26th May 1923: First 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race begins, establishing the endurance racing format
The first race began at 4 p.m. on 26 May 1923 and concluded at the same time on the following day. Taking place on public roads closed for the occasion, the circuit of just over 17 kilometres included long straights, village roads, and tight ...
26 Touko 0s
25th May 1977: The first Star Wars film is released in cinemas
The first instalment of the Star Wars film series was released in cinemas in the United States of ...
25 Touko 0s
24th May 1943: Josef Mengele, the Nazi Angel of Death, transferred to Auschwitz
Josef Mengele, the Nazi ‘Angel Of Death’, was transferred to begin work at Auschwitz concentration ...
24 Touko 0s
23rd May 1949: West Germany formally established, otherwise known as the Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany was a federal parliamentary republic with a Chancellor as head of government and a President who held a largely ceremonial ...
23 Touko 0s
22nd May 1849: Abraham Lincoln becomes the first and only President to be awarded a patent
Abraham Lincoln was issued a patent for his invention to lift boats over shoals and other obstructions in a ...
22 Touko 0s
21st May 1927 and 1932: Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic, followed five years later by Emilia Earhart as the first woman
The very first non-stop transatlantic flight had occurred in 1919 when John Alcock and Arthur Whiten Brown flew a modified Vickers Vimy bomber aircraft from Newfoundland to Ireland in just under 16 ...
21 Touko 0s
20th May 1882: Establishment of the Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the Triple ...
20 Touko 0s
19th May 1922: Young Pioneer organisation formally established in the USSR
Officially known as the Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organisation in honour of the recently deceased Bolshevik leader, the Young Pioneers were modelled in part on scouting organisations, but with a strong political and ideological framework aligned with the principles of the Communist ...
19 Touko 0s
