The Ulster Volunteer Force declares war on the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland. 21 May: the UVF issued a statement: From this day, we…
20 May 1940
The first prisoners arrive at a newly built concentration camp at Auschwitz. Auschwitz, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau, opened in 1940 and was the largest of…
19 May 1991
Croatians vote for independence in a referendum. Croatia held an independence referendum on 19 May 1991, following the Croatian parliamentary elections of 1990 and the…
18 May 1863
The Siege of Vicksburg begins. From the spring of 1862 until July 1863, during the American Civil War, Union forces waged a campaign to take…
17 May 1984
Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”, sparking controversies…
16 May 1920
Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc, a peasant girl living in medieval France, believed that God had chosen her to lead…
15 May 1648
The Treaty of Westphalia is signed. The Peace of Westphalia refers to the pair of treaties signed in October and May 1648 which ended both…
14 May 1973
The United States space station, Skylab is launched. Skylab, the American space station and laboratory, was launched into space on May 14, 1973, starting a…
13 May 1971
Over 900 unarmed Bengali Hindus are murdered in what became known as the Demra massacre. Demra massacre in Bangladesh was the massacre of unarmed Hindu…
12 May 1949
The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin. On May 12, 1949, an early crisis of the Cold War comes to an end when the…