Important Events From This day in History May 8

 

 

8 May, 1945 VE Day / Victory In Europe Declared

1945 : President Truman and Prime minister Churchill declared victory in Europe today, celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. Following the announcement huge crowds, many dressed in red, white and blue, gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London and were cheered as the King, Queen and two Princesses came out onto the balcony.

8 May, 1970 UK The Beatles "Let It Be" Released

1970 : Just shortly after the Break Up of the Beatles is announced The Beatles Final original album "Let It Be" is released by Apple Records.

8 May, 1978 U.S.A. David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam )

1978 : David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam ) admitted guilty to 6 son of Sam killings in court, he has also claimed responsibility for 2000 fires in a 4 year period under the alias of "The Phantom of the Bronx," it was revealed a diary found detailed 1,411 of the fires during this time period.

8 May, 1942 World War II The Battle of Coral Sea

1942 : The Battle of Coral Sea, between the Japanese Navy and the United States and Australian Navies ends with the loss of the carrier USS Lexington and the Japanese carrier Shōhō.

1927 U.S.A. Mississippi Floods

1927 : The Mississippi floods are continuing the path of destruction. The Mississippi has seen many floods in previous years and thankfully most residents heeded the flood warnings saving many lives but this flood will be the most costly in many years.

8 May, 1929 U.S.A. Gangsters Murdered

1929 : Three gangsters from Chicago were found murdered today and riddled with bullets in retaliation for the "St Valentines Day Massacre" earlier in the year, so far 2 have been identified as 2 of Scarface Al Capone's henchmen.

1939 Europe On the Brink Of War

1939 : Calls for peace continue with Europe on the brink of war including Pope Pius XII who asks the nations involved to try to come to a peaceful settlement , Currently Britain is worried as if the Soviets and Nazis do make a pact to join forces, war could be that much closer and will involve all the countries in Europe.

1941 U.S.A. "Let Me Off Uptown"

1941 : Anita O’Day recorded "Let Me Off Uptown" with Gene Krupa and his band. O'Day was one of the more prominent jazz singers of her day and has often been compared to greats like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.

1927 France Transatlantic White Bird

1927 : The Bi-Plane the "Transatlantic White Bird" Piloted by the french Aviator Captain Nungesser attempting to be the first to cross the Atlantic non stop from Paris to New York is spotted in the early morning off Nova Scotia fighting strong head winds and heading for the Maine Seaboard and had been in the Air for approximately 33 hours. Shortly after the sighting they mysteriously disappeared while trying to be the first to complete the non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Paris to New York City . The plane, pilot and navigator have never been seen since and two weeks later American aviator Charles Lindbergh, flying solo, successfully crossed from New York to Paris.

1948 Germany Berlin Issue

1948 : Following the end of the World War more problems are appearing in how Germany will be split with the Russians stating the plan put forward by Britain, France and the United States will cause Germany and the rest Europe to be divided and is not in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. So far no word has been given by Russia on what they will do. What did happen is that Berlin was split and the Berlin Wall was built as part of the cold war over the next 40 years.

1959 Egypt Pleasure Boat Sinks On The Nile

1959 : A 200 ton pleasure boat carrying some of Egypt's top agriculture engineers and their families on a picnic sank with loss of 200 lives on the Nile.

1967 U.S.A. Ralph Nader

1967 : Following the publication of his book "unsafe at any speed" published in 1965 which highlights the Chevrolet Corvair as an unsafe and unreliable example of automobiles offered to American Consumers. Ralph Nader is part of a symposium on "Automobile Crash Injuries" at the Upstate Medical Center as part of the pressure on the government and the automobile industry to improve safety in cars.

