A devastating EF4 tornado kills nineteen people in Southeast Kentucky, hitting the towns of Somerset and London.
A devastating EF4 tornado kills nineteen people in Southeast Kentucky, hitting the towns of Somerset and London.
Twelve people are killed in two explosions in the Gikomba market area of Nairobi, Kenya.
Twelve people are killed in two explosions in the Gikomba market area of Nairobi, Kenya.
STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Kuwait permits women's suffrage in a 35β23 National Assembly vote.
Kuwait permits women's suffrage in a 35β23 National Assembly vote.
In Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
In Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S....
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
A report by the Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin a...
A report by the Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
Junko Tabei from Japan becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Junko Tabei from Japan becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
An Antonov An-24 crashes into a kindergarten building in Svetlogorsk, killing 35.
An Antonov An-24 crashes into a kindergarten building in Svetlogorsk, killing 35.
Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
The Chinese Communist Party issues the "May 16 Notice", marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Communist Party issues the "May 16 Notice", marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
Park Chung Hee leads a coup d'Γ©tat to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
Park Chung Hee leads a coup d'Γ©tat to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
The Tritons' Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time.
The Tritons' Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time.
Beginning of the Kengir uprising in the Gulag.
Beginning of the Kengir uprising in the Gulag.
The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Hea...
The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
Beginning of the Levant Crisis between Britain and France in Syria. The latter try to quell nationalist protests but backs down after threat of milita...
Beginning of the Levant Crisis between Britain and France in Syria. The latter try to quell nationalist protests but backs down after threat of military action by the British.
The Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends.
The Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends.
Operation Chastise is undertaken by RAF Bomber Command with specially equipped Avro Lancasters to destroy the Mohne, Sorpe, and Eder dams in the Ruhr...
Operation Chastise is undertaken by RAF Bomber Command with specially equipped Avro Lancasters to destroy the Mohne, Sorpe, and Eder dams in the Ruhr valley.
In Hollywood, the first Academy Awards ceremony takes place.
In Hollywood, the first Academy Awards ceremony takes place.
The first modern performance of Claudio Monteverdi's opera Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria occurred in Paris.
The first modern performance of Claudio Monteverdi's opera Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria occurred in Paris.
In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc.
In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc.
A naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic fl...
A naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.
The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It will be repeale...
The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It will be repealed less than two years later.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic sign the secret wartime Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioning former Ottoma...
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic sign the secret wartime Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioning former Ottoman territories such as Iraq and Syria.
The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opened in Frankfurt, Germany, featuring the world's first long-distance transmission of high-power, thre...
The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opened in Frankfurt, Germany, featuring the world's first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current (the most common form today).
Nikola Tesla delivers a lecture describing the equipment which will allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric po...
Nikola Tesla delivers a lecture describing the equipment which will allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
The 16 May 1877 crisis occurs in France, ending with the dissolution of the National Assembly 22 June and affirming the interpretation of the Constitu...
The 16 May 1877 crisis occurs in France, ending with the dissolution of the National Assembly 22 June and affirming the interpretation of the Constitution of 1875 as a parliamentary rather than presidential system. The elections held in October 1877...
A flood on the Mill River in Massachusetts destroys much of four villages and kills 139 people.
A flood on the Mill River in Massachusetts destroys much of four villages and kills 139 people.
The United States Senate fails to convict President Andrew Johnson by one vote.
The United States Senate fails to convict President Andrew Johnson by one vote.
The United States Congress establishes the nickel.
The United States Congress establishes the nickel.
American Civil War: During the Vicksburg campaign, the decisive Union victory by Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Champion Hill drives the Confederat...
American Civil War: During the Vicksburg campaign, the decisive Union victory by Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Champion Hill drives the Confederate army under John C. Pemberton back towards Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 100 pioneers.
The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 100 pioneers.
Greek War of Independence: The Turks capture the Greek town of Souli.
Greek War of Independence: The Turks capture the Greek town of Souli.
Imperial Russia signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire cedes Bessarabia to Russia.
Imperial Russia signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire cedes Bessarabia to Russia.
Continental Army officer Lachlan McIntosh fatally wounds Button Gwinnett, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, in a duel in Sava...
Continental Army officer Lachlan McIntosh fatally wounds Button Gwinnett, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, in a duel in Savannah, Georgia.