In 2009, General Motors filed for Chapter 11, becoming the largest U.S. industrial company to enter bankruptcy protection.
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In 1889, some 2,200 people in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, perished when the South Fork Dam collapsed, sending 20 million tons of water rushing th…
In 1937, ten people were killed when police fired on steelworkers demonstrating near the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago, and more event…
In 2021, Grammy-winning singer B.J. Thomas, who hit the charts with songs including “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My He…
In 1934, the Dionne quintuplets — Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne — were born to Elzire Dionne at the family farm in Ontario, Canada.
In 1936, the Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary left England on its maiden voyage to New York.
In 1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married in the Dominican Republic. (The marriage ended in 1996.)
In 1968, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was dedicated by Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.
In 2022, an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers.
In 1975, comedian Jackie “Moms” Mabley, 81, died in White Plains, New York.
In 1992, after a reign lasting nearly 30 years, Johnny Carson hosted NBC’s “Tonight Show” for the final time. (Jay Leno took over as host thre…
In 2017, The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus received its final standing ovation as it performed its last show at the Nassau Cou…
In 1985, Radio Marti, operated by the U.S. government, began broadcasting; Cuba responded by attempting to jam its signal.
In 1962, film star Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday to You” to President John F. Kennedy during a Democratic fundraiser at New York’s Madis…
On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state exploded, leaving 57 people dead or missing.
In 1954, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision which held that racially segregated pub…
In 1990, death claimed entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. in Los Angeles at age 64.
In 1928, the Walt Disney cartoon character Mickey Mouse made his debut in the silent animated short “Plane Crazy.”
In 1961, Freedom Riders were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama.
In 2019, Doris Day, the sunny blond film star and singer who appeared in comedic roles opposite Rock Hudson and Cary Grant in the 1950s and 19…
On May 12, 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade, which the Western powers had succeeded in circumventing with their Berlin Airlift.
In 1981, legendary reggae artist Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital at age 36.
In 1869, a golden spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
In 1980, 35 people were killed when a freighter rammed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida, causing a 1,400-foot section of t…
In 1996, South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for Blacks and whites.