Today in Labor History May 8th

 

A. Philip Randolph

The American Federation of Teachers was founded. – 1916

Jerry Wurf, who served as president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from 1964 to his death in 1981, was born in New York City. The union grew from about 220,000 members to more than 1 million during his presidency. – 1919

A. Philip Randolph and Milton P. Webster founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The Brotherhood was the very first African-American labor union to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a major U.S. corporation. – 1925

About 200 construction workers in New York City attacked a crowd of Vietnam war protesters four days after the Kent State killings. More than 70 people were injured, including four police officers. Peter Brennan, head of the New York building trades, was honored at the Nixon White House two weeks later and was eventually named Secretary of Labor. – 1970

Some 12,000 Steelworker-represented workers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber won an 18-day strike for improved wages and job security. – 1997

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

 Downtown Los Angeles a few years ago

Who is more likely to fall for fake news? - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Las Vegas Review-Journal launches VegasBusiness - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Australia may again show how to get tech giants to pay for news - Seattle Times Free Press

Important Reminders from News Coverage of Politics in My Backyard - Second Rough Draft

And the winner is … the Pulitzer winners and the stories that mattered most - E&P Magazine

Important Events From This day in History May 6

 

 

6 May, 1937 U.S.A. Airship Hindenburg

1937 : The German airship Hindenburg the largest dirigible ever built burst into flames and collapsed to the ground while attempting to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey. As the airship burst into flames it crashed 200 feet to the ground and the hull of the airship incinerated within seconds as the hydrogen core ignited.

1954 England Four Minute Mile Broken

1954 : Roger Bannister becomes the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes, making the new record in 3mins 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, England.

6 May, 1882 U.S.A. Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 : Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from the United States for 10 years.

6 May, 1910 England King Edward VII Dies

1910 : King Edward VII dies after being Britain's King for 9 years following the death of his mother Queen Victoria died. You will often see him referred as Bertie which was the name the royal family used for him.

6 May, 1924 China Japanese Warships

1924 : Japanese warships have entered Chinese waters and Chinese troops are being rushed to coastal areas to fend off possible attacks.

1928 St. Francis Dam

1928 : Construction of the St. Francis Dam Completed St. Francis Dam Collapse TimeLine

6 May, 1935 U.S.A. Works Progress Administration (WPA) Opens

1935 : The Works Progress Administration (WPA), opens allowing thousands of unemployed Americans decent-paying jobs on a wide range of public works projects including parks, playgrounds, major infrastructure projects, schools and post-offices. During it's existence the WPA was responsible for employing 8.5 million Americans during its eight-years. Although most politicians here and around the world use the quote that this is the worst recession since the great depression of the thirties by comparison the current thinking is unemployment is below 10% or 1 in 10 but in the worst period of the great depression that number was nearer to 25% or or 1 in 4.

1936 Airship Hindenburg

1936 : The Airship Hindenburg on its first flight from Europe to New York in the United States is near the Azores, the Hindenburg is like an ocean liner with an elegant interior and 15 of the passengers are Americans.

1945 Germany World War II Europe Ends

1945 : The war in Europe is over when German forces are to sign full surrender on 7th May 1945. President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill will make public radio broadcasts and speak to the people tomorrow and and VE day has been announced for the 8th May. The war in Europe has cost over 8 million lives.

1960 England Princess Margaret

1960 : Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey.

1966 England Moors Murderers

1966 : The Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are jailed for life. They were tried and found guilty for the murder of three children (Edward Evans, 17, Lesley Ann Downey, aged 10, and 12-year-old John Kilbride). The pair preyed on children by luring the children into their home in Manchester then torturing and killing them, they performed terrible acts on them prior to murdering them and dumped them on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines.

1967 Vietnam B52 Bombers

1967 : B52 Bombers dropped tons of explosives on North Vietnamese bunkers and troop positions.

1976 Italy Earthquake

1976 : A powerful earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale strikes in the small town of Maiano in north-east Italy leaving at least 60 people dead and many more buried under rubble.

1979 U.S.A. Anti Nuclear Power Demonstrators

1979 : Over 65,000 anti-nuclear power demonstrators marched on the capitol in protest against more nuclear power plants, the consumer advocate Ralph Nader describes nuclear power as "our countries technological Vietnam." The group was formed after the accident at The Three Mile Island nuclear plant.

Today in Labor History May 6th

 Works Progress Administration (WPA) established at a cost of $4.8 billion—more than $80 billion in 2015 dollars—to provide work opportunities for millions during the Great Depression - 1935

Four hundred Black women working as tobacco stemmers walk off the job in a spontaneous revolt against poor working conditions and a $3 weekly wage at the Vaughan Co. in Richmond, Va. - 1937

Important Events From This day in History May 5th

 

 

5 May, 1955 UK Polio Vaccine

1955 : Over 500,000 people in the UK have now received the Salk polio vaccine and since the death of Birmingham City full back Jeff Hall from Polio last month, there has been a sharp rise in the demand for the vaccine but local health departments have run out and now ordered an extra million doses. We take it for granted that our children and grandchildren are safe from Polio, but this is only because governments, scientists and the people worked together that Polio is now no longer the threat it was.

