On This Day for May 10 - Nelson Mandela inaugurated as president of South Africa, Fred Astaire is featured, and more

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

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May 10

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY

Fred Astaire

FEATURED EVENT

1994

Nelson Mandela inaugurated as president of South Africa

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2002: American FBI agent Robert Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to spying for Moscow; he was one of the Soviet Union's and Russia's most-valuable double agents and the most-damaging spy ever to penetrate the FBI. [ Read about 10 famous names in the espionage game.]

1999: American cartoonist, children's author, poet, and playwright Shel Silverstein, who was best known for his light verse and quirky cartoons, died in Florida. [Test your knowledge of children's authors.]

1994: American serial killer John Wayne Gacy—whose murders of 33 boys and young men in the 1970s shocked his suburban Chicago community, where he was known for his performances as a clown at charitable events and children's parties—was executed. [ Discover seven of history's most notorious serial killers.]

1960: Irish musician and human rights activist Bono, who was the lead singer of the popular rock band U2, was born. [Take our quiz about pop music.]

1940: Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands during World War II. [Test your knowledge of Germany and World War II.]

1940: After losing the support of many Conservatives in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned his office and was replaced by Winston Churchill.

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1960

Bono
Irish singer

1899

Fred Astaire
American dancer and singer

1838

John Wilkes Booth
American actor and assassin

1946

Donovan
Scottish singer-songwriter

1965

Linda Evangelista
Canadian fashion model