14th May 1878: The last witchcraft trial in the United States was held in Salem, Massachusetts
Lucretia Brown was a member of the Christian Science religion and alleged that a man named Daniel Spofford had used his "mesmeric" mental powers to harm her, asking the court to prevent Spofford from exercising control over her through his mental ...
14 Touko 0s
13th May 1861: Queen Victoria issues a “Proclamation of Neutrality” concerning the American Civil War
Britain's declaration of neutrality recognised the Union and the Confederacy as belligerents, allowing the Confederacy to contract for supplies and commission warships, but it fell short of recognising the Confederacy as a sovereign nation. This protected British interests by avoiding entanglement in the conflict while maintaining the country’s right to trade with both the Union and the ...
13 Touko 0s
12th May 1846: The Donner Party begin their ill-fated journey to California
The Donner Party departed Independence, Missouri on their ill-fated journey to ...
12 Touko 0s
11th May 1997: IBM’s chess computer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov to become the first computer to defeat a reigning world chess champion under tournament conditions
Ranked as the 259th most powerful computer in the world, Deep Blue was able to evaluate 200 million separate chess positions per ...
11 Touko 0s
10th May 1869: The ‘Golden Spike’ completes the first transcontinental railroad in the United States at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory
The ‘Golden Spike’ symbolised the joining of the Central Pacific Railroad, which had built eastward from California, and the Union Pacific Railroad, which had built westward from Nebraska to form a continuous rail link between the east and west coasts of the ...
10 Touko 0s
9th May 1671: Colonel Thomas Blood attempts to steal the Crown Jewels
Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of ...
9 Touko 0s
8th May 1950: The Tollund Man, who lived in the 5th century BC, discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg in Denmark
The Tollund Man was remarkably well-preserved thanks to the cold, acidic, and low oxygen conditions of the peat bog, which slowed ...
8 Touko 0s
7th May 1794: Cult of the Supreme Being formally announced by Robespierre in a meeting of the National Convention
The Cult of the Supreme Being recognised that God had created the universe, but that He did not interfere or intervene in its operation. Therefore it taught that humans were responsible for their own actions and ...
7 Touko 0s
