TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – MAY 26
1521 Edict of Worms outlaws Martin Luther & his followers
1647 A new law bans Catholic priests from the colony of Massachusetts. The penalty is banishment or death for a second offense.
1670 Charles II and Louis XIV sign a secret treaty in Dover, England, ending hostilities between England and France.
1691 Jacob Leisler, leader of the popular uprising in support of William and Mary’s succession to the throne, is executed for treason.
1830 The Removal Act signed into law by President Andrew Jackson in 1830. The act paved the way for the reluctant—and often forcible—emigration of tens of thousands of American Indians to the West.
1835 A resolution is passed in the U.S. Congress stating that Congress has no authority over state slavery laws
1864 The territory of Montana is organized.
1868 President Andrew Johnson avoided conviction for impeachment charges of “high crimes and misdemeanors” by one vote.
1896 The last czar of Russia, Nicholas II, is crowned.
1908 At Masjed Soleyman (مسجد سليمان) in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made, rights acquired by the United Kingdom
1927 Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company produce the last (and 15th million) Model T Ford / Tin Lizzie
1938 The House Committee on Un-American Activities begins its work of searching for subversives in the United States.
1940 Allied troops began the massive naval evacuation of troops from Dunkirk, France, during World War II.
1946 A patent is filed in the United States for the H-bomb.
1956 The first trailer bank opened for business in Locust Grove, Long Island, NY. The 46-foot-long trailer took in $100,000 in deposits its first day.
1969 Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a mission that served as a dress rehearsal for the first moon landing.
1972 The Soviet Union and the United States sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty The ABM Treaty regulated the establishment of anti-ballistic missile shields against nuclear missiles.
1975 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger today outlined a trillion dollar program to save oil consuming nations from being held hostage by the worlds oil producing nations including the increased use of Nuclear Power and funding to find alternative forms of energy.
1987 Supreme Court ruled dangerous defendants could be held without bail
1994 U.S. President Clinton renewed trade privileges for China, and announced that his administration would no longer link China’s trade status with its human rights record.
1998 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ellis Island was mainly in New Jersey, not New York.
2000 Hezbollah announces that its fighters will soon pull out of southern Lebanon, now that the Israelis have withdrawn.
2003 Rwandans voted to approve a new constitution that instituted a balance of power between Hutu and Tutsi.
2004 The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
