dinner party for around 250 people held in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.

[hangon 3]

May 17, 1954

 

Brown v. Board of Ed is decided.

 

In a major civil rights victory, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to federal tolerance of racial segregation, specifically dealt with Linda Brown, a young African American girl who had been denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin.

 

In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that "separate but equal" accommodations in railroad cars conformed to the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection. That ruling was used to justify segregating all public facilities, including elementary schools. However, in the case of Linda Brown, the white school she attempted to attend was far superior to her black alternative and miles closer to her home. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) took up Linda's cause, and in 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka reached the Supreme Court. African American lawyer (and future Supreme Court justice) Thurgood Marshall led Brown's legal team, and on May 17, 1954, the high court handed down its decision.

 

In an opinion written by Chief Justice Earl Warren, the nation's highest court ruled that not only was the "separate but equal" doctrine unconstitutional in Linda's case, it was unconstitutional in all cases because educational segregation stamped an inherent badge of inferiority on African American students. A year later, after hearing arguments on the implementation of their ruling, the Supreme Court published guidelines requiring public school systems to integrate "with all deliberate speed."

 

The Brown v. Board of Education decision served to greatly motivate the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and ultimately led to the abolishment of racial segregation in all public facilities and accommodations.

[trekz 7]

May 17, 1943

 

The Memphis Belle flies its 25th bombing mission

On this day in 1943, the crew of the Memphis Belle, one of a group of American bombers based in Britain, becomes the first B-17 crew to complete 25 missions over Europe.

 

The Memphis Belle performed its 25th and last mission, in a bombing raid against Lorient, a German submarine base. But before returning back home to the United States, film footage was shot of Belle's crew receiving combat medals. This was but one part of a longer documentary on a day in the life of an American bomber, which included dramatic footage of a bomber being shot out of the sky, with most of its crew parachuting out, one by one. Another film sequence showed a bomber returning to base with its tail fin missing. What looked like damage inflicted by the enemy was, in fact, the result of a collision with another American bomber.

 

The Memphis Belle documentary would not be released for another 11 months, as more footage was compiled to demonstrate the risks these pilots ran as they bombed "the enemy again and again and again-until he has had enough." The film's producer, Lieutenant Colonel William Wyler, was known for such non-military fare as The Letter, Wuthering Heights, and Jezebel.

 

A fictional film about the B-17, called Memphis Belle, was released in 1990, starring John Lithgow, Matthew Modine, and Eric Stoltz.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

From the history channel

May 17, 1970

 

Heyerdahl sails papyrus boat

On May 17, 1970, Norwegian ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl and a multinational crew set out from Morocco across the Atlantic Ocean in Ra II, a papyrus sailing craft modeled after ancient Egyptian sailing vessels. Heyerdahl was attempting to prove his theory that Mediterranean civilizations sailed to America in ancient times and exchanged cultures with the people of Central and South America. The Ra II crossed the 4,000 miles of ocean to Barbados in 57 days.

 

Heyerdahl, born in Larvik, Norway, in 1914, originally studied zoology and geography at the University of Oslo. In 1936, he traveled with his wife to the Marquesas Islands to study the flora and fauna of the remote Pacific archipelago. He became fascinated with the question of how Polynesia was populated. The prevailing opinion then (and today) was that ancient seafaring people of Southeast Asia populated Polynesia. However, because winds and currents in the Pacific generally run from east to west, and because South American plants such as the sweet potato have been found in Polynesia, Heyerdahl conjectured that some Polynesians might have originated in South America.

 

To explore this theory, he built a copy of a prehistoric South American raft out of balsa logs from Ecuador. Christened Kon-Tiki, after the Inca god, Heyerdahl and a small crew left Callao, Peru, in April 1947, traversed some 5,000 miles of ocean, and arrived in Polynesia after 101 days. Heyerdahl related the story of the epic voyage in the book Kon-Tiki (1950) and in a documentary film of the same name, which won the 1952 Oscar for Best Documentary.

