Margaret Sanger (September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, founded Planned Parenthood, and was instrumental in the development of the first birth control pill. She was an important first-wave feminist and believed that women should be able to decide if and when to have children. Sanger campaigned for the legalization of contraceptives by giving speeches, writing books, and breaking laws – leading to eight arrests. She endorsed both the Malthusianism and eugenics movements, believing that they would generate support for birth control. She established a network of dozens of birth control clinics, which provided services to hundreds of thousands of patients. She discouraged abortion, and her clinics never offered abortion services during her lifetime. Her activism led to the Griswold v. Connecticut decision, which legalized contraception. (Full article...)

• ... that Vincent de Groof successfully tested his bat-like flying machine (pictured) in 1874, only to die after crashing it 10 days later?
• ... that the theatre which premiered a play about sex offenders had to hire additional security for its run?
• ... that visitors from various countries come to a temple to see a wild Chinese monkey named Xing Xing?
• ... that Fatima Hassouna was killed shortly after a documentary about her was announced for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival?
• ... that at a Destroy Lonely concert promoting an edition of his debut album, some fans entered his car?
• ... that Carl Jorgensen and Gust Zarnas were the first NFL players from Denmark and Greece?
• ... that in 1917 more than 8,000 African Americans protested lynchings by marching down New York City's Fifth Avenue in silence, accompanied only by the sound of muffled drums?
• ... that a Sicilian soldier killed his own family during an Ottoman attack on Gozo in 1551, to prevent them from being enslaved?
• ... that Costa Rica's most famous bull killed two men and loved mangos?

• Former president of Uruguay José Mujica (pictured) dies at the age of 89.
• The Kurdistan Workers' Party announces its dissolution, ending its insurgency against Turkey.
• Robert Francis Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In horse racing, Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Kentucky Derby.

May 18: Haitian Flag Day in Haiti (1803); Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Crimean Tatar Genocide in Ukraine

• 1302 – Armed insurrectionists massacred the occupying French garrison in Bruges, Flanders, killing approximately 2,000 people.
• 1695 – An earthquake measuring M_s7.8 struck Shanxi Province in northern China, resulting in at least 52,600 deaths.
• 1927 – Disgruntled school board treasurer Andrew Kehoe set off explosives with timers and a rifle (aftermath pictured), causing the Bath School disaster in the Bath Consolidated School in Michigan, killing 44 people in the deadliest mass murder in a school in United States history.
• 2009 – The Sri Lanka Army killed Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader and founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to bring an end to the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war.

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TRAPPIST-1 is a cool red dwarf star with seven known exoplanets. It lies in the constellation Aquarius about 40.66 light-years away from Earth. It has a mass of about 9% of the Sun and is estimated to be 7.6 billion years old, making it older than the Solar System. The discovery of the star was first published in 2000. Observations in 2016 from the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) led to the discovery of two orbiting terrestrial planets, and five more were found in 2017. It takes the seven planets between about 1.5 and 19 days to orbit around the star. They are likely tidally locked to TRAPPIST-1, leading to permanent day on one side and night on the other. Their masses are comparable to that of Earth. Up to four of the planets orbit at distances where temperatures are suitable for the existence of liquid water (diagram pictured), and are thus potentially hospitable to life. This has drawn interest from both researchers and popular culture. (Full article...)

• ... that Sašo Bertoncelj (pictured) competed on MasterChef Slovenia during his gymnastics career?
• ... that the Knox Mountain Hillclimb is considered very challenging due to every corner being off camber?
• ... that the works of Yaelokre have been compared to The Lord of the Rings, Gorillaz, and the illustrations of Where the Wild Things Are?
• ... that Camp Growden was envisioned to become a winter sports complex with toboggan runs?
• ... that Paddy Higson was known as the "mother of Scottish film"?
• ... that the robotic costumes used in the Doctor Who episode "The Robot Revolution" were 3D printed in thirty-four different pieces before being assembled?
• ... that Google searches for the word "fortnight" in the US increased by 868% on the release day of the song "Fortnight" by Taylor Swift?
• ... that the Green Bay Packers signed Tom Birney as their new kicker in 1979, even though he had not kicked a field goal in more than five years?
• ... that a 2015 issue of the Strawberry Newspaper features Hello Kitty discussing military conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Ukraine?

• Former president of Uruguay José Mujica (pictured) dies at the age of 89.
• The Kurdistan Workers' Party announces its dissolution, ending its insurgency against Turkey.
• Robert Francis Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In horse racing, Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Kentucky Derby.

May 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

• 1590 – Anne of Denmark (pictured) was crowned the queen consort of Scotland in a ceremony at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.
• 1863 – American Civil War: At the Battle of Big Black River Bridge in Mississippi, Union forces under John A. McClernand defeated a Confederate rearguard and captured around 1,700 men.
• 1900 – The first copies of the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum were printed.
• 1954 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional.
• 1987 – An Iraqi jet fired two Exocet missiles at the American frigate USS Stark, killing 37 personnel and injuring 21 others.

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The iMac G4 is an all-in-one personal computer produced by Apple Computer from January 2002 to August 2004. It comprises a hemispheric base that holds the computer components and a flatscreen liquid-crystal display (LCD) mounted above. The computer, first released in 1998, helped save Apple from bankruptcy. Development of the iMac G4 took roughly two years, with Apple's designers exploring multiple ways of marrying the display screen with the computer components. Its shape was inspired by a sunflower, with the display connected to the base via an adjustable stainless-steel arm that allows the monitor to be freely tilted and swiveled. The product was a critical and commercial success for Apple, selling more than 1.3 million units in its first year, and it was updated with faster components and larger displays before being replaced by the iMac G5 in September 2004. The machine is held in the collections of multiple museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and Museums Victoria. (Full article...)

• ... that a liquor-drinking celebrity goat named Ioiô (pictured) won an election for city councilman in Fortaleza?
• ... that Beyoncé's "Formation" video topped Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time" in 2021?
• ... that Jim Coffeen was the first quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, then served as the team's first public address announcer?
• ... that Score! by Jilly Cooper was criticised for its treatment of sexual violence?
• ... that the court-appointed receiver for a California TV station noted that the business "at least equal[ed] the most poorly managed companies I've seen"?
• ... that stage director Tina Packer has hired Black and Asian actors in traditionally White Shakespearean roles?
• ... that kākā birds deeply scar Nothofagus menziesii trees while searching for the larvae of the pūriri moth?
• ... that priests were secretly buried at St Catherine's Chapel, Lydiate, after it fell into ruin?
• ... that Hamengkubuwono III was appointed crown prince of Yogyakarta while his father was also still crown prince?

• Former president of Uruguay José Mujica (pictured) dies at the age of 89.
• Robert Francis Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.

May 16: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (2024); Malcolm X Day in some parts of the United States (2025)

• 1426 – Mohnyin Thado captured Sagaing to become the king of Ava, in present-day Myanmar.
• 1605 – After a scuffle in which one cardinal received broken bones, a papal conclave convened in Rome elected Camillo Borghese as Pope Paul V.
• 1929 – The first Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
• 1975 – Japanese climber Junko Tabei (pictured) became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

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The Merchant's House Museum is a historic house museum at 29 East Fourth Street in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The four-story edifice, built by the hatter Joseph Brewster between 1831 and 1832 as a speculative development, was sold in 1835 to the merchant Seabury Tredwell. It was the Tredwell family's residence for almost a century, with the structure remaining in the family until the death of the youngest child in 1933. A distant relative purchased the building and in 1936 transformed it into a museum. It is the only 19th-century residence in Manhattan with its original exterior and interior intact. The museum's collection has more than 4,500 items owned by the Tredwell family, including pieces of furniture, clothing, household items, and personal items. The building's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is a National Historic Landmark. (Full article...)

