May in History

1931

Technology

The Empire State Building opens in New York City as the world's tallest building.

The Empire State Building opened in 1931 and was the world's tallest building for nearly 40 years. It has 102 floors.

Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — Empire State Building · Wikidata — Q9188

1869

Culture

The Folies Bergère opens in Paris as a music hall that becomes the city's most famous stage for spectacle and cabaret.

The venue first opened as the Folies Trévise and took the Folies Bergère name soon after. Its glamorous revues, feathers and showgirls defined the image of Parisian nightlife, and it is still a working theatre today.

Meanwhile in art: Realism, Impressionism

Sources: Wikipedia — Folies Bergère · Wikidata — Q330375

1764

Science

Charles Messier discovers the star cluster Messier 3, the first object in his catalogue that he found himself.

Messier listed such objects so that comet hunters would not be fooled by them. M3 lies about 34,000 light-years away and is one of the brightest globular clusters in the northern sky.

Meanwhile in art: Rococo, Neoclassicism

Sources: Wikipedia — Messier 3 · Wikidata — Q78384126

1989

Exploration

Space Shuttle Atlantis launches the Magellan probe, which maps the surface of Venus by radar.

Magellan launched in 1989 and was the first planetary probe launched by a space shuttle. It mapped 98 percent of Venus before plunging into its atmosphere in 1994.

Sources: Wikipedia — Magellan (spacecraft) · Wikidata — Q466932

1949

Society

Ten nations sign the Treaty of London, creating the Council of Europe to promote democracy and human rights.

Formed in the aftermath of the Second World War, the Council of Europe aimed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It now counts dozens of member states and is separate from the European Union, though the EU later adopted its blue flag with a circle of gold stars.

Sources: Wikipedia — Council of Europe · Wikidata — Q8908

2023

Culture

Charles III and Camilla are crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.

Charles III became king in September 2022, and his coronation took place in May 2023. It was the first British coronation since his mother's in 1953.

Sources: Wikipedia — Coronation of Charles III and Camilla · Wikidata — Q113857620

1824

Culture

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with its choral finale 'Ode to Joy,' premieres in Vienna.

The premiere at the Theater am Kärntnertor stunned audiences with its scale and its choral finale. Today the 'Ode to Joy' melody serves as the anthem of Europe, and the symphony is performed worldwide at celebrations and moments of reunion, including the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Meanwhile in art: Neoclassicism, Romanticism

Sources: Wikipedia — Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) · Wikidata — Q11989

1970

Culture

The Beatles' final studio album, Let It Be, is released in Britain.

Let It Be came out in 1970, a month after Paul McCartney announced he had left the Beatles. The film of the same name won an Oscar for its music.

Sources: Wikipedia — Let It Be (album) · Wikidata — Q199585

2003

Exploration

Japan launches Hayabusa, a probe to collect samples from the asteroid Itokawa.

Hayabusa was launched in 2003, reached Itokawa in 2005 and returned grains of the asteroid to Earth in 2010. It was the first mission to bring back samples from an asteroid.

Sources: Wikipedia — Hayabusa · Wikidata — Q275444

1975

Technology

Sony releases its Betamax video recorder in Japan, bringing home video taping to consumers.

Betamax was praised for its picture quality, but VHS offered longer recording times and wider licensing and won the 'format war'. In the United States, the Supreme Court later ruled that taping broadcasts for later viewing was fair use. Sony kept selling Betamax cassettes until 2016.

Sources: Wikipedia — Betamax · Wikidata — Q690148

2009

Exploration

Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the last mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

STS-125 flew in May 2009 and left Hubble more capable than ever. The telescope, launched in 1990, was expected to work for years more, and it is still observing.

Sources: Wikipedia — STS-125 · Wikidata — Q217546

1967

Culture

The Jimi Hendrix Experience releases its debut album, Are You Experienced, in the UK.

Are You Experienced came out in 1967 and is often listed among the greatest debut albums. Hendrix set his guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival a month later.

Sources: Wikipedia — Are You Experienced · Wikidata — Q640397

1950

Sports

The first Formula One World Championship race is held at Silverstone, won by Giuseppe Farina.

The race was the British Grand Prix, and Farina went on to become Formula One's first world champion that year. Silverstone remains the home of the British round and one of the sport's most famous circuits.

Sources: Wikipedia — 1950 British Grand Prix · Wikidata — Q173075

2009

Science

An Ariane 5 rocket launches ESA's Herschel Space Observatory and the Planck satellite from French Guiana.

Herschel's 3.5-meter mirror let astronomers see star-forming clouds and distant galaxies in far-infrared light. Its twin passenger Planck mapped the afterglow of the Big Bang in unprecedented detail. Both worked from a stable orbit around the Sun–Earth L2 point.

Sources: Wikipedia — Herschel Space Observatory · Wikidata — Q209630

1958

Exploration

The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3, a large orbiting laboratory for studying the upper atmosphere.

Sputnik 3 was launched in 1958 and stayed in orbit until 1960. Its measurements of cosmic rays and radiation belts were among the earliest from space.

