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 Maj 0s
18th May 1848: The Frankfurt Parliament opens at St. Paul’s Church as the first freely elected parliament for all of Germany
The Parliament sought to draft a constitution to unify the independent German states into a single nation governed by liberal principles, but faced significant challenges from the outset and was dissolved by force in June ...
18 Maj 0s
17th May 1756: The Seven Years’ War begins, when Great Britain formally declares war on France
The Seven Years’ War is widely regarded as the first truly global conflict as the declaration of war marked the start of full-scale hostilities between the major European powers and their colonies across the ...
17 Maj 0s
16th May 1960: The first laser was successfully operated by Theodore Maiman at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California
The device constructed by Maiman used a small rod of synthetic ruby crystal, surrounded by a helical flash lamp that provided the necessary energy to excite the atoms within the ruby, and is often seen as the start of the 'laser ...
16 Maj 0s
15th May 1940: The first McDonald’s restaurant opened in San Bernadino, California
Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, ...
15 Maj 0s
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 Maj 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 Maj 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 Maj 0s