• ... that fighter pilot I. B. Donalson (pictured) was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions while commanding a boat?
• ... that Alamat's "Maharani" made them the first Pinoy pop boy band to enter the Billboard Philippines Hot 100?
• ... that Native American Legends of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley was compiled over concerns that the stories would be lost?
• ... that swimmer Anja Margetić refused to participate at the Mediterranean Games after learning she would not be able to compete under the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
• ... that an Ohio TV station broadcast Little League baseball from a ballpark on the station grounds, known as "Telecast Field"?
• ... that cinematographer Jason Kwan, a frequent collaborator with Pang Ho-cheung, made his directorial debut by adapting a novella written by Pang?
• ... that Ireland won the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2024 European Athletics Championships, receiving their first European gold medal in athletics since 1998?
• ... that the first work of fan fiction featuring a romantic relationship between the Winchester brothers in Supernatural was published one day after the first episode aired?
• ... that The World's Biggest Gang Bang III was so popular that it crashed the server?

• Former president of Uruguay José Mujica (pictured) dies at the age of 89.
• Robert Francis Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.

May 15: Feast day of Saint Carthage (Catholicism); Nakba Day in Palestinian communities; Peace Officers Memorial Day in the United States

• 392 – Roman emperor Valentinian II (pictured) was found hanged in his residence in Vienne, in present-day France.
• 1725 – Bach led the first performance of his cantata Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85, about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
• 1855 – Thieves stole 224 pounds (102 kg) of gold from a train travelling from London to Folkestone, England.
• 1864 – American Civil War: A small Confederate force, which included cadets from the Virginia Military Institute, forced the Union army out of the Shenandoah Valley.
• 1916 – Jesse Washington, a teenage African-American farmhand, was lynched in Waco, Texas.

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Marie Sophie Hingst (1987–2019) was a German historian and blogger who falsely claimed to be descended from Holocaust survivors. Born into a Protestant family, she fabricated a Jewish background and sent documentation for 22 misrepresented or non-existent relatives, who she claimed were Holocaust victims, to the official Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. She maintained a blog about her supposed Jewish background, identity and experiences as a German expatriate in Ireland, where she moved in 2013. The blog received hundreds of thousands of views. Throughout her life, Hingst falsified much of her background, connections, and achievements. She used her fraudulent credentials to gain awards and recognition, and held positions of prestige in Jewish communities across Europe. A journalist exposed her claims as false in 2019. She was castigated in the German media, destroying her reputation. Hingst committed suicide at the age of 31. Her fraud and death attracted attention across Europe. (Full article...)

• ... that the Norman Lykes House (pictured) was the last house that Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed?
• ... that Bosnian sitting volleyball players Sabahudin Delalić, Ismet Godinjak, Adnan Manko, Asim Medić, and Dževad Hamzić have won medals at every Paralympics this century?
• ... that mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles are one of only two examples of wild big cats living in a megacity?
• ... that Nigerian academic James Nwoye Adichie was kidnapped in 2015?
• ... that around 80 percent of foreign tourists to the Indonesian province of Lampung in 2019 went to the town of Krui?
• ... that inmates from New York state prisons can be involuntarily committed at the Central New York Psychiatric Center?
• ... that the Marshal of France surrendered to the Black Prince after his keep was set on fire?
• ... that Rachel Chinouriri has dreamed of having a Little House with a partner since she was a child?
• ... that Jilly Cooper described her bonkbuster Appassionata as her "sex and Chopin" novel?

• Robert Francis Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In horse racing, Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Kentucky Derby.
• The Australian Labor Party increases its majority in the federal election.

May 14: Feast day of Saint Matthias (Catholicism)

• 1264 – Second Barons' War: King Henry III was defeated at the Battle of Lewes (monument pictured) and forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, making Simon de Montfort the de facto ruler of England.
• 1857 – Mindon Min was crowned as King of Burma.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Union troops captured Jackson, the capital of Mississippi.
• 1931 – Five people were killed in Ådalen, Sweden, as soldiers opened fire on an unarmed trade union demonstration.
• 1948 – David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Israeli Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall in Tel Aviv.

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Nasutoceratops is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur that lived in North America about 76.0 to 75.5 million years ago. The first known specimens were discovered in Utah in 2006. A subadult skull with a partial postcranial skeleton and rare skin impressions was made the holotype of the new genus and species Nasutoceratops titusi. It later featured in the Jurassic World films. The holotype skull of Nasutoceratops is approximately 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long, and its body length has been estimated at 4.5 m (14.8 ft) and its weight at 1.5 tonnes. Its brow horns are notable for pointing forward and being approximately 40 percent of total skull length. The functions of ceratopsian frills and horns have been debated: suggestions include signalling, combat, and species recognition; the forward oriented brow horns of Nasutoceratops may have enabled interlocking with opponents. During Nasutoceratops's lifetime its environment was dominated by wetlands supporting a diverse fauna, including other ceratopsians. (Full article...)

• ... that Uncus dzaugisi (pictured) is the oldest ecdysozoan, a group that contains arthropods, tardigrades, and nematodes, ever found?
• ... that after Joe Matesic was revealed to have played at Arizona State under his brother's name, the football coach resigned and the school was nearly expelled from the Border Conference?
• ... that Herbert Jacobs and his wife paid off the architect's fee for their house by charging visitors admission?
• ... that weightlifter Mehmed Skender was manning a machine gun when asked to join Bosnia and Herzegovina's first Olympic team?
• ... that around 400 people tried to flee from Francoist Spain to Andorra through Juberri in 1937?
• ... that Samir Flores Soberanes was killed the day after he challenged the accuracy of information about a Mexican federal project?
• ... that Gustavo Santaolalla travelled from northern to southern Argentina in four years to experience folk music from the country's past?
• ... that although Australia and New Zealand competed at the 2017 Asian Winter Games, they were ineligible to win medals?
• ... that Thelma Adams protested milk quotas in the United Kingdom by sitting in a bathtub of milk, while dressed as Cleopatra?

• Robert Francis Prevost (pictured) is elected as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In horse racing, Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Kentucky Derby.
• The Australian Labor Party increases its majority in the federal election.

May 13: Yom HaZikaron in Israel (2024)

• 1909 – The inaugural edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, began in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner.
• 1958 – US vice president Richard Nixon's motorcade was attacked by a mob in Caracas, Venezuela.
• 2000 – An explosion (aftermath pictured) at a fireworks factory in Enschede, Netherlands, resulted in 23 deaths and approximately €450 million in damage.
• 2008 – Nine bombs placed by the Indian Mujahideen, then an unknown terrorist group, exploded in a 15-minute period in Jaipur, India, killing 80 people and injuring more than 200 others.

