History for May 1

History for May 1 - On-This-Day.com
Benjamin Henry Latrobe 1764 - Architect known for his design of the United States Capitol and the Baltimore Basilica, Kate Smith 1909 - Singer, Glen Ford 1916 - Actor ("Gilda", "The Courtship of Eddie's Father") 


Jack Paar 1918 - Radio and television comedian, talk show host ("The Tonight Show"), Joseph Heller 1923 - Novelist, short story writer, playwright, Scott Carpenter 1925 - One of NASA's original seven astronauts 


Judy Collins (Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins) 1939 - Singer and songwriter, Rita Coolidge 1945 - Singer, Tim McGraw 1967 - Country musician 


1707 - England, Wales and Scotland were united to form Great Britain. 


1863 - In Virginia, the Battle of Chancellorsville began. General Robert E. Lee's forces began fighting with Union troops under General Joseph Hooker. Confederate General Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded by his own soldiers in this battle. (May 1-4) 


1883 - William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) had his first Wild West Show. 


1889 - Asa Candler published a full-page advertisement in The Atlanta Journal, proclaiming his wholesale and retail drug business as "sole proprietors of Coca-Cola ... Delicious. Refreshing. Exhilarating. Invigorating." Mr. Candler did not actually achieve sole ownership until 1891 at a cost of $2,300. 


1898 - The U.S. Navy under Dewey defeated the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay in the Philippines. 


1927 - Adolf Hitler held his first Nazi meeting in Berlin. 


1931 - The Empire State Building in New York was dedicated and opened. It was 102 stories tall and was the tallest building in the world at the time. 


1937 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed an act of neutrality, keeping the United States out of World War II. 


1948 - The People's Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was proclaimed. 


1960 - Francis Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. Powers was taken prisoner. 


1961 - Fidel Castro announced there would be no more elections in Cuba. 



1992 - On the third day of the Los Angeles riots resulting from the Rodney King beating trial. King appeared in public to appeal for calm, he asked, "Can we all get along?" 



2011 - U.S. President Barack Obama announced that U.S. soldiers had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.