1568 – The Netherlands declares independence from Spain
1611 – Matthias von Habsburg chosen King of Bohemia
1922 – Harry Greb gives Gene Tunney his only professional boxing defeat
1947 – PC Hooft prize forms for literature
1975 – 28th Cannes Film Festival: “Chronicle of the Years of Fire” directed by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina wins the Palme d’Or
1980 – Horror film “The Shining” released directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, based on book by Stephen King
1982 – BBC warns Britain will bomb Argentina
1989 – Lincoln Square in Bronx named
2001 – 9th UEFA Champions League Final: Bayern Munich beats Valencia (1-1, 5-4 on penalties) at Milan
2016 – Chinese archaeologists announce findings of earliest use of barley in China to make beer, Shaanxi province 3400-2900 BC
Category: Historical Events
Historical Events for 22nd May 2020
1819 – 1st steam propelled vessel to cross Atlantic (Savannah leaves Ga)
1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, only mountain other than Mount St. Helens, to erupt in the continental US during the 20th century
1950 – Dutch poet Gerrit Achterberg wins PC Hooft prize
1962 – Roger Maris walks 5 times (record 4 intentionally) in a 9 inning game
1963 – European Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: José Altafini scores twice as AC Milan edge Benfica, 2-1 for first title to an Italian club
1979 – Commencement of 1st ICC Trophy (PNG v East Africa and Singapore v Argentina)
1990 – Microsoft releases Windows 3.0
1990 – Dow Jones avg hits a record 2,852.23
2005 – 58th Cannes Film Festival: “The Child” directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne wins the Palme d’Or
2016 – Independent Alexander Van der Bellen defeats Freedom Party’s Norbert Hofer by just 31,000 votes to become President in Austrian elections
Historical Events for 21st May 2020
1260 – Hao Jing, envoy of Mongol leader Kublai Khan imprisoned by order of the high Chancellor of China, Jia Sidao at the Song Dynasty court of Emperor Lizong while attempting to negotiate with the Song
1758 – Mary Campbell is abducted from her home in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War.
1894 – 22-year-old French Anarchist Émile Henry is executed by guillotine. His last words were reputed to be “Courage, camarades! Vive l’anarchie!”
1922 – “On the Road to Moscow” is 1st cartoon to receive a Pulitzer Prize
1931 – Belgian government of Jaspar falls
1969 – After 9,015 at bats Hank Aaron is lifted for a pinch hitter, Mike Lum, who doubled in a 15-3 victory over NY Mets
1977 – San Diego Padres beat Mont Expos, 11-8, in 21 innings
1988 – “Fat” by Weird Al Yankovic hits #99
1997 – Emmy 24th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 17th time
2018 – Mushrooms have poisoned more than 800 in western Iran, killing 11
Historical Events for 20th May 2020
1217 – Second Battle of Lincoln fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
1293 – King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Study of General Schools of Alcalá
1961 – White mob attacks “Freedom Riders” in Montgomery, Alabama
1970 – Beatles’ “Let it Be” movie premieres in UK
1978 – US launches Pioneer Venus 1; produces 1st global radar map of Venus
1983 – Michael Dokes and Mike Weaver fight to a draw in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1991 – Chicago Bull Michael Jordan, named NBA’s MVP
1995 – Twins Marty Cordova ties rookie record of HRs in 5 consecutive games
1997 – US President Clinton signs an executive order barring new US investment in Burma (also known as Myanmar), effective May 21 and renewable annually
2007 – 53rd British Academy Television Awards: “That Mitchell and Webb Look” Best Comedy, “The Street” Best Drama
Historical Events for 19th May 2020
1547 – Monarch Johan Frederik surrenders to Karel
1919 – Kelud volcano on Java, erupts killing 5,160
1921 – Congress sharply curbs immigration, setting a national quota system
1941 – Germany occupiers in Holland forbid bicycle taxis
1981 – Pirate Jim Bibby gives up a leadoff single to Brave Terry Harper, then retires next 27 batters
1988 – Carlos Lehder Rivas, of Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel, is convicted in Florida for smuggling more than 3 tons of cocaine into US
1989 – Dow Jones Avg passes 2,500 mark for 1st time, closes at 2,501.1
1989 – Sue Ellen’s (Linda Gray) last appearance on TV soap “Dallas”
2015 – Historic first handshake between Prince Charles and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams at the National University of Ireland in Galway
2018 – 142nd Preakness Stakes: Mike Smith wins aboard Justify in fog for second-leg of the Triple Crown
Historical Events for 18th May 2020
1916 – A British Royal Inquiry into the Easter Rising in Dublin is set up in London
1922 – Dutch 2nd Chamber agrees to 48 hour work week (was 45 hrs)
1944 – Polish 2nd Army corps captures convent of Monte Cassino, Italy
1947 – A’s catcher Warren Rosar catches his 147th game without an error
1959 – “Castin’ My Spell” by Johnny Otis Show hits #52
1963 – “Beast in Me” closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 4 performances
1973 – Soviet party leader Brezhnev visits West Germany
1986 – Chung Kwung Ying does 2,750 “atomic” hand-stand push-ups
2008 – NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 1
2009 – Sri Lankan Civil War: The LTTE are defeated by the Sri Lankan government, ending almost 26 years of fighting between the two sides.