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Veiqia is a female tattooing practice in Fiji. The term refers to both the practice and to the tattoos. Women or adolescent girls who have reached puberty may be tattooed in the groin and buttocks area by older female tattooing specialists called dauveiqia or daubati. The practice was common prior to the arrival in the 1830s of Christian missionaries who discouraged it, but it was revived in the twenty-first century. In Fijian culture, the tattoos were considered to heighten a women's beauty and could be an important factor that enabled her to marry. Receiving veiqia was highly ritualised, with many regional variations. Preparation for the process could include abstinence from food or from sexual relations, or inducing vomiting to purge the body. The process of tattooing was closely associated with the gift of a young woman's first fringed skirt to wear once their veiqia was complete. Motifs for tattoos included turtles, wandering tattlers, pottery and basketwork. (Full article...)

• ... that Hideaki Kobayashi (pictured) cosplays as a schoolgirl despite being in his 60s?
• ... that Japanese electronic musician Camellia began producing music at the age of ten using his mother's computer?
• ... that a man is transformed into a woman for seven years in the medieval tale of The Abbot of Drimnagh, an uncommon example of gender-shifting in European folktales?
• ... that UCLA Bruins player Tyler Bilodeau cited his mother, who played in the WNBA, as "the reason I play basketball"?
• ... that the International Olympic Committee rejected recognition of the Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee as the nation's citizens hold dual citizenship?
• ... that the Spanish anarchist Agustín Remiro worked as a foreign agent for MI6?
• ... that the FMV game Contradiction was made on such a low budget that its creator learned how to code instead of hiring a programmer?
• ... that Charles Smith has worked as a basketball coach at the same high school for the past 50 years?

• Robert Francis Prevost (pictured) is elected as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In horse racing, Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Kentucky Derby.
• The Australian Labor Party increases its majority in the federal election.

May 12

• 1743 – War of the Austrian Succession: Habsburg ruler Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia after Austrian forces drove French troops from the territory.
• 1938 – During an exercise to demonstrate air power, United States Army Air Corps bomber aircraft intercepted the Italian ocean liner SS Rex (pictured) 620 nautical miles (1,100 km) off the US Atlantic coast.
• 1948 – The United Kingdom publicly announced that it was independently developing nuclear weapons, after the US Atomic Energy Act of 1946 ended cooperation on the matter.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force began the defence of Fire Support Base Coral in the largest unit-level action of the war for the Australian Army.
• 1998 – Four students were shot and killed by Indonesian soldiers at Trisakti University in Jakarta, which led to widespread riots and the resignation of President Suharto nine days later.

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"Mother" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor (pictured) from the deluxe edition of her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022). She wrote the song with Sean Douglas, and its producers, Gian Stone, and her brother Justin. Epic Records released it as the lead single on March 27, 2023. A pop song with doo-wop influences, "Mother" interpolates "Mr. Sandman". Inspired by men who said Trainor's pregnancy would end her career, the song is about women's empowerment; she asks the male subject to stop mansplaining and to listen to her. Critics were complimentary about the composition but criticized the use of the term "mother". The song reached the top 30 in Belgium, Ireland, Suriname, and the United Kingdom. Charm La'Donna directed the music video, which stars Kris Jenner; critics praised the fashion choices and described it as glamorous. Trainor performed the song on Today, Capital's Summertime Ball, and the Timeless Tour (2024). (This article is part of a featured topic: Takin' It Back.)

• ... that the Rani of Jhansi (statue pictured) has been described as "the greatest heroine of Indian history"?
• ... that American-born Freddie Lish called playing for the Thai national basketball team, "my dream ever since I found out my mom was born in Thailand"?
• ... that Pakistani prime minister Mohammad Ali Bogra opposed the 1955 election to protect his political position?
• ... that nine days after his heart transplant, J. C. Walter Jr. merged his company Houston Oil & Minerals with Tenneco, then retired to his ranch and shortly after founded Walter Oil & Gas?
• ... that during his final known voyage, Lope Martín overthrew two captains before being marooned on Ujelang Atoll?
• ... that a Japanese governor wore a pregnancy simulation suit to encourage men to help out their wives at home?
• ... that the shooting of Eileen Quinn was referenced in the poetry of W. B. Yeats?
• ... that Victor L. King employed only black people from the South in 1917 at his new chemical plant in New Jersey to "prevent the entrance into the organization of any enemy aliens" during World War I?
• ... that Cory Booker delivered the longest recorded individual speech in United States Senate history while protesting the second presidency of Donald Trump?

• Robert Francis Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), becoming the first Catholic pope born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party retains a supermajority of seats.

May 11

• 868 – A copy of the Diamond Sutra was printed in Tang-dynasty China, making it the world's oldest dated printed book.
• 1889 – Bandits attacked a U.S. Army paymaster's escort in the Arizona Territory, stealing more than $28,000.
• 1970 – Lubbock, Texas, was struck by a tornado that left 26 people dead.
• 2010 – Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party after failing to strike a coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats.
• 2022 – Shireen Abu Akleh (pictured) was killed by Israel Defense Forces in Jenin refugee camp.
• 2022 – Myanmar civil war: Government troops killed 37 unarmed civilians in Mondaingbin.

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The Tesla Model S is a battery-electric, four-door full-size car, produced by Tesla since 2012. Considered by critics as one of the most influential electric cars, Tesla began developing the Model S around 2007. To produce the Model S, Tesla acquired a facility in Fremont, California; mass production of the car began there in June 2012. Tesla carried out final assembly for European markets at its facilities in Tilburg, the Netherlands, between 2013 and 2021. Changes to the car have included the introduction of Tesla Autopilot—a partial vehicle automation advanced driver-assistance system, released in 2015. That year, the Model S was the world's best-selling plug-in electric vehicle. The car has received accolades, including the Motor Trend Car of the Year award in 2013. Time named it one of the Best 25 Inventions of the Year 2012 and later included it on its list of the 10 Best Gadgets of the 2010s in 2019. To charge the Model S, Tesla operates a network of fast-charging stations. (Full article...)

• ... that the grave (pictured) of Javanese spiritual leader Kyai Maja at his exile near Lake Tondano has become a site for pilgrimages?
• ... that a North Carolina TV station was originally named after its attorney?
• ... that the anti-Francoist guerrilla Marcelino Massana pranked the Civil Guard captain who was trying to kill him by paying for his coffee?
• ... that the 1940–1941 Vilnius Yiddish daily Vilner Emes followed Soviet orthography and thus did not use the final forms of Hebrew letters?
• ... that Maxine Fluharty was "practically born with a field hockey stick in her hands"?
• ... that the filming sets of A New Old Play were visibly fake, with shaking white fabrics and plastic bags used to mimic turbulent waves?
• ... that Laurie Schipper, who was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 2022, testified to support a woman who murdered her abusive husband?
• ... that Sobrevivendo no Inferno by Racionais MC's, which critiques police violence and systemic racism in Brazil, was required reading for a university entrance examination?
• ... that lawyer Jefferson Fisher went viral after sharing short videos providing practical communication tips recorded in his parked pickup truck in Silsbee, Texas?

• Robert Francis Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), becoming the first pope of the Catholic Church born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party retains a supermajority of seats.