Sources: Wikipedia — Sputnik 3 · Wikidata — Q719789

2011

Exploration

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-134, its final mission, carrying a cosmic-ray detector to the ISS.

STS-134 in 2011 was Endeavour's 25th and final mission. The shuttle was flown to Los Angeles the next year and is displayed at the California Science Center.

Sources: Wikipedia — STS-134 · Wikidata — Q478803

1792

Society

Twenty-four New York stockbrokers sign the Buttonwood Agreement, the origin of the New York Stock Exchange.

The Buttonwood Agreement of 1792 set a fixed commission and said the brokers would trade with each other first. It is celebrated as the founding of the New York Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile in art: Neoclassicism

Sources: Wikipedia — Buttonwood Agreement · Wikidata — Q2331589

1969

Exploration

Apollo 10 launches on a full dress rehearsal for the first Moon landing.

Apollo 10 flew in May 1969 and tested every step of a Moon landing except the landing. Its crew also set the record for the highest speed reached by humans.

Sources: Wikipedia — Apollo 10 · Wikidata — Q191746

1999

Culture

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace opens in cinemas, the first new Star Wars film in 16 years.

The Phantom Menace was released in 1999 and was the highest-grossing film of the year, though many fans found it disappointing.

Sources: Wikipedia — Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · Wikidata — Q165713

1978

Exploration

NASA launches the Pioneer Venus Orbiter to map the clouded planet with radar.

The Pioneer Venus Orbiter was launched in 1978 and orbited Venus until 1992. It made the first global radar map of the planet.

Sources: Wikipedia — Pioneer Venus Orbiter · Wikidata — Q1611468

1904

Sports

FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, is founded in Paris by seven European nations.

The founding members were France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. FIFA now has more than two hundred member associations and organizes the men's and women's World Cups.

Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism, Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — FIFA · Wikidata — Q253414

1980

Technology

Namco releases Pac-Man in Japan, launching one of the most famous video game characters ever.

The game was designed to appeal to a wide audience, including people who had never played video games. It became a worldwide craze, spawning merchandise, songs and cartoons, and is among the highest-grossing arcade games in history.

Sources: Wikipedia — Pac-Man · Wikidata — Q173626

1984

Culture

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom opens in American cinemas.

Temple of Doom was released in 1984, directed by Steven Spielberg. It was a box-office hit, and complaints about its violence, along with those about Gremlins, led to the PG-13 rating that summer.

Sources: Wikipedia — Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom · Wikidata — Q179215

1956

Culture

The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland, won by Lys Assia.

The contest was created by the European Broadcasting Union to test live international television links. It grew into one of the world's most-watched non-sporting events, launching the careers of acts such as ABBA and Céline Dion.

Sources: Wikipedia — Eurovision Song Contest 1956 · Wikidata — Q171784

1986

Society

About 6.5 million people join hands in a human chain across the US for Hands Across America.

Hands Across America in 1986 had gaps in the desert, but it drew about 6.5 million people and raised roughly $15 million after costs for hunger and homelessness charities.

Sources: Wikipedia — Hands Across America · Wikidata — Q5647565

1896

Society

Charles Dow publishes the first Dow Jones Industrial Average, based on 12 industrial stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was first calculated in 1896, when it stood at about 40. It has been expanded to 30 companies and is one of the oldest stock market indexes still in use.

Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism

Sources: Wikipedia — Dow Jones Industrial Average · Wikidata — Q180816

1937

Technology

The Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrians in San Francisco, then the world's longest suspension span.

Some 200,000 people walked across on opening day before cars were allowed the next day. Engineers had doubted a bridge could withstand the strait's winds, fog and currents, but it became one of the most photographed structures in the world.

Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — Golden Gate Bridge · Wikidata — Q44440

1937

Technology

The German state founds the company that becomes Volkswagen, to build an affordable "people's car."

The company was founded in 1937 and renamed Volkswagenwerk in 1938. After the war, under British management and then in West Germany, the Beetle became one of the best-selling cars ever built.

Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — Volkswagen · Wikidata — Q246

1913

Culture

Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring premieres in Paris, provoking uproar in the audience.

Catcalls and arguments in the new Théâtre des Champs-Élysées nearly drowned out the orchestra. The music soon won acclaim in the concert hall, and it is now regarded as one of the most influential works of the 20th century.

Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — The Rite of Spring · Wikidata — Q206015

1814

Society

The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending war between France and the allied powers after Napoleon's abdication.

The allies returned most of France's colonies and let it keep its borders from before the revolutionary wars. The treaty set the stage for the Congress of Vienna, which redrew the map of Europe.

Meanwhile in art: Neoclassicism, Romanticism

Sources: Wikipedia — Treaty of Paris (1814) · Wikidata — Q740724

1910

Society

The Union of South Africa is formed from four British colonies, with Louis Botha as prime minister.

The union created a new country with three capitals: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein. It laid the foundation for modern South Africa, although most of its people were excluded from political power until democracy arrived decades later.

Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism, Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — Union of South Africa · Wikidata — Q193619