 

Heyerdahl later became interested in the possibility of cultural contact between early peoples of Africa and Central and South America. Certain cultural similarities, such as the shared importance of pyramid building in ancient Egyptian and Mexican civilizations, perhaps suggested a link. To test the feasibility of ancient transatlantic travel, Heyerdahl built a 45-foot-long copy of an ancient Egyptian papyrus vessel in 1969, with the aid of traditional boatbuilders from Lake Chad in Central Africa. Constructed at the foot of the Pyramids and named after the sun god Ra, it was later transported to Safi in Morocco, from where it set sail for the Caribbean on May 24, 1969. Defects in design and other problems caused it to founder in July, 600 miles short of its goal. It had sailed 3,000 miles.

 

Undaunted, Heyerdahl constructed a second papyrus craft, the Ra II, with the aid of Aymaro Indian boatbuilders from Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. With a multinational crew of seven, the Ra II set sale from Safi on May 17, 1970. After a voyage of 57 days and 4,000 miles, the ship arrived in Barbados. The story of this voyage is recorded in the book The Ra Expeditions (1971) and in a documentary film.

 

In 1977, Heyerdahl led the Tigris expedition, in which he navigated a craft made of reeds down the Tigris River in Iraq to the Persian Gulf, across the Arabian Sea to Pakistan, and finally to the Red Sea. The goal of the expedition was to establish the possibility that there was contact between the great cultures of Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Egypt across the sea. Heyerdahl later led research expeditions to Easter Island and an archeological site of Tucume in northern Peru. For the most part, Heyerdahl's ideas have not been accepted by mainstream anthropologists.

 

Trivia tidbit - the actor Chris Heyerdahl (Holling on SG: Atlantis) is the nephew of Thor Heyerdahl.

[trekz 7]

May 17, 1970

 

Heyerdahl sails papyrus boat

On May 17, 1970, Norwegian ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl and a multinational crew set out from Morocco across the Atlantic Ocean in Ra II, a papyrus sailing craft modeled after ancient Egyptian sailing vessels. Heyerdahl was attempting to prove his theory that Mediterranean civilizations sailed to America in ancient times and exchanged cultures with the people of Central and South America. The Ra II crossed the 4,000 miles of ocean to Barbados in 57 days.

 

He built a copy of a prehistoric South American raft out of balsa logs from Ecuador. Christened Kon-Tiki, after the Inca god, Heyerdahl and a small crew left Callao, Peru, in April 1947, traversed some 5,000 miles of ocean, and arrived in Polynesia after 101 days. Heyerdahl related the story of the epic voyage in the book Kon-Tiki (1950) and in a documentary film of the same name, which won the 1952 Oscar for Best Documentary.

 

In 1977, Heyerdahl led the Tigris expedition, in which he navigated a craft made of reeds down the Tigris River in Iraq to the Persian Gulf, across the Arabian Sea to Pakistan, and finally to the Red Sea. The goal of the expedition was to establish the possibility that there was contact between the great cultures of Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Egypt across the sea. Heyerdahl later led research expeditions to Easter Island and an archeological site of Tucume in northern Peru. For the most part, Heyerdahl's ideas have not been accepted by mainstream anthropologists.

 

Trivia tidbit - the actor Chris Heyerdahl (Holling on SG: Atlantis) is the nephew of Thor Heyerdahl.

Thanks for posting this TUH! I've always been fascinated by Heyerdahl's theories and explorations. I love the fact that he put his money and his life into proving his theories could be true.

 

Trivia tidbit - my uncle, a ham operator, once had a radio conversation with Thor Heyerdahl!

[Kor37 9]

1620 The first merry-go-round seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey)

[MrPsychic 1]

One year ago today, 2007, Cassie was born

[trekz 7]

May 18, 1934 Jimmie Foxx hits 1st HR in Comiskey Park center field bleachers

 

May 18, 1934 TWA began commercial service

 

May 18, 1933 Tennessee Valley Act (TVA) Act signed by FDR, to build dams

[Theunicornhunter 2]

May 20, 1873

 

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans

On this day in 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world's most famous garments: blue jeans.

 

Seriously, where would America be without blue jeans.

 

 

Trivia tidbit - my uncle, a ham operator, once had a radio conversation with Thor Heyerdahl!

What a great tidbit.

[Kor37 9]

In 1506, explorer Christopher Columbus died in Spain.

 

In 1861, North Carolina voted to secede from the Union.

[trekz 7]

May 20, 1990 Hubble Space Telescope sends 1st photograph's from space

 

May 20, 1989 Toonces The Cat takes the wheel on Saturday Night Live

 

From the sublime to the ridiculous!