May 10

• 28 BC – Chinese astronomers during the Han dynasty made the first precisely dated observation of a sunspot.
• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: A small force of Patriots led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga (depicted) in New York, without significant injury or incident.
• 1933 – Thousands of books on the history and healthcare of transgender people, taken from the Institute for Sexual Science, were burned by Nazis in Bebelplatz Square for being "un-German".
• 1940 – British prime minister Neville Chamberlain resigned and formally recommended Winston Churchill as his successor.
• 2005 – Vladimir Arutyunian attempted to assassinate U.S. president George W. Bush and Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi using a hand grenade, which failed to detonate.

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Metrosideros bartlettii, commonly known as Bartlett's rātā, is a rare species of tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is only found in three patches of dense forest remnants near Piwhane / Spirits Bay in New Zealand's North Island. It reaches a height of up to 30 metres (100 feet) with a trunk diameter of 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 4.9 feet). The species is known for its distinct whitish, paper-like bark and small white flowers. Bartlett's rātā was accidentally discovered in 1975 by John Bartlett near Cape Reinga and first described by John Dawson in 1985. Bartlett's rātā typically begins life growing on another plant, inhabits lowland forests, and grows near wet areas. A 2018 article documented 13 adult trees in the wild, down from 31 in 2000. Its decline has been attributed to land use changes and the introduction of common brushtail possums. In 2013, it was listed as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List, with a decreasing population trend. (Full article...)

• ... that a public toilet in Paris (entrance pictured) is a French national heritage site?
• ... that a Wisconsin TV station claimed to have the only revolving stage in a TV studio east of California when it went on the air in 1953?
• ... that Jatin Chakraborty was sued by pop singer Usha Uthup after Chakraborty labelled her shows as "decadent"?
• ... that a special election in February 1963 put the first Republican in four decades into the Mississippi Legislature?
• ... that a Choquei Instagram post claiming that Lula had won the 2022 Brazilian election received more than 1.3 million likes before the official result was announced?
• ... that Gannon University's original American football program lasted only two years due to fan "apathy", despite going undefeated and holding scoreless six of eight opponents in its first year?
• ... that the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure may prevent pleasure?
• ... that the arsonist who burned down a golden Buddhist temple secretly removed one nail, then reinserted it, then removed it again?
• ... that carrot recorders, butternut squash trombones, and aubergine castanets are all instruments in the London Vegetable Orchestra?

• Robert Francis Prevost (pictured) is elected as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first pope of the Catholic Church born in the United States.
• Friedrich Merz is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party retains a supermajority of seats.

May 9: Europe Day in the European Union; Liberation Day in the Channel Islands (1945)

• 1877 – An earthquake struck northern Chile, leading to the deaths of 2,385 people, mostly victims of the ensuing tsunami, as far away as Hawaii and Fiji.
• 1944 – World War II: The Japanese Take Ichi convoy arrived at Halmahera in the Dutch East Indies after losing many ships and thousands of troops to Allied attacks while attempting to carry two divisions of troops from China to New Guinea.
• 1977 – The Hotel Polen in Amsterdam was destroyed by fire (pictured), leaving 33 people dead.
• 1980 – Part of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida collapsed after a pier was struck by the MV Summit Venture, killing 35 people.
• 2001 – Police at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana, fired tear gas to quell unrest at a football match, leading to a stampede that killed 126 people.

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American logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany supported operations in Northwest Europe during World War II from January 1945 until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May. The Allies had to advance across the Rhineland, which was in the grip of thaws, rains and floods. They were then confronted by the Rhine, the most formidable barrier to the Allied advance since the English Channel. The river was crossed and bridged, and railways and pipelines were run across it. Most supplies were delivered by rail. In the final advance into the heart of Germany, combat losses and ammunition expenditure declined, while shortages of fuel and spare parts developed, as was to be expected in fast-moving mobile operations. Railheads were pushed forward, with the rehabilitation of the network keeping pace with the advance, while the Motor Transport Service organized an express service that moved supplies from the railheads to the forward units. (Full article...)

• ... that mining engineer William H. Shockley found specimens that were used to describe Aquilegia shockleyi (pictured) and Lupinus shockleyi?
• ... that the only surviving autograph pages of one of Bach's chorale cantatas ended up in three libraries on two continents?
• ... that Kilmer Armado Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March 2025 due to an "administrative error" by the U.S. government?
• ... that the Oregon Garden obtained the Gordon House because of a misunderstanding?
• ... that a statue of German-born missionary Johann Gottlieb Schwarz was commissioned by Prabowo Subianto, later president of Indonesia?
• ... that the murder of Patricia Jeschke resulted in the longest prison tenure for a wrongfully convicted American woman?
• ... that Belize's Toledo Progressive Party was accused of being funded by the government of Guatemala?
• ... that swimmer Yuri Hosei was studying at a restaurant when she learned that she had qualified to represent Palau at the 2024 Summer Olympics?
• ... that instead of drinking liquor with prospective clients, Arthur Harrison Motley sent them notes written in red pencil crayon, 10,000 times a year?

• Friedrich Merz (pictured) is elected Chancellor of Germany and sworn in alongside his coalition government.
• India conducts missile strikes on Pakistani targets, and Pakistan retaliates.
• Zhao Xintong defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party retains a supermajority of seats.

May 8: Anniversary of the birth of Miguel Hidalgo in Mexico (1753); Victory in Europe Day (1945)

• 1643 – First English Civil War: The first siege of Wardour Castle ended after six days with the surrender of the Royalist garrison under Lady Blanche Arundell (pictured).
• 1842 – A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France, killing at least 52 people.
• 1927 – French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli aboard the biplane L'Oiseau Blanc took off from Paris, attempting to make the first non-stop flight to New York, only to disappear before arrival.
• 1963 – In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
• 1972 – Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to demand the release of 315 Palestinians convicted on terrorism charges.

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Guandimiao is a Chinese archaeological site in Xingyang, Henan. It is the site of a small Late Shang village, inhabited by around 100 people at its peak, and occupied from c. 1250 to 1100 BCE. It likely exported ceramics (example pictured) and cattle, while importing mass produced goods such as arrowheads and hairpins from the Shang capital at Yinxu, 200 km (120 mi) to the north. The villagers practiced rituals such as pyromancy using locally produced oracle bones and the sacrifice of cattle—as well as, more rarely, pigs and humans. Burials at the site have been noted for the almost complete absence of grave goods beyond occasional cowrie shells and sacrificed dogs. First excavated from 2006 to 2008 during preparations for the South–North Water Transfer Project, excavations have significantly broadened scholars' understanding of rural Shang economies and rituals, as well as the layout of rural villages, which have received relatively little attention in comparison to urban centers. (Full article...)

• ... that there was a legal battle over whether Sachertorte (pictured) should have one or two layers of sponge?
• ... that a Nevada radio station once had a show that played Tongan music?
• ... that the seat of Muchipara in the 1952 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election was won by just nine votes?
• ... that queen parasitic ants can lay their own eggs inside of a host's colony?
• ... that Jim Aldred, with nothing to do after the beach season ended, developed ice hockey in Portugal?
• ... that the Bernard Schwartz House was built after Schwartz saw a plan by Frank Lloyd Wright in Life magazine?
• ... that Peter Sprenger was the first Liechtensteiner to summit Mount Everest?
• ... that the 2nd-century BC Aramaic inscription of Yanouh is the first attested use of Aramaic as a public language in Mount Lebanon?
• ... that an Italian adage says that a fat pope follows a thin one?