5 May, 1945 Japanese Bomb Kills in US

1945 : A Japanese balloon bomb explodes at Mitchell Recreation Area on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing the pregnant wife of a minister and five children. This is the only recorded instants of deaths caused by Japanese Bombs on the American mainland in World War II.

5 May, 1821 Napoleon dies on Saint Helena

1821 : Napoleon Bonaparte dies on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. He was kept there from October 1815 until May 5th 1821.

1891 U.S.A. Carnegie Hall

1891 : Carnegie Hall originally called Music Hall has it's official opening in New York City with a concert conducted by maestro Walter Damrosch and composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

5 May, 1921 France "Chanel Number 5"

1921 : Chanel introduced "Chanel Number 5" to some of her friends. Initially, it was given to preferred clients for free at her boutique. The fitting rooms in her boutique were also scented with No. 5. Coco Chanel commissions renowned perfumer Ernest Beaux to create the most expensive perfume in the world, Jasmine was the most expensive perfume oil and Chanel No. 5 relies heavily on Jasmine.

5 May, 1924 Hong Kong Pirates Captured or Killed

1924 : 38 pirates who have been seizing ships for the cargo in Hong Kong waters have been captured and shot by Chinese authorities, this is part of the ongoing crack down on pirates operating in Chinese waters.

1925 United States John Thomas Scopes

1925 : John Thomas Scopes a teacher from Dayton, Tennessee is arrested for violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools. He was charged on May 25 and the case ended with a guilty verdict, and a fine of $100.

1940 Great Britain Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

1940 : Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is promising immediate co-operation between the armed forces following the German invasion of Norway under the leadership of The First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill.

1951 Israel Border Fighting

1951 : Fighting increased along the Israel-Syrian border with continued artillery, Mortar fire and Infantry attacks across the border between the two sides .

1960 England Princess Margaret Marries

1960 : Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong Jones in a royal wedding at Westminster Abbey many thousands lined the streets of London hoping to catch sight of the royal couple. This is the first time for 400 years that a daughter of a king has married a commoner.

1961 U.S.A. Alan B. Shepard Jr

1961 : Alan B. Shepard Jr became the first American in space today after soaring 115 miles above the earth in a spacecraft named Freedom 7.

1967 British satellite 'Ariel 3' Launched

1967 : The first ever all British satellite 'Ariel 3' is successfully launched into orbit from the United States. The satellite is to be used for a number of research projects for British Universities, Jodrell Bank and Meteorological Office. The satellite orbits the Earth every 95 minutes and will relay information back to a computer at Slough's Radio and Space Research Station.

1968 Gibraltar Spain Closes Border

1968 : Following the referendum in Gibraltar in which Gibraltar's voters were asked whether they wished to become part of Spain and voted with a resounding no vote. Spain closes the border with Gibraltar and severed all communication.

1980 Iran embassy siege ends when SAS storms embassy

1980 : The siege of the Iranian embassy in London ends after raid by SAS commandos killing five Iranian gunmen and one arrested. Nineteen hostages are set free but one dies and two are injured in the cross-fire.

1981 Northern Ireland Bobby Sands

1981 : Thousands mourn the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands after 66 days of hunger strike in protest against members of the IRA not being treated as political prisoners.

1992 U.S.A. Bill Clinton

1992 : Governor Bill Clinton continues to increase his run for the democratic nomination with 80% of delegates number needed to secure the democratic presidential nomination. Meanwhile Ross Perot running as an independent is edging closer in the polls to President Bush and Bill Clinton.

2002 France Jacques Chirac

2002 : French President Jacques Chirac is re-elected in a victory over extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.

2005 UK Tony Blair

2005 : Tony Blair wins historic third term in government for the British Labour Party.

2007 Paris Hilton Sentenced to Jail

2007 : Hotel heiress Paris Hilton was sentenced to forty-five days in jail after violating her probation by driving without a license. The twenty-six year old celebrity was speeding with her headlights off on a suspended license after a previous drunken driving charge when she was caught by the police.