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May 21, 1932 1st transatlantic solo flight by a woman, Amelia Earhart, lands

 

May 21, 1930 New York Yankee Babe Ruth hits 3 consecutive homers

 

May 21, 1927 Lindburgh lands in Paris, after 1st solo air crossing of Atlantic

[Theunicornhunter 2]

May 22 1968

 

With nearly eight years of U.S. naval service to its credit, Scorpion left Norfolk, Virginia, on February 15, 1968, for exercises in the Mediterranean.

On May 21 all was well. Scorpion radioed its position: about 50 miles (81 kilometers) south of the Azores. On May 22 it lay in pieces beneath 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) of water, each section resting in the crater of its own impact. All 99 men aboard were lost.

 

Nobody knows for sure what happened, at least nobody who has spoken publicly. Potential explanations range from the mechanical to the clandestine.

 

The Search

 

The Navy didn’t suspect trouble until May 27, when the submarine failed to return to Norfolk as scheduled. A search was launched, Scorpion was officially pronounced “presumed lost” on June 5, and efforts to locate the sub continued into the fall.

 

Toward the end of October, a Navy research ship towing a camera-equipped deep-submergence vehicle in the North Atlantic spotted the sub. Location: about 400 miles (644 kilometers) southwest of the Azores. Despite a thorough investigation of the site, the cause of the catastrophe eluded everyone.

 

Unsolved Mystery

 

An initial investigation concluded that the most likely cause was an accidentally released torpedo which circled back on its only possible target, Scorpion. A later investigation ruled instead that the sub’s huge battery had likely exploded.

 

The Scorpion reports were largely declassified in 1993, but much information remains hidden from the public. Some have speculated alternate causes for the accident, including a collision with a Soviet submarine. The U.S. Navy’s official position remains that there is no evidence to support such theories.

 

Until the still sunken remains of Scorpion can be examined in detail, the truth may never be known.

nationalgeographic

Edited May 22, 2008 by TheUnicornHunter

[Kor37 9]

In 1868, a major train robbery took place near Marshfield, Ind., as members of the Reno gang made off with $96,000 in loot.

 

In 1907, actor-director Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England.

[trekz 7]

May 22, 1843 1st wagon train, 1000+ departs Independence Missouri for Oregon

 

May 22, 1807 Townsend Speakman 1st sells fruit-flavored carbonated drinks (Phila)

 

May 22, 1803 1st public library opens (Connecticut)

[Theunicornhunter 2]

May 23

 

1701 - Captain Kidd hanged for piracy and murder

 

1934 - Bonnie & Clyde shot to death by Texas and Louisianna state police

 

1960 - war criminal Adolf Eichmann is captured

 

 

***not a good day for criminals***

[trekz 7]

Events in history on May 23

 

1830

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began the first passenger service in the United States.

 

1873

The North West Mounted Police force was formed in Canada. It would later be known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

 

1911

The New York Public Library, at the time the largest marble structure ever built in the United States, was dedicated by President Taft in New York City after 16 years of construction.

[Kor37 9]

In 1430, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English.

 

In 1945, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler committed suicide while imprisoned in Luneburg, Germany.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Events in history on May 23

....

 

1873

The North West Mounted Police force was formed in Canada. It would later be known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

.....

real men....sigh

[trekz 7]

Events in history on May 23

....

 

1873

The North West Mounted Police force was formed in Canada. It would later be known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

.....

real men....sigh

Like Dudley Doright?

 

The record of the Mounties is pretty impressive. You should visit the RCMP museum in Regina. There's also a nice RCMP display at Glenbow Museum in Calgary

[Theunicornhunter 2]

May 24th

 

1543 Copernicus dies

 

1626 Peter Minuet buys Manhattan

 

1883 - the Brooklyn Bridge Opens

 

1844 Samuel Morse dispatches world's first telegraph message

 

1935 MLB holds first night game

 

1962 M Scott Carpenter launches into orbit aboard Aurora 7

 

1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade premieres

[trekz 7]

On this date:

 

In 1819, Queen Victoria was born in London.

 

In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British dreadnought Hood in the North Atlantic.

 

In 1976, Britain and France opened trans-Atlantic Concorde supersonic transport service to Washington.