• Zhao Xintong (pictured) defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In horse racing, Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Kentucky Derby.
• In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party retains a supermajority of seats.
• The Australian Labor Party increases its majority in the federal election.
• In Trinidad and Tobago, the United National Congress wins a majority in the general election.

May 7

• 1487 – Granada War: Forces of Aragon and Castile began a siege of Málaga, a Muslim city in the south of the Iberian Peninsula.
• 1794 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre (pictured) established the Cult of the Supreme Being as the new state religion of the French First Republic.
• 1798 – War of the First Coalition: A British garrison repelled a French attack on the Îles Saint-Marcouf off the Normandy coast, inflicting heavy losses.
• 1937 – Employees at Fleischer Studios in New York City went on strike in the animation industry's first major labor strike.
• 1946 – Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded the telecommunications corporation Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, later renamed Sony.

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William Daniel Leahy (6 May 1875 – 20 July 1959) was the most senior United States military officer on active duty during World War II, and the first to hold a five-star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. An 1897 graduate of Annapolis, Leahy saw active service in the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion in China, the Banana Wars in Central America, and World War I, and was Chief of Naval Operations from 1937 to 1939. After retiring from the Navy, he was appointed the governor of Puerto Rico. In his most controversial role, he served as the ambassador to France from 1940 to 1942. He was recalled to active duty as Chief of Staff to the President in 1942, and served in that capacity for the rest of the war. As the de facto first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he presided over the American delegation to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. He was a major decision-maker during the war and was second only to the president in authority and influence. (Full article...)

• ... that Hamdan Taha co-led excavations at Hisham's Palace (pictured), an early Islamic archaeological site in the West Bank?
• ... that according to researcher Treena Clark, indigenous drag performance can be seen as a strategy for cultural survival and resistance?
• ... that Venezuelan-American socialite Reinaldo Herrera's extensive connections led to Vanity Fair employing him to work as a fixer?
• ... that in North America, Europe and New Zealand, research funding is sometimes distributed by lottery?
• ... that Dennis Walker acquired millions of dollars worth of sports memorabilia before being investigated for racketeering and selling unregistered certificates of deposit by the Oregon Attorney General?
• ... that people caught in the 2025 Belgrade stampede experienced a frightening aural sensation, leading to an accusation that the government used a sonic weapon against them?
• ... that Nahuel Carabaña turned around mid-race at the 2022 European Athletics Championships to help an injured competitor?
• ... that one reviewer described Polo by Jilly Cooper as a "frothy brew of sex, class and jodhpurs"?
• ... that LGBTQ people have adopted cutie marks as personal signifiers, with some getting tattoos of their favorite pony's mark as a form of identity expression?

• Zhao Xintong (pictured) defeats Mark Williams to win the World Snooker Championship.
• In horse racing, Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Kentucky Derby.
• In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party retains a supermajority of seats.
• The Australian Labor Party increases its majority in the federal election.

May 6

• 1536 – Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Sapa Inca emperor Manco Inca Yupanqui's army began a ten-month siege of Cusco against a garrison of Spanish conquistadors and Indian auxiliaries led by Hernando Pizarro.
• 1782 – Construction began on the Grand Palace (pictured) in Bangkok, the official residence of the king of Thailand.
• 1915 – Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: SY Aurora, anchored in McMurdo Sound, broke loose during a gale, beginning a 312-day ordeal in the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean for her 18-man crew.
• 2004 – The final episode of the television sitcom Friends was aired.
• 2013 – Amanda Berry escaped from the Cleveland, Ohio, home of her captor, Ariel Castro, having been held there with two other women for ten years.

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Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a 2004 action role-playing game that was developed by Square Enix and Jupiter, and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive for the Game Boy Advance. Yoko Shimomura (pictured) composed the game's music. A direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts, it uses a new card-based battle system rather than its predecessor's real-time combat. The story follows Sora and his friends as they explore the Castle Oblivion while battling Organization XIII. It received positive reviews for its story, graphics and full-motion videos, but its battle system was criticized. It was remade for the PlayStation 2 as Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and packaged with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. It was then remastered in high definition and included in the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection, which was released in 2013 for the PlayStation 3, and later for the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, and personal computers. (Full article...)

• ... that an 1895 painting (pictured), depicting a woman clutching a crumpled letter, was described by a critic as "a list of disasters"?
• ... that Avi Yemini is one of seventeen children who were raised in an ultra-Orthodox Chabad family?
• ... that Playboi Carti's song titled "2024" was first teased in 2023 and later officially released in 2025?
• ... that Soemartini was appointed as the chief of the National Archives of Indonesia after working in the agency for a year?
• ... that Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter was staged by moving a corpse?
• ... that Wen Chia-ling, despite her family's initial opposition to her becoming an archer, helped Taiwan's team achieve its best-ever finish at the 2000 Summer Olympics?
• ... that just two weeks after a Florida TV station began using a news helicopter, it crashed, killing two of three occupants?
• ... that although the philosophical study of well-being dates back millennia, empirical research has intensified since the second half of the 20th century?
• ... that the 1982 film The Second November was filmed in colour, but shown in black-and-white until 2012?

• In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party, led by Lawrence Wong (pictured), retains a supermajority of seats.
• The Australian Labor Party wins a majority in the federal election.
• In Trinidad and Tobago, the United National Congress wins a majority in the general election.
• In Canada, the Liberal Party wins the most seats in the federal election.
• A power outage affects most of the Iberian Peninsula.

May 5: Lixia begins in China (2025); Children's Day in Japan; Cinco de Mayo in Mexico and the United States

• 1646 – First English Civil War: Charles I surrendered himself to Scottish Covenanter leader David Leslie near Newark, England.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign in Virginia began with the inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness in Spotsylvania County.
• 1891 – Carnegie Hall (interior pictured) in New York City, built by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, officially opened with a concert conducted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
• 1980 – The British Special Air Service recaptured the Iranian embassy in London following a six-day siege after Iranian Arab separatists had seized it.
• 2007 – Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashed immediately after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Cameroon, resulting in the deaths of all 114 people aboard.

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Hualca Hualca is a 6,025-metre-high (19,767 ft) extinct volcano in the Andes of southern Peru. It is part of the Peruvian segment of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of several volcanic belts in the Andes. It lies about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northwest of Arequipa and is part of a north–south chain that includes the volcanoes Ampato and Sabancaya, the last of which has been historically active. Hualca Hualca features a wide amphitheatre-like structure on the northern flank, which was created by a gigantic landslide during the Pleistocene. After the collapse, renewed volcanic activity built a new summit and several lava dome complexes within the collapse scar. After the cessation of volcanic activity, glaciers eroded the volcano and formed multiple moraines. The present-day volcano is covered by glaciers, and during the Last Glacial Maximum, glaciers advanced to low altitudes. There are hot springs and geysers north of the mountain, and the magma chambers of Sabancaya are located below Hualca Hualca. (Full article...)

