TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – MAY 3
1494 Jamaica discovered by Christopher Columbus; he names it “St Iago”
1568 French forces in Florida slaughter hundreds of Spanish.
1765 1st US medical college opens in Philadelphia; founded by John Morgan, the School of Medicine belonged to the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania).
1791 Constitution of May 3 is proclaimed by the Great Sejm (Parliament) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, becoming the 1st modern constitution in Europe
1855 Macon B. Allen becomes the first African American to be admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts.
1921 West Virginia imposes 1st state sales tax
1926 US marines land in Nicaragua (9-months after leaving), stay until 1933
1945 World War II: German ship “Cap Arcona” laden with prisoners sunk by Royal Air Force in East Sea, 5,800 killed – one of largest maritime losses of life
1945 Allies arrests German nuclear physics Werner Heisenberg
1947 Japan’s post-war constitution goes into effect, granting universal suffrage, stripping Emperor Hirohito of all but symbolic power and outlawing Japan’s right to make war
1948 The Shelley v. Kraemer Supreme Court decision stated that it is unconstitutional for a court to enforce a restrictive covenant which prevents people of a certain race from owning or occupying property.
1952 The first airplane lands at the geographic North Pole.
1968 After three days of battle, the U.S. Marines retake Dai Do complex in Vietnam, only to find the North Vietnamese have evacuated the area.
1971 National Public Radio begins programming; 112 NPR stations premiere “All Things Considered”
1971 Nixon administration arrests 13,000 anti-war protesters in 3 days
1978 The Digital Equipment Corporation sends the world’s first spam email
1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman prime minister of Great Britain.
1982 New York Times reports that military will get 25% of NASA’s budget
1982 President Reagan begins 5 minute weekly radio broadcasts
2001 The United States, a member of the UN Human Rights Commission since its inception, lost its seat. It would be restored the following year.
2003 New Hampshire’s symbol, the granite Old Man of the Mountain, collapsed in the state’s Franconia Mountains.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