2008 Russia Bombing In Chechnya

2008 : A roadside bomb was detonated in Grozny, Chechnya and five security forces in the Russian republic. The attack came before the inauguration of President Dmitry Medvedev.

2009 United States Famous Feminist Dies

2009 : Feminist icon Marilyn French died of heart failure at the age of seventy-nine in New York. The writer of "The Women's Room" had been working on a new novel and a memoir before her death.

2010 Cuba Allows Tourism Investment

2010 : The Cuban government agreed to let foreign companies to invest in tourism by developing golf courses and marinas, among other tourist industries. The move was made in order to boost the Cuban economy by attracting more affluent travelers with better facilities.

2011 French Team Tries to Recover Bodies from Plane Crash

2011 : A French-team using deep-sea robots began to recover bodies from a 2009 Air France plane crash. The plane crashed in 2009 on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris and was carrying 228 people. Fifty-one bodies had been found on the ocean surface in 2009, but the remaining victims had not been recovered and officials stated they were not sure how many of the bodies they would actually be able to recover from the seabed crash site. The remains that were found were to be sent for DNA tests in France in hopes of identifying them.

2012 Boris Johnson Wins Second Term as London Mayor

2012 : Boris Johnson won his second term as London's mayor after a fairly close election against rival Ken Livingstone. Johnson only won by three percent of the vote.

2013 Brazil Paul McCartney Performs Beatles Songs

2013 : Paul McCartney performed previously unperformed Beatles songs live for the first time at the opening night of his world tour. The Beatles stopped touring in 1966, meaning a lot of their songs had never been performed in front of live audiences. Some of the songs he performed included "Lovely Rita", "All Together Now", and "Your Mother Should Know". McCartney also sang "Eight Days A Week", making it the second time that song had been performed live.

Today in Labor History May 5th, 2026

 Harlan County

The National Typographical Union was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was renamed the International Typographical Union in 1869 in acknowledgment of Canadian members. When the ITU merged into CWA in 1986 it was the oldest existing union in the U.S. – 1852

The Knights of Labor struck at Union Pacific against wage cuts and won. – 1884

On Chicago’s West Side, police attacked Jewish workers as they tried to march into the Loop to protest slum conditions. – 1886

Some 14,000 building trades workers and laborers, demanding an eight-hour workday, gathered at the Milwaukee Iron Company rolling mill in Bay View, Wisconsin. When they approached the mill they were fired on by 250 National Guardsmen under orders from the governor to shoot to kill. Seven died, including a 13-year-old boy. – 1886

Nineteen machinists working for the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad gathered in a locomotive pit to decide what to do about a wage cut. They voted to form a union, which later became the Int’l Association of Machinists. – 1888

Italian-American anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested in Boston for murder and payroll robbery. Eventually, they were executed for a crime most believe they did not commit. – 1920

High School teacher John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching the theory of evolution in a Tennessee school, in a violation of state law. – 1925

The Infamous Battle of Harlan County (“Bloody Harlan”), Kentucky occurred. Also known as the Battle of Evarts, the strike began in response to wage cuts implemented in February. On May 5, a scab accosted a union worker, resulting in three deaths. Governor Flem Sampson called in the National Guard, which killed several more union miners. The Harlan County class war was the inspiration for Florence Reece‘s famous union song Which Side Are You On? The strike continued for years, with the miners finally winning in 1940. – 1931

John J. Sweeney, president of the Service Employees International Union from 1980 to 1995, then president of the AFL-CIO from 1995 to 2009, was born in The Bronx, New York. – 1934

A lumber strike began in the Pacific Northwest and would involve 40,000 workers by the time victory was achieved after 13 weeks: union recognition, a 50 cent per hour minimum wage and an eight-hour day. – 1937

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to a 30-year low of 3.9 percent; the rate for blacks and Hispanics was the lowest ever since the government started tracking such data. – 2000

Monday Morning in the Blogosphere

 The Heritage Hotel Manila, Philippines

Madison Cap Times reporters announce union - The NewsGuild-CWA

11 publications that allow you to republish their work for free - Journalism UK

Do links hurt news publishers on Twitter? Our analysis suggests yes - Nieman Lab

Journalism at a crossroads: A new declaration aims to rebuild trust in the news - E&P Reports

Disappearing before our eyes: One photographer’s passion project of capturing local newsrooms - AP

Important Events From This day in History May 4th

 

 

2007 - U.S.A Greensburg, Kansas Tornado

2007 : An EF5 tornado nearly 2 miles wide travels through the city of Greensburg, Kansas leveling most of the city and killing eleven people, the winds were estimated in the tornado to reach 205 mph. The video gives an idea of the complete devastation caused by the tornado.