• ... that temperance movement activist T. D. Bancroft (pictured) witnessed Abraham Lincoln's assassination and lectured about it across America?
• ... that a reviewer praised At Hope's Ravine by saying that singer Pat Hynes sounds "like he's being unbearably tortured whilst holding a pneumatic drill"?
• ... that Carlos Baxter was erroneously given 130 votes meant for his brother during the 1860 U.S. House of Representatives election?
• ... that during the Spanish Civil War, when the government fled the coming siege of Madrid, the Rosal Column detained several government ministers and accused them of cowardice?
• ... that Almeda Lambert provided detailed instructions for creating homemade meat substitutes, such as "Nutora" and "Nutmeato"?
• ... that Tao Asian Bistro was used by The New York Times to test new conversation-boosting features in Apple's AirPods Pro?
• ... that runner Mirsada Burić survived a concentration camp, an attempted rape, and snipers' bullets before she competed at the 1992 Olympics?
• ... that a former U.S. president helped dedicate the United Engineering Center, and a future U.S. president demolished it?
• ... that former governor of Jakarta Sutiyoso has a museum dedicated to himself in his backyard?

• The Australian Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured), wins a majority in the federal election.
• In Trinidad and Tobago, the United National Congress wins a majority in the general election.
• In Canada, the Liberal Party wins the most seats in the federal election.
• A power outage affects most of the Iberian Peninsula.
• An explosion and fire at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 70 people and injures more than 1,200 others.

May 4: Youth Day in China; Literary Day in Taiwan; Star Wars Day

• 1493 – Pope Alexander VI (pictured) issued the papal bull Inter caetera, establishing a line of demarcation dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal.
• 1776 – American Revolution: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown.
• 1942 – World War II: Aircraft from Imperial Japanese Navy vessels attacked Allied naval forces, beginning the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval action in which the participating ships never sighted or fired directly at each other.
• 1974 – An all-female Japanese team reached the summit of Manaslu in the Himalayas, becoming the first women to climb a peak higher than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level.
• 1979 – Margaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom.

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The 2015 KNVB Cup final was an association football match between PEC Zwolle and FC Groningen for the 97th KNVB Cup final, the Dutch Cup competition, played on 3 May 2015 at De Kuip in Rotterdam. PEC, the defending champions after their 5–1 victory over Ajax the previous year, were appearing in their fourth final. Groningen had reached the final once before, losing to PSV Eindhoven in 1989. PEC and Groningen entered the competition in the second round and progressed through five rounds to reach the final. Groningen scored 22 goals en route, the most of any team during the qualifying rounds. In front of more than 46,000 spectators, the first half ended goalless. The Slovak Albert Rusnák scored twice halfway through the second half, leading Groningen to a 2–0 victory and their first major honour. By winning the KNVB Cup, Groningen qualified for the 2015 Johan Cruyff Shield and the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage. (Full article...)

• ... that some insects drink the tears (example pictured) of their predators?
• ... that the Vatican's website was first made available in Latin under Pope Benedict XVI?
• ... that Blue Origin NS-31 recently became the first all-female spaceflight in 62 years?
• ... that a disused industrial pier was incorporated into a city park?
• ... that a cultivar of Aquilegia flabellata has been called "as beautiful as a columbine needs to be"?
• ... that George R. Dale was sent to prison by a judge whom he accused of being in the Ku Klux Klan?
• ... that the sled dog race Ivakkak features two mushers riding on the dog sled?
• ... that Major League Baseball's first Pride Night came about after a lesbian couple were removed from a Los Angeles Dodgers game for kissing?
• ... that people in parts of India, North America, and Africa marry tree trunks?

• In Canada, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney (pictured), wins the most seats in the federal election.
• A power outage affects most of the Iberian Peninsula.
• An explosion and fire at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 70 people and injures more than 1,200 others.
• At least 11 people are killed in a car-ramming attack at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada.
• Militants attack a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people.

May 3: World Press Freedom Day; Constitution Memorial Day in Japan (1947); Constitution Day in Poland (1791)

• 1481 – The largest of a series of earthquakes struck the island of Rhodes, causing an estimated 30,000 casualties.
• 1848 – The Benty Grange helmet (pictured), a boar-crested Anglo-Saxon helmet similar to those mentioned in the contemporary epic poem Beowulf, was discovered in Derbyshire, England.
• 1939 – Subhas Chandra Bose formed the All India Forward Bloc, a faction within the Indian National Congress, in opposition to Gandhi's tactics of nonviolence.
• 1999 – A Doppler on Wheels team measured the fastest winds recorded on Earth, at 135 m/s (302 mph; 486 km/h), in a tornado near Bridge Creek, Oklahoma.

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Margaret Sibella Brown (1866–1961) was a Canadian amateur bryologist specializing in species native to Nova Scotia. Early in her career she was involved with gathering sphagnum moss to be used as surgical dressings during World War I, when cotton was in short supply. After the war, she researched mosses from around the world, publishing papers on materials she had collected herself as well as cataloging samples collected by others; her collections are now housed at major herbaria in North America and Europe. Born into upper-class society, Brown was educated in Nova Scotia and abroad. Although lacking formal scientific training, she has been recognized for her contributions to bryology and as an authority on the mosses and liverworts of Nova Scotia. At the age of 84, Brown was awarded an honorary MA degree from Acadia University after declining their offer of a PhD. She died at her home in Halifax aged 95 and in 2010 was posthumously inducted into the Nova Scotia Scientific Hall of Fame. (Full article...)

• ... that Chicago's deteriorating J. J. Walser Jr. House (pictured) has not been repaired because it is unclear who owns the house?
• ... that the lifeboat Sir William Hillary was sent to Dover in case of aircraft crashes, but did not save anyone from an aircraft in ten years' service with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution?
• ... that Martha Burgess's 1993 sculpture of two female World War II personnel kissing was inspired by the photograph V-J Day in Times Square?
• ... that on the first day of the 1995 São Tomé and Príncipe coup d'état, President Miguel Trovoada emerged from hiding in his pajamas and nightgown?
• ... that Marcia Coyle, who covers the U.S. Supreme Court for PBS News Hour, got her start in journalism by writing obituaries?
• ... that Dutch East India Company officials considered the inhabitants of the Bungku Kingdom to be "the fiercest of all Malukan peoples"?
• ... that Ardo Hansson was appointed to the committee overseeing the transition from the Soviet ruble to the Estonian kroon as a replacement for someone who fell ill?
• ... that Keurbos's placement within arthropods is uncertain, as its two surviving fossils lack limbs?
• ... that Green Thumb Industries produces cannabis on lands of a former prison?

• In Canada, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney (pictured), wins the most seats in the federal election.
• A major power outage affects most of the Iberian Peninsula.
• An explosion and fire at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 70 people and injures more than 1,200 others.
• At least 11 people are killed in a car-ramming attack at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada.

May 2: Flag Day in Poland

• 1559 – Presbyterian clergyman John Knox returned from exile to lead the Scottish Reformation.
• 1889 – The Treaty of Wuchale was signed, ending the Italo-Ethiopian War, but differences in translation later led to another war.
• 1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion attributed to Viet Cong commandos caused the escort carrier USNS Card to sink in the port of Saigon.
• 1999 – Mireya Moscoso (pictured) became the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
• 2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, killed at least 350 people.

