# Today in History **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 10, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530 "2016-07-10T04:53:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 59
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1164 "2018-05-15T13:43:54Z")
**May 15, 1896** : [An F5 tornado hits Sherman, Texas.](http://texomaw.blogspot.com/2012/05/sherman-texas-tornado-may-15th-1896.html) At least 73 are killed and over 200 injured. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1165 "2018-05-15T18:58:24Z")
**May 15, 1836:** Francis Baily observes “Baily’s beads” during an annular eclipse. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1166 "2018-05-16T13:43:03Z")
**May 16, 1938** : [35 are killed in the Terminal Hotel Fire in Atlanta.](https://cardboardamerica.org/2017/05/16/the-terminal-hotel-fire-atlanta-georgia/) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1167 "2018-05-16T14:22:46Z")
**May 16, 1770:** 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Prince Louis-Auguste, who later becomes King Louis XVI of France. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1168 "2018-05-17T05:11:41Z")
**May 17, 1854** : [The Wheeling, West Virginia Suspension Bridge collapses in a storm.](http://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/wheeling-history/suspension-bridge-collapse-may-17-1854/3288) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1169 "2018-05-17T18:32:49Z")
**May 17, 1990:** The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1170 "2018-05-19T15:40:54Z")
**May 19, 1928** : [The Mather Mine Disaster](https://www.heraldstandard.com/yellow_jacket/news/region/the-forgotten-tragedy/article_2e787df2-a6a7-11e4-b17e-d3b0dc45f8f2.html) in Pennsylvania kills 195. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1171 "2018-05-19T19:12:11Z")
**May 19, 1962:** A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of “Happy Birthday”. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1172 "2018-05-21T05:43:50Z")
**May 21, 1792** : [Mt Unzen in Japan erupts.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1792_Unzen_earthquake_and_tsunami) This volcanic eruption and accompanying earthquakes cause a large portion of the mountain to slide off into Ariake Bay, creating a megatsunami. 15,000 die. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1173 "2018-05-22T06:51:06Z")
**May 22, 1960** : [The Valdivian Earthquake](https://www.npr.org/2016/08/29/490239181/when-the-biggest-earthquake-ever-recorded-hit-chile-it-rocked-the-world) occurs in Chile. At 9.5 on the Richter Scale, this is the strongest earthquake ever measured. Up to 6000 were killed, many by tsunamis. 12 hours after the quake, resulting tsunamis killed 60 people in Hawaii. Almost 12 hours _after that_ the tsunamis hit Japan killing over 100 people. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1174 "2018-05-22T06:53:05Z")
**22 May 1960** : Ted Kaczynski born. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1175 "2018-05-23T05:20:07Z")
**May 23, 1939** : [The USS _Squalus_](http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-great-rescue-squalus-2/) submarine sinks off New Hampshire with 59 aboard. Amazingly, 33 were rescued by lowering a diving bell several times and filling it to capacity. At 240 feet down, no submarine rescue of this kind had ever been successfully done before. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1176 "2018-05-23T17:15:56Z")
**May 23, 1934:** Infamous bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are ambushed by police and killed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1177 "2018-05-24T04:43:58Z")
**May 24, 1881** : [The Steamboat _Victoria_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_steamboat_disaster) overturns on the Thames River near London, Ontario. 200 die. The boat has been overcrowded, and when many passengers together rushed to one side to see a rowboat race, the ship unbalanced and the boiler on board broke away from its mounting. This led to the collapse of the crowded upper tier of the boat which crashed onto the crowded lower tier, and the entire steamship capsized. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1178 "2018-05-25T05:29:17Z")
**May 25, 1955** : [An F5 Wedge tornado strikes Udall, Kansas.](http://www.ksn.com/2015/03/02/1955-udall-tornado-deadliest-in-kansas-history/) 80 people are killed and over 200 injured. This is the deadliest tornado ever in Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1179 "2018-05-25T09:57:02Z")
**May 25, 1955** : First ascent of [Kangchenjunga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangchenjunga), the third-highest mountain in the world, by a British expedition led by Charles Evans. Joe Brown and George Band reached the summit on May 25, followed by Norman Hardie and Tony Streather the next day. **May 25, 1961** : Apollo program: U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces before a special joint session of the Congress his goal to initiate a project to put a “man on the Moon” before the end of the decade. **May 25, 1977** : _Star Wars_ is released in theaters, and the Chinese government removes a decade old ban on William Shakespeare’s work, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution started in 1966. Surprisingly big day for science and culture. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1180 "2018-05-26T04:46:03Z")
**May 26, 1917** : [The Matoon/Charleston tornado](https://worldhistoryproject.org/1917/5/26/mattoon-tornado-of-1917) kills 103 in Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1181 "2018-05-26T09:21:27Z")
**May 26, 1293:** An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 23,000. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1182 "2018-05-27T05:28:37Z")
**May 27, 1896** : [The Great St. Louis Tornado](http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/missouri/st-louis/1896-tornado-st-louis/) kills at least 255 and injures over a thousand. This is the third deadliest single tornado in U.S. history. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/1183 "2018-05-28T01:23:05Z")
**May 27, 1933:** The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon _Three Little Pigs,_ with its hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530.md?page=58) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530.md?page=60)