4 May, 1970 - U.S.A. Kent State University Shootings

1970 : After a number of days of protest against US invasion of Cambodia the National Guards fired on protesters at Kent State University and 4 were killed and a further 10 were injured. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sang about it with the song "Ohio"

4 May, 1932 - U.S.A. Al Capone

1932 : Al Capone begins life as convict 40886 in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary serving 11 years for Income Tax Evasion.

1886 - U.S.A. Haymarket Square Riot

1886 : A labor rally held in protest of the killing of a striker by the Chicago police the day before at Haymarket Square in Chicago, Illinois, ends with more violence as a bomb is thrown by the protesters and at the police and police responded with wild gunfire, killing several people in the crowd and injuring dozens more.

4 May, 1920 - Paris Opera House

1920 : The Symphony Society of New York presented a concert at the Paris Opera House. This was the first time an American orchestra made a tour abroad to Europe.

4 May, 1926 - Great Britain General Strike

1926 At the end of the second day of Great Britain General Strike the government has asked for approval of A State of Emergency with powers for the armed forces to take over important industries including transport and power supply, currently there are a number of major cities running on 1/3 of power and with food rotting in docks around the country.

1930 - India Mahatma Gandhi

1930 : The leader of India's civil disobedience campaign, Mahatma Gandhi, was taken into British police custody.

1945 - Holland German Troops Surrender

1945 : German forces in Holland and Denmark surrender to British Troops.

1948 - U.S.A. Rail Strike

1948 : The leaders of the three rail unions have threatened to call a national rail strike which will cripple the countries commerce and the federal government is looking at federal seizure of the railways as a way of keeping transport going.

1959 - U.S.A. Grammy Awards

1959 : The first year of Grammy Awards by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences are presented.

1966 - UK Doctors and Dentists

1966 : Following a pay review body recommendations doctors' and dentists' salaries are to be increased by up to 30%.

1969 - U.S.A. Student Protesters

1969 : More arrests and demonstrations are happening by student protesters on College and University campuses both against the Vietnam War and on grounds of civil liberties for African-American students. As a result, more colleges are calling in National Guardsman to break up demonstrations which is in turn leading to more unrest.

1970 - Kent State University Shootings

1970 : After a number of days of protest against US invasion of Cambodia the National Guards fired on protesters at Kent State University and 3 were killed and a further 10 were injured.

1979 - UK Mrs Thatcher

1979 : Mrs Thatcher arrives at Downing Street to take over from the defeated labour leader James Callaghan after winning an overall majority in British Elections.

1982 - Falkland Islands HMS Sheffield

1982 : Argentina strikes back at British Forces following the sinking of General Belgrano sinking the The British warship HMS Sheffield with an Argentine Exocet missile fired from an Argentinean fighter bomber.

1987 - U.S.A. Iran-Contra Affair

1987 : The house and senate committee begin 3 months of hearings into Iran-Contra affair which was the sale of American arms sold secretly to Iran and some of the proceeds were diverted to Contra Rebels seeking to overthrow the Government of Nicaragua.

2000 - UK Ken Livingstone

2000 : Ken Livingstone an independent is elected as London's first elected mayor with a clear victory polling nearly 40% of first preferences in the mayoral election.

2002 - Nigeria Plane Crash

2002 : A Nigerian BAC 1-11-500 aircraft crashes into the town of Kano and explodes in a densely populated section killing 148 people.

2005 - Pakistan Top al-Qaeda Suspect Captured

2005 : Pakistani authorities captured and arrested suspected al-Qaeda chief Abu Faraj al-Libbi. The suspect was thought to be high ranking within the organization and critical to the planning and facilitating of al-Qaeda activities.