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Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. It investigates various types of knowledge, including theoretical and practical knowledge, and related concepts, such as belief, truth, and justification. Epistemologists distinguish different sources of knowledge, ranging from perception and introspection to memory, reason, and testimony. The schools of skepticism and fallibilism question the existence and certainty of knowledge, while empiricism and rationalism debate whether all knowledge stems from sense experience. Theories discussing the nature and role of justification include foundationalism, coherentism, internalism, and externalism. Separate branches of epistemology focus on knowledge in specific fields, such as scientific, mathematical, moral, and religious knowledge. Other branches are characterized by the aspects of knowledge they investigate or the research methodologies they use. Early reflections on the nature, sources, and scope of knowledge are found in ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese philosophy. (Full article...)

• ... that the Sanahin Bridge (pictured) has stood intact for more than 800 years?
• ... that a tornado estimated to be one of the strongest on record planted maize crops in Greenfield, Iowa?
• ... that four generations of the British royal family had a summer barbecue at Inchnabobart?
• ... that the midnight shadow docket order in Tandon v. Newsom was called the most important religious free exercise decision in 30 years?
• ... that William Jenkins Wilcox Jr. was given a Citizen Archivist award at a symposium titled "Secret City in the Tennessee Hills: From Dogpatch to Nuclear Power"?
• ... that only Greenland Dogs may race in Avannaata Qimussersua?
• ... that Bangladeshi singer Abanti Sithi has used plastic cups, foil paper and metal coins as musical instruments?
• ... that Marguerite McDonald performed the world's first laser correction surgery on the normal eye of a living human patient?
• ... that Donald Trump would "much prefer not having a picture than having this one"?

• In Canada, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney (pictured), wins the most seats in the federal election.
• A major power outage affects most of the Iberian Peninsula.
• An explosion and fire at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 70 people and injures more than 1,200 others.
• At least 11 people are killed in a car-ramming attack at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada.

May 1: Beltane and Samhain in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively; Maharashtra Day in Maharashtra, India (1960); International Workers' Day, Law Day, Loyalty Day and National Day of Prayer (2025) in the United States

• 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retired as co-rulers of the Roman Empire, being succeeded by Galerius and Constantius Chlorus.
• 1794 – War of the Pyrenees: France regained nearly all the land it lost to Spain the previous year with its victory in the Second Battle of Boulou.
• 1931 – New York City's Empire State Building (pictured), at the time the tallest building in the world, opened.
• 1974 – Argentine president Juan Perón expelled Montoneros from a demonstration in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, forcing the group to become a clandestine organization.

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The initial campaign of the Breton Civil War took place in 1341. John, Duke of Brittany, had died on 30 April 1341 and the Duchy of Brittany was claimed by both his younger half-brother, John of Montfort; and his niece's husband, Charles of Blois, a nephew of the king of France, Philip VI. John quickly installed friendly garrisons in most of the towns and castles of Brittany. Rumours of John's discussions with English emissaries reached Philip, causing him to recognise Charles as the new duke. John refused to give way and Philip sent an army to Brittany to impose Charles. Within a month John had been defeated and was a prisoner. His wife, Joanna, took command of her husband's army, stormed the town of Redon and moved to the small but strongly walled port of Hennebont. There she set up her two-year-old son, also named John, as the faction's figurehead. The Hundred Years' War between France and England had been ongoing since 1337, so she despatched a senior counsellor to encourage English military intervention. (Full article...)

• ... that Sequoites dakotensis was first described from clay-filled casts (examples pictured) and not the original tree cones?
• ... that Jeremy Allen White's underwear campaign with Calvin Klein earned US$12.7 million in media exposure in less than 48 hours?
• ... that Laurence Sterne's journal of love letters reverses the found-manuscript literary device by claiming that his real diary is fictional?
• ... that Katsumaro Akamatsu, a founding member of the Japanese Communist Party, supported the expulsion of communists from the Japanese Federation of Labour?
• ... that Eleanor Island was first designated as a Migratory Bird Sanctuary and later as a National Wildlife Area to give it a stronger protection status?
• ... that Vermont politician William Baxter personally funded the construction of an Orleans County school, provided that the second floor was used for religious purposes?
• ... that a fictional character from Peg O' My Heart complained about his insomnia with netizens on Threads?
• ... that a candidate in the 1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware took his dog on the campaign trail?
• ... that an elderly Brazilian woman helped to arrest dozens of drug traffickers and corrupt police officers?

• An explosion and fire (pictured) at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 70 people and injures more than 1,200 others.
• At least 11 people are killed in a car-ramming attack at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada.
• Militants attack a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people.
• Pope Francis dies at the age of 88.

April 30: Yom HaZikaron in Israel (2025)

• 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians officially ended in the eastern Roman Empire.
• 1943 – Second World War: The Royal Navy submarine HMS Seraph began Operation Mincemeat to deceive Germany about the upcoming invasion of Sicily.
• 1963 – A refusal by the Bristol Omnibus Company and the Transport and General Workers' Union to permit the employment of black bus crews led to a bus boycott in Bristol, England.
• 1975 – American forces completed a helicopter evacuation (aircraft and evacuees pictured) of U.S. citizens, South Vietnamese civilians and others from Saigon, just before North Vietnamese troops captured the city and ended the Vietnam War.
• 2021 – A crowd crush killed 45 people during the annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Israel.

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The Portland spy ring was an espionage group active in the United Kingdom between 1953 and 1961. It comprised five people who obtained classified research documents from the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment (AUWE) on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, and passed them to the Soviet Union. Two of the group, Harry Houghton and Ethel Gee worked at the AUWE and had access to classified information. They passed this to their handler, Konon Molody (pictured), a KGB agent acting under a Canadian passport in the name Gordon Lonsdale. Lonsdale would pass the documents to Lona and Morris Cohen, American communists living under the names Helen and Peter Kroger; they passed the information to Moscow. The ring was exposed in 1960 after a tip-off from the Polish spy Michael Goleniewski. The information he supplied was enough to identify Houghton. MI5 surveillance uncovered the rest of the group, who were arrested in January 1961 and tried that March. Sentences for the group ranged from 15 to 25 years. (Full article...)

• ... that Solfrid Koanda (pictured) qualified for her first weightlifting competition a few days after starting the sport?
• ... that the Joint Operations Command was created based on lessons learned from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami?
• ... that a village in North Sulawesi traces its founding to exiles from the Java War?
• ... that Continuity by Andre Wee at Hume MRT station presents a stylised cross-sectional view of the historical Former Ford Factory?
• ... that the first governor of Macau Francisco Mascarenhas took the Fortaleza do Monte as the governor's residence from the Jesuits through a ruse?
• ... that construction of a Pittsburgh TV station was delayed when it was discovered that abandoned mine shafts ran beneath the planned tower site?
• ... that American football coach Jorge Munoz served as an assistant to a former player he coached?
• ... that the birth of Christianity in Minahasa, Indonesia, is celebrated annually on June 12, the day that Johann Friedrich Riedel set foot in Manado?
• ... that protesters launched a Garbage Offensive on New York City?

• An explosion and fire (pictured) at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 70 people and injures more than 1,200 others.
• At least 11 people are killed in a car-ramming attack at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada.
• Militants attack a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people.
• Pope Francis dies at the age of 88.

