On May 31, 1921, this nation witnessed a race massacre and acts of dispossession against Black residents in the segregated and thriving Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Continue reading.

Walt Whitman, American poet, journalist, and essayist, was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, New York. Continue reading.

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A bit of May 31st history…

1279BC - Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt (19th Dynasty) (pictured)

1790 - US copyright law enacted

1884 - Dr John Harvey Kellogg patents “flaked cereal”

1909 - National Conference on the Negro holds 1st meeting in NY (earlier form of NAACP)

1976 - The Who set record for loudest concert of all time 

2008 - Usain Bolt breaks world record in 100 meter sprint in 9.72 seconds (pictured below)

2014 - Psy’s “Gangnam Style” becomes 1st video to reach 2 billion views on youtube 

In 1868, Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order Number 11 designating May 30 as a memorial day “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land." Continue reading. 

On May 30, 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was officially dedicated in Washington, D.C.  Continue reading.

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A bit of May 30th history…

1431 - 19 year old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake (pictured)

1848 - Mexico ratifies treaty giving US New Mexico, California, parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado in return for $15 million

1868 - “Decoration Day”, later called Memorial Day, is 1st observed in northern US states

1896 - 1st car accident when a cyclist is hit

2019 - 2 new studies find that eating processed foods leads to an early death and ill health published in British Medical Journal 

Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736, in Studley, Virginia. He was a brilliant orator and an influential leader in the Revolutionary opposition to British government. Continue reading. 

On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin became the thirtieth state admitted to the Union. The “Badger State” was the last state formed in its entirety from the Northwest Territory. Continue reading.

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A bit of May 29th history…

1453 - Constantinople, capital of Eastern Roman Empire, falls to the Turks under Muhammad II; ends Byzantine Empire

1765 - Patrick Henry’s historic speech against the Stamp Act, answering a cry of “treason!” with “if this be treason, make the most of it!” (pictured)

1919 - Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, that when light passes a large body, gravity will bend the rays,is confirmed by an expedition to photograph a solar eclipse in West Africa

1953 - Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are 1st to reach summit of Mt Everest

2019 - Transgender no longer classified as a mental health illness by World Health Organization (WHO) 

On May 28 and 29, 1851, the Ohio Woman’s Rights Convention met in Akron. Mrs. Frances D. Gage, convention president, began the proceedings with a stirring call to arms. Continue reading.

World-class athlete Jim Thorpe was born in a one-room cabin near Prague in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, on May 28, 1888. Continue reading.

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A bit of May 28th history…

1830 - US President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, authorizing the army to force Cherokee, Chicksaw, Choctae, Creek, and Seminole tribes out of Georgia and surrounding states, setting stage for Cherokee Trail of Tears (pictured)

1892 - Sierra Club formed in San Francisco for conservation of nature

1929 - 1st all color talking picture “On With the Show” exhibited in NYC

1961 Amnesty International founded

1999 - In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci’s  “Last Supper” is put back on display

2016 - Harambe, a gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo, is shot after dragging a 3 year old boy who had slipped into the enclosure (pictured below) 

On May 27, 1937, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge was opened to the public for the first time for "Pedestrian Day," marking the start of the weeklong "Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta" held to celebrate its completion. Continue reading.

Frontiersman, lawman, army scout, gambler, and legendary marksman James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was born on May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove, Illinois. Continue reading.

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A bit of May 27th history…

1678 - Habeaus Corpus Act (strengthens a person’s right to challenge unlawful arrest and imprisonment) passed in England

1873 - Heinrich Schliemann discovers “Priam’s Treasure” , a cache of gold and other objects in Hisarlik (Troy) in Anatolia (pictured)

1930 -  Richard Drew invents masking tape

1969 - Walt Disney World construction begins in Florida

1977 - Sex Pistols release “God Save the Queen”, sparking major controversy and leading to a ban of the song by the BBC (pictured below)

2017 - In Bangalore, India, white, puffy, toxic foam begins spilling out of Varthur Lake onto city streets