May 5, 1260
Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the
Mongol Empire.
1494
Christopher Columbus lands at Jamaica.
1821
Napoleon dies, in exile, on the island of St.
Helena.
1865
The first train robbery in the United States takes place, in North Bend, Ohio.
1866
Memorial Day is first celebrated in the United States, in Waterloo, New York.
1905
Fingerprints are used as evidence for the first time.
1920
Authorities arrest
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
1925
John T. Scopes is served an arrest warrant for teaching evolution in violation of the
Butler Act.
1934
The first
Three Stooges short is released.
1961
Mercury-Redstone 3:
Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space.
1965
The Warlocks, later known as
The Grateful Dead, make their first public appearance, in Menlo Park, CA.
1973
Secretariat wins the
Kentucky Derby in 1 minute 59 2⁄5 seconds, a record that still stands.
Births
1813 Sψren Kierkegaard; 1818 Karl Marx; 1830 John B. Stetson (the hat guy); 1864 Nellie Bly; 1901 Blind Willie McTell; 1914 Tyrone Power; 1926 Ann B. Davis (Alice on the Brady Bunch); 1934 Ace Cannon; 1942 Tammy Wynette; 1943 Michael Palin; 1944 John Rhys-Davies; 1944 Roger Rees; 1945 Kurt Loder; 1948 Bill Ward

; 1988 Adele
Deaths
1821 Napoleon; 2008 Irv Robbins (co-founded Baskin-Robbins); 2015 Craig Gruber (bassist for
Rainbow and
Elf)