25 May 1787. At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, delegates from seven states, forming a quorum, opened the Constitutional Convention, which had been proposed by the Annapolis Convention Sept 11 14, 1786. Among those who were in attendance: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Elbridge Gerry.
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National Missing Children’s Day was created to promote awareness of the problem of missing children, to offer a forum for change and to offer safety information for children in school and the community. Annually, May 25.
To celebrate this unique American art form that represents a fusion of African and European cultures and to transmit tap to succeeding generations through documentation and archival and performance support. Held on the anniversary of the birth of Bill Bojangles Robinson to honor his outstanding contribution to the art of tap dancing on stage and in films through the unification of diverse stylistic and racial elements.
Image: Public domain, wikimedia commons
In honor of Douglas Adams, the author of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, carry a towel on this day and make sure that it is conspicuous. Wrap it around your head, use it as a weapon or sleep on it beneath the stars.
May 26, 1940. The British Expeditionary Force had become trapped by advancing German armies near this port on the northern coast of France. On this date the evacuation of 200,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian soldiers began. Sailing on every kind of transport available, including fishing boats and recreational craft, these men were safely brought across the English Channel by June 2.
Image: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
World Lindy Hop Day welcomes people from all walks of life, of all ages and from around the world to experience this exuberant African-American social dance. Originating at the Savoy Ballroom at Harlem, New York City, in the 1920s and 1930s, the Lindy hop (aka swing dancing or jitterbug) is usually danced to the big band jazz of the era. Lindy hop features creative and exhilarating movements that allow partners to connect in a way that uplifts the spirit, promotes human connection and develops generosity. It allows dancers to meet in a positive environment that supports the building of bridges on personal, community and global levels. Annually, May26 the birth anniversary of Frankie Manning (1914 2009), one of the most important ambassadors and innovators of the Lindy hop.
Image: Elvert Barnes, CC 2.0 via Flickr
American social reformer and women’s rights advocate, born 27 May 1818 at Homer, NY. Her name is remembered especially because of her work for more sensible dress for women and her recommendation of a costume that had been introduced about 1849 by Elizabeth Smith Miller, but came to be known as the Bloomer Costume or bloomers. Amelia Bloomer died at Council Bluffs, IA, 30 December 1894.
May 27, 1930. Richard Gurley Drew received a patent for his adhesive tape, later manufactured by 3M as Scotch tape.
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, was officially opened on 27 May 1937.
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May 28, 1961. This Nobel Prize winning human rights organization was founded by London lawyer Peter Benenson after he read about two Portuguese students arrested simply for drinking a toast to freedom. He realized that people around the world were at risk daily for peacefully expressing their views. AI currently has more than 3 million members in every corner of the world. Its mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights of physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.
May 28, 1934. Five daughters (Marie, Cecile, Yvonne, Emilieand Annette) were born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne, near Callander, Ontario, Canada. They were the first quints known to have lived for more than a few hours after birth. Emilie died in 1954, Marie in 1970, Yvonne in 2001. The other two sisters are still living.
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May 28, 1888. Olympic gold medal track athlete, baseball player and football player, born at Prague, OK. Thorpe, a Native American, won the pentathlon and the decathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games but later lost his medals when Olympic officials declared that an earlier stint as a minor-league baseball player besmirched his amateur standing. He later played professional baseball and football and was acclaimed the greatest male athlete of the first half of the 20th century. Died at Lomita, California, Mar 28, 1953. (Thorpes medals were returned to his family many years after his death when the earlier decision was reversed.)
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28 May 1892. Founded by famed naturalist John Muir, the Sierra Club promotes conservation of the natural environment by influencing public policy. It has been especially important in the founding and protection of our national parks.
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May 29, 1865. President Andrew Johnson issued a proclamation giving a general amnesty to all who participated in the rebellion against the US. High-ranking members of the Confederate government and military and those who owned more than $ 20,000 worth of property were excepted and had to apply individually to the president for a pardon. Once an oath of allegiance was taken, all former property rights, except those in slaves, were returned to the former owners.
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May 29. Cats act as if they don’t want or need attention but they do. Apricat, the pampered star of her own book series, has created a special day for humans to hug their cats without fear of scratches or hisses.
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is held each Memorial Day weekend and is the largest single-day sporting event in the US.
On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal.
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
29 May 1851. During the Women’s Rights Convention held at Akron, OH, from May 28 to May 29, 1851, former slave Sojourner Truth delivered an impassioned speech that is now titled after its common refrain:
I have ploughed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man when I could get it and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? And when I cried out with my mothers grief, none but Jesus heard me. And ain’t I a woman?
May 30, 1909. Jazz clarinetist and bandleader, born Benjamin David Goodman at Chicago, IL. The King of Swing reigned in popularity, especially in the 1930s and 1940s. His band was the first to play jazz at New Yorks Carnegie Hall. He died June 13, 1986, at New York, NY.
On May 30, 1783, The Pennsylvania Evening Post was first published in Philadelphia.
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May 30. Coopers Hill, near Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenhamin the Cotswolds. Ancient tradition dating to pre-Roman times. Held continuously for the last 200 years, an event in which contestants race down a steep 300-yard hill after a seven-to-nine-pound wheel of double Gloucester cheese. The races (four in total, with 1015 participants) begin at noon, with a top-hatted master of ceremonies beginning the countdown: One to be ready, two to be steady, three to prepare and four to be off! Spectators lining the hill chant, “Roll that cheese!” The unusual festival is marked by many injuries of racers and spectators. The winner gets the cheese.
Image: Dave Farrance, CC 3.0
May 30. To honor Mahlon Loomis, a Washington, DC, dentist who received a US patent on wireless telegraphy in 1872 (before Marconi was born). Titled An Improvement in Telegraphing, the patent described how to do without wires; this patent was backed up by experiment on the Massanutten Mountains of Virginia.
Image: Public Domain
May 31 June 1, 1916. The largest naval battle of WWI involving 250 ships, including battleships took place in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. The combatants were Britain’s Grand Fleet and Germany’s High Seas Fleet. The outcome was inconclusive, but the cost was great: 8,600 lives were lost and 25 ships sunk.
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On 31 May 1790, President George Washington signed the first US copyright law. It gave protection for 14 years to books written by US citizens. In 1891 the law was extended to cover books by foreign authors as well.
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May 31, 1889. Heavy rains caused the Connemaugh River Dam to burst. At nearby Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the resulting flood killed more than 2,300 people and destroyed the homes of thousands more. Nearly 800 unidentified drowning victims were buried in a common grave at Johnstowns Grandview Cemetery. So devastating was the flood and so widespread the sorrow for its victims that Johnstown Flood entered the language as a phrase to describe a disastrous event. The valley city of Johnstown, in the Allegheny Mountains, has been damaged repeatedly by floods. Floods in 1936 (25 deaths) and 1977 (85 deaths) were the next most destructive.
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