On This Day for May 1 - May Day founded, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington is featured, and more

Created: 2020-05-01 10:04 Updated: 2020-05-01 10:04 Notebook: On this Day in History

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May 01

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY

Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington

FEATURED EVENT

1889

May Day founded

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2004: The European Union was enlarged to include the new member states of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. [ Watch an overview of the European Union's history.]

1971: Amtrak—the federally supported corporation that operates nearly all intercity passenger trains in the United States—began service.

1961: The first major airplane hijacking within the United States occurred when a man forced a commercial airliner en route from Miami to Key West, Florida, to detour to Cuba.

1941: Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, considered by many critics to be the greatest film ever made, premiered in New York City. [Take our film buff quiz.]

1909: American singer Kate Smith, known as the “first lady of radio,” was born. [ How much do you know about singers and musicians?]

1898: The Battle of Manila Bay ended in the defeat of the Spanish Pacific fleet by the U.S. Navy, resulting in the fall of the Philippines and contributing to the final U.S. victory in the Spanish-American War. [Test your knowledge of warfare.]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1969

Wes Anderson
American director and screenwriter

1769

Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington
prime minister of Great Britain

1967

Tim McGraw
American musician

1946

Joanna Lumley
British actress

1852

Calamity Jane
American frontierswoman