 

Today's Birthdays: Comedian Tommy Chong is 70. Singer Bob Dylan is 67. Singer Patti LaBelle is 64. Actress Priscilla Presley is 63. Country singer Mike Reid is 61. Actor Jim Broadbent is 58. Actor Alfred Molina is 55. Singer Rosanne Cash is 53. Actress Kristin Scott Thomas is 48. Rock musician Jimmy Ashhurst (Buckcherry) is 45. Rock musician Vivian Trimble is 45. Actor John C. Reilly is 43. Actor Eric Close is 41. Rapper-recording executive Heavy D is 41. Rock musician Rich Robinson is 39. Actor Billy L. Sullivan is 28. Actor-rapper Big Tyme is 25. Country singer Billy Gilman is 20. Actor Cayden Boyd is 14.

[Kor37 9]

1738 Methodist Church is established

 

1818 General Andrew Jackson captures Pensacola FL

 

1830 "Mary Had A Little Lamb" is written

[Theunicornhunter 2]

1818 General Andrew Jackson captures Pensacola FL

 

Technically, captured from the British who occupied it with Spain's permission - neverless, this campaign led to Spain granting Florida to the U.S. the next year. Depending on the version he either acted with or without presidential approval.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

May 25

 

1961 - Kennedy delivers speech to congress announcing goal to put a man on the moon

 

1977 - Star Wars opens in theatres

 

1979 - DC10 crashes on take off at Chicago O'Hare - worst domestic aircrash in US history.

[Kor37 9]

May 25th:

 

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began meeting in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.

 

 

In 1935, Babe Ruth hit the 714th and final home run of his career, for the Boston Braves, in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

 

In 1986, an estimated 7 million Americans participated in "Hands Across America," forming a line across the country to raise money for the nation's hungry and homeless.

[trekz 7]

May 25

1927 - The Ford Motor Company announced that its popular automobile model, the Model T, known as the Tin Lizzie, would not be rolling off assembly lines anymore. Instead, the discontinued car would be replaced by the more modern Model A. The first Model T was manufactured in 1908, designed, the Ford Motor Company stated, “as an inexpensive vehicle for the great multitude.” It was also the first item produced on an assembly line (Henry Ford’s new production system). By 1918, half of all motor cars in the entire world were Tin Lizzies.

 

1927 - The Movietone News was shown for the first time at the Sam Harris Theatre in New York City. Charles Lindbergh’s epic flight aboard the Spirit of St. Louis was featured. These newsreels were produced for showing in theatres until 1967 when competition from TV news forced them into extinction.

 

1935 - This was “the greatest day in the history of track,” according to The New York Times. Jesse Owens of Ohio State University broke two world sprint records, tied a third, and broke a long-jump world record in a meet at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

[Wishfire 2]

1895 - British playwright and novelist Oscar Wilde is convicted of "committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons," to wit: getting busy with some rent boys. For his crime, Wilde is sentenced to two years of hard labor in Reading jail.

 

1925 - John T. Scopes is indicted by a grand jury for violating Tennessee's anti-evolution statute, which he claimed to have broken by teaching Darwin's theory of natural selection in a Dayton high school. Later, on July 10th, the "Scopes Monkey Trial" begins.

 

1979 - Immediately after flight 191 takes off from Chicago's O'Hare Airport, engine number one tears loose from its wing and falls off. A few seconds later, the DC-10 rolls onto its left side and impacts the ground. All 271 aboard the plane are killed in the explosion, along with two bystanders.

 

1980 - Televangelist Oral Roberts senses an "overwhelming holy presence" and hallucinates a 900-foot-tall Jesus Christ. The deity reaches down and picks up 60-story hospital, bragging to the Oklahoman preacher: "See how easy it is for Me to lift it!"

 

1985 - 11,000 people are killed in Bangladesh when a cyclone hits the Bay of Bengal. A 10-to-15 foot wall of water surges over the Ganges delta, devastating a wide area and drowning half a million cattle.

 

1996 - The body of Bradley Nowell is discovered in his room at San Francisco's Ocean View Motel. Nowell, lead singer for radio trio Sublime, was killed by an accidental smack overdose.

 

2006 - Enron CEO Kenneth Lay is found guilty on six counts of conspiracy.