April 29

• 1760 – Seven Years' War: France began an unsuccessful attempt to retake Quebec City, which had been captured by Britain.
• 1770 – On his first voyage, British explorer James Cook and the crew of HMS Endeavour (pictured) landed at Botany Bay, making the first recorded European landfall on the eastern coast of Australia.
• 1945 – World War II: The U.S. Army liberated Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, and killed German prisoners of war.
• 1995 – Before a crowd of about 165,000 at the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Ric Flair and Antonio Inoki competed in the main event of Collision in Korea, the highest attended professional wrestling event of all time.
• 2015 – The ringleaders of the Bali Nine were executed in Indonesia for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kg (18 lb) of heroin to Australia in 2005.

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Lemurs of Madagascar is a 2010 reference work and field guide on the lemurs of Madagascar, giving descriptions and biogeographic data for the known species. The primary contributor is Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, and the cover art and illustrations are by Stephen D. Nash. Currently in its third edition, the book provides details about all known lemur species, general information about lemurs and their history, and tips for identifying species. Four related pocket field guides have also been released, containing color illustrations of each species, miniature range maps, and species checklists. The first edition was reviewed favorably. The first edition identified 50 lemur species and subspecies, increased to 71 in the second edition and 101 in the third. The taxonomy promoted by these books has been questioned by researchers, such as Ian Tattersall, who view these growing numbers of lemur species as insufficiently justified inflation of species numbers. (Full article...)

• ... that Spaceship House (pictured) was originally built as a 1970s-era bachelor pad?
• ... that Abbot Donato Ogliari is expected to deliver a meditation to the cardinals of the Catholic Church before the beginning of the 2025 papal conclave?
• ... that British composer Havergal Brian described his Symphony No. 2 as "Man in his cosmic loneliness: ambition, loves, battles, death"?
• ... that in 2019 sanitary bins were removed from railway stations in Japan to prevent terrorism?
• ... that Ruben A. Valdez, a high-school dropout, became the speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives?
• ... that the Catholic Church takes up a collection for Christians in the Holy Land annually on Good Friday?
• ... that the independent video-game developer Re-Logic cancelled the Google Stadia release of its game Terraria after its Google Account was suspended?
• ... that Sophie Rain went from living on food stamps to making US$43 million in a year on OnlyFans?
• ... that American Entomologist credited rivalry displays involving the Pokémon Pinsir with re-emphasizing Japanese cultural interest in insects?

• An explosion and fire (pictured) at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 40 people and injures more than 1,200 others.
• A car attack at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada, kills at least 11 people and injures more than 20 others.
• Militants attack a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people.
• Pope Francis dies at the age of 88.

April 28: Workers' Memorial Day

• 1253 – The Japanese monk Nichiren declared the mantra Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, now a central part of Nichiren Buddhism.
• 1789 – Fletcher Christian, the acting lieutenant on board the Royal Navy ship Bounty, led a mutiny against the commander William Bligh in the South Pacific.
• 1923 – The FA Cup final (crowd and police pictured) between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United was held on the opening day of the Empire Stadium in London.
• 1945 – World War II: Benito Mussolini, the deposed fascist dictator of Italy, was executed by partisans in Giulino.
• 1983 – The West German news magazine Stern published excerpts from the purported diaries of Adolf Hitler, later revealed to be forgeries.

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The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a 2000 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It makes use of enhanced 3D graphics and features several gameplay changes, but reuses elements and character models from Ocarina of Time (1998). It follows Link, who arrives in a parallel world, Termina, and becomes embroiled in a quest to prevent the moon from crashing in three days' time. The game introduces gameplay concepts revolving around a perpetually repeating three-day cycle and the use of various masks that transform Link into different forms, and requires the Expansion Pak add-on for the Nintendo 64, which provides additional memory for more refined graphics. Majora's Mask was acclaimed by critics, and generated a cult following. It was rereleased for the GameCube in 2003, and for the online services of the Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. An enhanced remake for the Nintendo 3DS was released in 2015. (Full article...)

• ... that the machete in the flag of Angola (pictured) symbolizes peasants, agriculture, and the country's war of independence?
• ... that ratings for The Bard range from A− by The A.V. Club to being the second-worst episode of The Twilight Zone by /Film and Paste?
• ... that Jon Haukeland established a "Polar Bear model" for Norwegian children?
• ... that Statistics House partially collapsed in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake even though the building was once assessed as not being earthquake-prone?
• ... that Lady Gaga's Living Dress was designed by the creator of the Batsuit?
• ... that the name of the Maendeleo horseshoe bat refers to its discovery representing progress in understanding Tanzanian bats?
• ... that Philadelphia's Washington Monument was unveiled at its dedication in 1897 by the president of the United States?
• ... that Finland won its first Olympic ice hockey medal under the leadership of Kai Hietarinta?
• ... that to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, viewers were given the opportunity to vote on the outcome of a love triangle storyline?

• Militants attack a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people.
• Pope Francis (pictured) dies at the age of 88.
• Daniel Noboa is re-elected president of Ecuador.
• Peruvian writer and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa dies at the age of 89.

April 27: Koningsdag in the Netherlands

• 630 – Shahrbaraz usurped the throne of the Sasanian Empire from Ardashir III, but was himself killed six weeks later.
• 1650 – Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Covenanter forces defeated the Royalists at the Battle of Carbisdale near the village of Culrain, Scotland.
• 1945 – World War II: The photograph Raising the Flag on the Three-Country Cairn (pictured) was taken after German troops withdrew to Norway at the end of the Lapland War.
• 1965 – Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation: British forces repelled a surprise Indonesian attack on a base at Plaman Mapu in Sarawak.
• 2005 – The Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner, made its maiden flight from Toulouse, France.

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Black Slave's Cry to Heaven was a 1907 stage play performed by the Spring Willow Society, a Chinese student troupe, in Tokyo, Japan. Adapted by Zeng Xiaogu from a translation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, the play focused on the experiences and eventual escape of two slaves, Eliza and George, after killing several of their pursuers. Modified to allegorically call attention to the experiences of Chinese migrants in the United States, Black Slave's Cry to Heaven was innovative in its use of spoken dialogue and realistic set designs. Performed twice at the Hongō-za Theatre, the show was well received by critics and audiences. Although its script has been lost, the play has inspired subsequent works. Due to its technical innovations and nationalist themes, Black Slave's Cry to Heaven has been canonized as the first modern, Western-style Chinese drama. (Full article...)

• ... that anti-Pinochet dissident Luis Corvalán (pictured) had his appearance surgically altered by Soviet doctors before returning to Chile?
• ... that the two known populations of the desert musk shrew are found on opposite ends of Africa?
• ... that the body of a rebel commander was identified after the Battle of Siluk by his diamond-adorned kris?
• ... that the origin of Girls' Day in China is uncertain?
• ... that Patriots in Georgia conducted a raid on Tybee Island to capture runaway slaves during the American Revolutionary War?
• ... that "Multo" was the first song by a Filipino act to enter the Billboard Global 200 chart?
• ... that last year, Pope Francis simplified the book for papal funerals?
• ... that commentators described American wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson defeating an Olympic gold medalist as the "biggest upset in NCAA history"?
• ... that The Alchemist Code, a game themed around the seven deadly sins, collaborated with The Seven Deadly Sins?