Augustus

"The contribution of Augustus to the consolidation and stabilization of the 'Empire' from a governing and military perspective was immense, but the legacy of the man is perhaps best exemplified in his contribution to public works and infrastructure."

https://www.unrv.com/augustus/index.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+007+-+7096451#google_vignette

May 31

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May 30

Joan of Arc is executed (1431); Historian and philosopher Voltaire dies (1778); First Indianapolis 500 is held (1911); Lincoln Memorial is dedicated (1922).

May 29

Comedian Bob Hope born (1903); President John F. Kennedy born (1917); Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are first to reach Mount Everest summit (1953); Danica Patrick is first woman to lead at Indy 500 (2005).

Titrus

"Following up on the success of Vespasian would be no easy task, and while ancient accounts of Titus are somewhat mixed, he - for the most part - was remembered with the highest praise."

https://unrv.com/early-empire/titus.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+004+-+7092955

Morgan Spurlock

"Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock died Thursday due to complications of cancer, per Variety. He was 53."

https://www.al.com/life/2024/05/morgan-spurlock-super-size-me-director-dead-at-53.html?e=ecc4eb5a460f31b456c54514153c0893&lctg=63b06c811ced07920c0db64c&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter_whats_happening%202024-05-24&utm_term=Newsletter_whats_happening

May 25

Constitutional Convention convenes in Philadelphia (1787); Author Ralph Waldo Emerson born (1803); Businesswoman Madam CJ Walker dies (1919); "Star Wars" premieres in theaters (1977); George Floyd is killed by police during an arrest in Minneapolis (2020).

May 24

Samuel Morse sends first commercial telegraph message (1844); The Brooklyn Bridge is opened in NYC (1883); Jazz legend Duke Ellington dies (1974); Mass shooting at Uvalde, Texas, results in 21 deaths (2022); Tina Turner dies (2023).  

May 23

Infamous bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are killed by police (1934); John D. Rockefeller dies (1937); German Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann revealed to have been captured in Argentina (1960); Musician Jewel born (1974); James Bond actor Roger Moore dies (2017).

May 22

(First) first lady of the US Martha Washington dies (1802); The Associated Press is founded (1846); Poet Langston Hughes dies (1967); Supermodel Naomi Campbell born (1970); Manchester Arena bombing kills 22 following Ariana Grande concert (2017).

May 21

American Red Cross is founded by Clara Barton (1881); FIFA, world governing body of association football, founded (1904); Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic (1932); Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jane Addams dies (1935); Rapper Notorious BIG born (1972).

May 20

Christopher Columbus dies (1506); Charles Lindbergh makes first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic (1927); Singer-songwriter Cher born (1946); First photograph sent from Hubble Space Telescope (1990).

May 18

Jacqueline Cochran is first woman to break sound barrier (1953); Actress Tina Fey born (1970); Mount St. Helens erupts, killing 57 (1980); Facebook raises $16B; largest initial public offering for a tech company at the time (2012).

May 17

Aristides is first winner of the Kentucky Derby (1875); Brown v. Board of Education decision outlaws racial segregation in public schools (1954); Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard born (1956); First legal same-sex marriages performed in the US (2004); Singer Donna Summer dies (2012).

May 16

First Academy Awards hosted (1929); Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends (1943); Janet Jackson born (1966); Comedian Andy Kaufman dies (1984); "Muppets" creator Jim Henson dies (1990); Sammy Davis Jr. dies (1990). 