2006 - US Picasso Painting Sold at Auction

2006 : Picasso's portrait of his lover Dora Maar was sold at an auction at Sotheby's in New York for 95.2 million dollars. The portrait, painted in 1941, was considered the second most expensive painting at the time, under another Picasso painting that sold for 104 million dollars in 2004.

2007 - Haiti Migrants Dead After Boat Capsizes

2007 : At least twenty migrants from Haiti are killed after their boat capsizes in the Atlantic Ocean. The boat carrying about 150 capsized just South of the Turks and Caicos Islands and many other passengers were rescued.

2008 - Obama Wins Democratic Caucus in Guam

2008 : Barack Obama narrowly defeated Hilary Clinton at the Democratic caucus in Guam, a United States territory. While citizens of Guam cannot vote in a United States presidential election they have the ability to choose delegates to help select the Democratic presidential candidate.

2009 - North Korean Ship Saved

2009 : A North Korean cargo ship was saved from an attempted pirate attack by a South Korean warship off the coast of Somalia. The South Korean ship answered the North Korean ship's distress calls and was thanked by the North Korean ship, despite the two countries being at war with each other for over fifty years.

2011 - Prince Charles Meets With President Obama

2011 : Great Britain's Prince Charles made a visit to the White House to discuss the environment and energy issues with US President Barack Obama. The meeting rounded out the Prince's two day trip to the United States, during which he spoke at the Future of Food conference and met with US veterans in addition to meeting with the president.

2012 - United States Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Dies

2012 : Rapper Adam Yauch, MCA of the Beastie Boys, died at the age of forty-seven after struggling with salivary gland cancer since 2009. Yauch was known for being a member of the ground-breaking rap group the Beastie Boys and for his lifetime of activism in the Free Tibet movement.

2013 - Solar Plane Lands in Arizona

2013 : The Solar Impulse plane, an aircraft powered completely by solar energy, successfully completed its first leg of a journey across the United States. The Solar Impulse landed in Phoenix, Arizona eighteen hours after leaving its starting point in San Francisco, California.

 Haymarket Square

A day after police killed four striking workers and injured hundreds, protesters gathered at Haymarket Square in Chicago. As the peaceful event drew to a close, a bomb was thrown into the police line, killing one officer and injuring several. Police responded by shooting into the crowd, killing one and wounding many. Eight anarchists were later framed even though most were not even present at the Haymarket rally and there was no evidence that linked any of them to the bombing. Four were hanged, one committed suicide and three were eventually pardoned by Illinois Gov. John Peter Altgeld. The Haymarket affair gave the pretext for a national witch hunt against anarchists and labor radicals and ended the quick rise of the Knights of Labor, a predecessor to the IWW. The Knights of Labor had been growing rapidly, attracting radicals and anarchist members. They professed solidarity with all workers, regardless of race or ethnicity. – 1886

The “Freedom Ride” bus trips began throughout the American South. The Freedom Rides were organized by James Farmer and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to desegregate bus terminals. On May 14, the first freedom bus was attacked. – 1961

Important Events From This day in History May 2

 

 

2 May, 1930 Hoover Says Stock Market Crash Temporary Setback

1930 : President Hoover in a speech said that the stock market crash of last year was just a temporary setback and would soon pass and that the economy would soon bounce back (this was 6 months after the stock market crash and the great depression of the 1930s would continue and worsen over the next 5 years).

2 May, 1952 England First commercial Jet Airliner

1952 : The worlds first commercial Jet Airliner a De Havilland Comet with 36 passengers paying up to £315 for a return ticket took off from London for Johannesburg, this will cut up to a third of the time from traditional aircraft flight times.

2 May, 1927 U.S.A. Prohibition

1927 : Despite the prohibition law to stop alcohol consumption the sale of hip flasks continues to grow which many say is encouraging the sale of alcohol and women's pressure groups are trying to ban the sale of hip flasks.

2 May, 1969 U.S.A. Student Protests

1969 : Police forces in the United States are cracking down on student protests on campuses across the US using a number of means at their disposal including warrants and an increased police presence. The universities include some of the most well known institutions including Columbia, Harvard, Cornell and Stanford Universities.

