May 31 in Pop Culture History 1279 BC – Ramesses II became pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. He may have been the pharaoh involved with Moses. He was the subject of Percy Bysshe Shelly’s Ozymandias. “King of Kings am I, Osymandias. If anyone would know how great I am and where I lie, let him surpass …
May 30 in Pop Culture History 1431 – At Rouen, Normandy, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy. 1631 – Gazette de France, the first French newspaper, began publication. 1806 – Future US President Andrew Jackson participated in a duel, killing Charles Dickinson. Dickinson shot first, wounding Jackson, but Jackson’s shot at …
May 29 in Pop Culture History 1453 – Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih captured Constantinople after a 53-day siege, commonly referred to as The Fall of Constantinople. 1790 – Rhode Island was the last of the original United States’ colonies to ratify the Constitution and was admitted as the 13th US state. 1913 …
May 28 in Pop Culture History 585 BC – A solar eclipse occurred, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales. Knowing this exact date helped historians find other exact and near exact historical dates. 1830 – US President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which relocated Native Americans. 1892 – In San …
May 27 in Pop Culture History 1199 – John (December 24, 1166 – October 19, 1216) became King of England. He’s the one who signed The Magna Carta, which was the first document to offer people individual rights. 1796 – The patent (#X0116) for a piano was issued to James Sylvanus McLean of New Jersey, …
May 26 in Pop Culture History 1293 (Earthquake) Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 30,000. 1869 – Boston University was chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1896 – Charles Dow published the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. 1897 – Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel began being sold in the UK. 1917 (Tornadoes) Matoon and …
May 25 in Pop Culture History 1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opened at the Opera Comique in London. 1935 – At Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Babe Ruth hit his 714th (and final) home run. 1961 – President John F. Kennedy declared “I believe that this nation should commit itself to …
May 24 in Pop Culture History 1775 – John Hancock was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. 1830 – Mary Had a Little Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale was published. 1844 – Samuel F.B. Morse sent the first public telegraph message – ‘What Hath God Wrought?’ through the Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph line. 1883 – The …
May 23 in Pop Culture History 1701 – Scottish-born sea captain William Kidd was hanged on the banks of the Thames after being found guilty of piracy and murder. 1911 – The New York Public Library was dedicated. 1920 – Joan of Arc was canonized by Pope Benedict XV. 1922 – Abie’s Irish Rose (Broadway …
