Star Wars is released in theaters. On May 25, 1977, a long time ago in a galaxy not so far away … the first film…
24 May 1218
The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. The Crusaders left Acre on 24 May 1218, bound for Egypt, and first launched an attack on Damietta,…
23 May 1911
The New York Public Library is opened. The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, commonly known as the Main Branch or the New York Public Library, is…
22 May 1826
The HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage. Captain Pringle Stokes was appointed captain of Beagle on 7 September 1825, and the ship was allocated…
21 May 1966
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…