2 May, 2011 Osama Bin Laden Killed by US Forces

2011 : Barack Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden had been found and killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan in an operation carried out by United States Navy Seals. He announced the raid on Bin Laden's compound had lasted about forty minutes, four other people had been killed in the raid, and that Bin Laden's body was buried at sea according to Islamic standards. The death of the man many believed to be responsible for the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks was celebrated across the United States and many other parts of the world.

2 May, 1929 U.S.A. Tornado

1929 : A devastating tornado sweeps through Morgantown, West Virginia with the path roughly quarter mile wide and ran through the Riverside, Seneca and Walnut Hill areas.

1933 Scotland Loch Ness Monster

1933 : A local Inverness newspaper "The Inverness Courier" publishes an account by a local couple who claimed to have seen "an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface" of Loch Ness.

1938 U.S.A. Ella Fitzgerald

1938 : Ella Fitzgerald recorded "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" with Chick Webb’s band. Fitzgerald soon became known as "The First Lady of Song" and is one of the most successful and influential jazz artists in history.

1945 Germany Fall Of Berlin

1945 : Russia announced the fall of Berlin and the capture of 70,000 Germans who had surrendered.

1946 U.S.A. Alcatraz

1946 : Alcatraz convicts fought a raging gun battle with guards at the rock for their freedom after they seized the guns from the armory and passed them out to fellow prisoners, one guard has been killed and 3 injured. The Guards still do not have control of the Island fully and the fighting continues.

1966 Cambodia

1966 : The United States has admitted firing an artillery barrage into Neutralist Cambodia as part of an offensive against Viet Cong troops, the B52 bombers were sent from Guam to help slow the north Vietnamese offensive.

Today in Labor History May 2nd

Chicago's first Trades Assembly, formed three years earlier, sponsors a general strike by thousands of workers to enforce the state's new 8-hour-day law. The one-week strike was unsuccessful - 1867

Birth of Richard Trevellick, a ship carpenter, founder of American National Labor Union and later head of the National Labor Congress, America’s first national labor organization - 1830

First Workers’ Compensation law in U.S. enacted, in Wisconsin - 1911

President Herbert Hoover declares that the stock market crash six months earlier was just a "temporary setback" and the economy would soon bounce back. In fact, the Great Depression was to continue and worsen for several more years - 1930
 
German police units occupied all trade unions headquarters in the country, arresting union officials and leaders. Their treasuries were confiscated and the unions abolished. Hitler announced that the German Labour Front, headed by his appointee, would replace all unions and look after the working class - 1933

A fire at the Sunshine silver mine in Kellogg, Idaho, caused the death of 91 workers who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, likely caused by toxic fumes emitted by burning polyurethane foam, used as a fire retardant - 1972

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

How journalism is shifting from print logic to conversational media - E&P Magazine

Reporters at McClatchy withhold bylines in dispute over AI content - The New York Times

Some Rationalization May Finally Be Coming for Newsroom Intermediaries - Second Rough Draft

'Don’t shoot the messenger': My call to defend press freedom in a global crisis - Journalism UK

Why audiences are tuning out the news — and how local journalism can win them back - E&P Magazine

Important Events From This day in History May 1

 

 

1 May, 1931 U.S.A. The Empire State Building

1931 : The Empire State Building in New York Officially opens.

1 May, 2003 U.S.A. George W. Bush announces major combat in Iraq is over

2003 : President George W. Bush on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast announces in a speech to the nation, major combat in Iraq is over.

1 May, 1960 Soviet Union American U–2 spy plane

1960 : An American U–2 spy plane is shot down over the Soviet Union near Sverdlovsk. The Soviet Union captured the pilot Gary Powers which prompted continuing deterioration in relations between the US and the Soviet Union.

1 May, 1962 U.S.A. First KMART Department Store

1962 : The first Kmart department store opens in Garden City, Michigan selling a range of Clothes, shoes, housewares, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and electronics. Kmart went through a period of rapid expansion up to the early eighties but from the late 80's due to lack of investment in technology and increased competition from the growing Walmart and Target stores and change in customer tastes sales continued to decline. In 2005 following sales decline Kmart merged with Sears, Roebuck and Company.