Historical Events for 17th May 2020
1544 – Scot Earl Matthew Lennox signs secret treaty with Henry VIII
1921 – Belgian and Luxembourg sign customs union
1927 – U.S. Army aviation pioneer Major Harold Geiger dies in the crash of his Airco DH.4 de Havilland plane at Olmstead Field, Pennsylvania
1937 – Juan Negrin succeeds Largo Caballero as Spain’s premier
1940 – Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium and begins invasion of France
1943 – The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School to develop the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer).
1944 – Chinese and US armed forces take Myitkyina Airport, Burma
1958 – Emergency crisis proclaimed in Algeria
1990 – The Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong designed by I. M. Pei opens as the first supertall skyscraper outside the US
2015 – Canada defeats Russia to win gold at the 2015 IIHF World Championship
Historical Events for 16th May 2020
1527 – Florence becomes a republic
1922 – White Star Liner Majestic completes 5½ day maiden voyage
1952 – “New Faces (of 1952)” opens at Royale Theater NYC for 365 performances
1969 – USSR performs nuclear Test at Eastern Kazakh, Semipalitinsk USSR
1974 – Helmut Schmidt becomes West German Chancellor
1985 – Pope John Paul II arrives in Belgium
1997 – Brook Mehealani Lee, 26, of US crowned 46th Miss Universe
2002 – “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” directed by George Lucas, starring Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman opens in cinemas
2006 – A large earthquake (7.4 on the Richter scale) occurs near New Zealand
2013 – Pope Francis calls for ethical financial reform to fight speculation
Historical Events for 15th May 2020
1213 – King John of England names Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury
1911 – Supreme Court dissolves Standard Oil (Sherman Antitrust Act)
1916 – Asiago, Italy, falls when Austrian troops attack the Italian front
1943 – Halifax bombers sinks U-463
1960 – Taxes took 25% of earnings in US
1971 – Irish Republican Army member William ‘Billy’ Reid is shot dead by British soldiers in Belfast
1989 – US Basketball League cancels its summer schedule
1991 – Defense releases docs claiming Noriega is “CIA’s man in Panama”
2005 – Laureus World Sports Awards, Casino Estoril, Portugal: Sportsman: Roger Federer; Sportswoman: Kelly Holmes; Team: Greece Men’s National Football team
2011 – “The Artist” directed by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo premieres at the Cannes Film festival (Best Picture 2012)
Historical Events for 14th May 2020
1767 – British government disbands Americans import duty on tea
1888 – 14th Kentucky Derby: George Covington aboard MacBeth II wins in 2:38.00
1907 – Sweden adopts universal suffrage for elections to its lower house and proportional representation for both houses
1919 – Pope Benedictus XV publishes encyclical In hac tanta
1950 – Pitts Johnny Hopp goes 6 for 6 including 2 HRs
1972 – In Willie Mays 1st game as a NY Met his homer beats SF Giants, 5-4
1991 – Robert M Gates becomes head of CIA
1996 – NY Yankee Dwight Gooden no-hits Seattle Mariners 2-0
2000 – 46th British Academy Television Awards: “The League of Gentlemen” Best Comedy, “The Cops” Best Drama
2005 – Pope Benedict XVI observes his first beatification, elevating Blessed Marianne of Molokai on the road to canonization into sainthood