Events by Month: May

Questions

1. May 16, 1842 - The first major wagon train heads out on which famous route through the western USA?

2. May 31, 1669 - Which famous diarist records his final entry, citing bad eyesight as his reason?

3. May 30, 1922 - A memorial to which US President is dedicated in Washington, DC?

4. May 29, 1953 - Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first recorded individuals to summit which peak?

5. May 28, 1999 - After 22 years of restoration work, which Leonardo da Vinci work is put back on display in Milan?

6. May 27, 2016 - Barack Obama becomes the first president to visit which city, devastated by atomic bombing in 1945?

7. May 26, 1897 - Which Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker is published?

8. May 25, 1977 - Which groundbreaking and incredibly successful sci-fi movie is released to theatres across the USA?

9. May 24, 1883 - Which New York City bridge is opened to the public after 14 years of construction?

10. May 23, 1618 - The Second Defenestration in which city takes place, precipitating the devastating conflicts of the Thirty Years' War?

11. May 22, 1762 - Which famous fountain in Rome is officially opened and unveiled to the public?

12. May 21, 1972 - Hungarian Laszlo Toth seriously damaged which Michelangelo painting in St. Peter's Basilica?

13. May 20, 1883 - The major eruption of which Indonesian island begins?

14. May 19, 1991 - Citizens of which Yugoslav republic vote overwhelmingly for independence?

15. May 18, 1990 - A modified TGV train in which country reaches a world-record speed of 320.2mph?

16. May 17, 1969 - The Soviet probe Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of which planet, whereupon it would be crushed by the pressure?

17. May 1, 1840 - The Penny Black, the first adhesive example of what, was launched in the United Kingdom?

18. May 15, 1536 - Which wife of Henry VIII of England goes on trial on charges of treason, adultery and incest?

19. May 14, 1955 - As part of the Cold War, 8 Communist Bloc countries sign which mutual defense treaty?

20. May 13, 1989 - Students occupy Tiananmen Square in which city to begin a hunger strike?

21. May 12, 1949 - The USSR lifts its blockade of which city after nearly a year?

22. May 11, 1997 - The IBM computer Deep Blue becomes the first such device to beat a world champion in which sport (or game)?

23. May 10, 1994 - Which man was named as the first black president of the now post-Apartheid South Africa?

24. May 9, 1386 - England and which other country ratify their formal alliance with the Treaty of Windsor, the longest continuous alliance in world history?

25. May 8, 1980 - The World Health Organisation officially announces the eradication of which infectious disease?

26. May 7, 558 - The first dome of which Constantinople church (now Istanbul mosque) collapses, only 20 years after its construction?

27. May 6, 1889 - Which structure is officially unveiled to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris?

28. May 5, 1973 - Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby in a still-record time?

29. May 4, 1953 - Which American writer wins the Pulitzer Prize for his work The Old Man and the Sea?

30. May 3, 1979 - Which Conservative leader wins the United Kingdom general election, becoming the first female prime minister in their history?

31. May 2, 2012 - A pastel copy of which Edvard Munch painting sells for $120m, becoming the most expensive artwork to ever be sold at auction?