1 May, 1942 World War II The Fighting Forces

1942 : 

United Nations Total Fighting Men and Women 12 - 18 million

Axis Powers Total Fighting Men and Women 12 - 14 million

1 May, 1941 U.S.A. Code Talkers

1941 : The first "Code talkers" Navajo Indians are specially recruited by the Marines to serve in their standard communications units in the Pacific Theater, they provide an unbreakable combat voice communications code.

1941 U.S.A. Citizen Kane

1941 : The movie "Citizen Kane," the first feature film directed by Orson Welles, also starring Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane premiers in New York.

1925 Germany Field Marshall Hinderburg

1925 : Field Marshall Hinderburg a right wing conservative was elected as the president of Germany.

1931 U.S.A. Al Capone

1931 : The Gangster Al Capone is being sought for questioning over the murder of Mike De Pike Hitler from a rival gang by detectives in Chicago a number of other members of his gang.

Today in Labor History May 1st

 Mary Harris “Mother” Jones born in County Cork, Ireland - 1830

(The Autobiography of Mother Jones: Mary Harris Jones—“Mother Jones”—was the most dynamic woman ever to grace the American labor movement. Employers and politicians around the turn of the century called her “the most dangerous woman in America” and rebellious working men and women loved her as they never loved anyone else.)

Cigar makers in Cincinnati warn there could be a strike in the fall if factory owners continue to insist that they pay 30¢ per month for gas heat provided at work during mornings and evenings - 1883

Eight-hour day demonstration in Chicago and other cities begins tradition of May Day as international labor holiday - 1886

The Cooks’ and Waiters’ Union strikes in San Francisco, demanding one day of rest per week, a 10-hour work day and a union shop for all restaurants in the city - 1901

Mother Jones’ 100th birthday celebrated at the Burgess Farm in Adelphi, Md. She died six months later - 1930

New York City’s Empire State Building officially opens. Construction involved 3,400 workers, mostly immigrants from Europe, and hundreds of Mohawk iron workers. Five workers died during construction - 1931

Congress enacts amendments to the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, extending protections to the employees of state and local governments—protections which didn’t take effect until 1985 because of court challenges and regulation-writing problems - 1974

The federal minimum wage rises to $2 per hour - 1974

Int’l Molders & Allied Workers Union merges with Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers Int’l Union - 1988

Woodworkers of America Int’l merges with Int’l Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers - 1994

Int’l Leather Goods, Plastics & Novelty Workers Union merges with Service Employees Int’l Union - 1996

Rallies in cities across the U.S. for what organizers call “A Day Without Immigrants.” An estimated 100,000 immigrants and sympathizers gathered in San Jose, Calif., 200,000 in New York, 400,000 each in Chicago and Los Angeles. In all, there were demonstrations in at least 50 cities - 2006

(Mobilizing Against Inequality: Unions, Immigrant Workers, and the Crisis of Capitalism: Are immigrant workers themselves responsible for low wages and shoddy working conditions? Should unions expend valuable time and energy organizing undocumented workers? Unions in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States have taken various approaches to confront the challenges of this significant segment of the workforce. As U.S. immigration policy is debated, readers will gain insight into how all workers benefit when wages and working conditions for immigrant workers are improved.)

Today in Labor History April 30, 2026

 Everettville mine disaster

50,000 workers in Chicago were on strike, with 30,000 more joining in the next day. The strike brought most of Chicago’s manufacturing to a standstill. On May 3rd, Chicago cops killed four unionists. A mass meeting and demonstration was called for the 4th, in Haymarket Square, where a cop would be killed by an assailant who would never be identified. Ultimately, eight anarchists (many not even in attendance) would be tried for murder and sentenced to death. This event, known as the Haymarket Tragedy or the Haymarket Affair, would go on to be the inspiration for International Workers’ Day, celebrated on May 1st in every country in the world except the U.S. – 1886

The Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, miner’s strike continued, with 1,200 workers getting arrested and placed into specially erected bullpens until the strikes were broken. – 1889

An explosion at the Everettville mine in Everettville, West Virginia killed 109 miners, many of whom lie in unmarked graves to this day. – 1927

The TWU (Transport Workers Union) won $9.5 million in pensions for former Fifth Avenue Coach employees after a long court battle. – 1965

The Obama administration’s National Labor Relations Board implemented new rules to speed up unionization elections. The new rules were largely seen as a counter to employer manipulation of the law to prevent workers from unionizing. – 2012