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton’s rich musicality, joyful demeanor, and keen business sense have fueled an illustrious career in entertainment spanning 60 years. Ever-sparkling, ever-melodic, the singer-songwriter and actress went from performing barefoot for her siblings on the porch of their cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to creating chart-topping records in country and pop that earned her millions. She is loved for her upbeat and genuine songs, her hallmark feminine and bedazzled style, and her quick wit, big smile, and down-to-earth charm.Parton was born in 1946, the fourth of 12 children. Music was in her family roots, especially on her mother’s side. Her mother, Avie Lee Parton, sang, played guitar, and encouraged her daughter’s talents. Byy age 10, Parton was writing and singing guitar songs on the radio and television. After she debuted at the Grand Ole Opry at age 13, her star quickly rose, and by the 1970s, she had scored several No. 1 country hits, including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” (which Whitney Houston later covered to great acclaim).Parton’s deft songwriting and unique voice still appeal to fans of both country and pop music. Her song “9 to 5,” the title track from her 1980 film debut, was a No. 1 pop hit. She went on to act in several other movies; launch her own theme park, Dollywood; and partner with musical greats like EmmyLou Harris and Alison Krauss on award-winning albums. Her work has been widely recognized and commended, earning her Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, and a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame.From her earliest recordings, Parton was careful to maintain publishing rights to her songs, a decision that secured her fortune and enabled her to give back. She has been an active philanthropist for years, funding literacy programs, medicine, and other causes. Now in her seventies, Parton continues to record compelling music (her most recent album was in 2020) and strum the nation’s heartstrings.

May 15

National Woman Suffrage Association founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1869); Poet Emily Dickinson dies (1886); Mickey Mouse makes first cartoon appearance (1928); Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright born (1937); Soviet Union begins withdrawal of 115,000 troops from Afghanistan (1988).

Oscar Wilde

"Oscar Wilde was born in 1854 and died in 1900. During those all-too-brief years, he built a reputation that would long outlive him."

https://www.interestingfacts.com/oscar-wilde-facts/Yvrd8kKJ8wAItdgs?liu=f990a22b8f045d09d1eb29acc743f7c5&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2152081323

May 14

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embark on their famous expedition (1804); "Star Wars" creator George Lucas born (1944); Skylab, the first US space station, launched (1973); Singer Frank Sinatra dies (1998); Blues musician BB King dies (2015).

May 13

The US declares war against Mexico in dispute over Texas (1846); "Golden Girls" actress Bea Arthur born (1922); Stevie Wonder born (1950); Pope John Paul II is shot, survives assassination attempt (1981); Actress and singer Doris Day dies (2019).

May 11

Composer and songwriter Irving Berlin born (1888); Salvador Dalí born (1904); Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded (1927); Bob Marley dies (1981); Deep Blue becomes the first computer to defeat a world champion in chess (1997).

May 10

Paul Revere dies (1818); First American transcontinental railroad is completed (1869); Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of the UK (1940); Actress Joan Crawford dies (1977); Nelson Mandela inaugurated as president of South Africa (1994).

May 9

Billy Joel born (1949); Impeachment proceedings begin against President Richard Nixon (1974); Singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne dies (2010); Rock legend Little Richard dies (2020).

May 8

Poet Phillis Wheatley born (1753); President Harry Truman born (1884); Boxing legend Sonny Liston born (1932); Germany surrenders, ending World War II in Europe (1945); Smallpox is eradicated (1980).

May 7

Edwin H. Land, inventor of instant photography, born (1909); Ishirō Honda, Japanese film director and cowriter of 1954 film "Godzilla," born (1911); German submarine sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 (1915); Eva "Evita" Perón born (1919); Sony Corporation founded (1946).

May 6

Famed neurologist Sigmund Freud born (1856); Baseball great Willie Mays born (1931); Hindenburg disaster kills 36 (1937); Roger Bannister becomes first person to run a mile in under four minutes (1954); Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich dies (1992).

May 4

Actress Audrey Hepburn born (1929); First Grammy Awards held (1959); Four killed, nine wounded after National Guard open fire at Kent State University (1970); Margaret Thatcher becomes first female prime minister of the UK (1979).

May 3

Philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli born (1469); Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson born (1921); Musician James Brown born (1933); Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer for "Gone with the Wind" novel (1937); First bulk spam email is sent (1978).

May 2

Leonardo da Vinci dies (1519); Playwright Tennessee Williams wins Pulitzer Prize for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955); Fashion designer Donatella Versace born (1955); Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson born (1972); Osama bin Laden is killed by US special operations forces (2011).

May 1

Frontierswoman and sharpshooter Calamity Jane born (1852); Dwarf planet Pluto is named (1930); Empire State Building opens in NYC (1931); Country artist Tim McGraw born (1967); Actress Olympia Dukakis dies (2021).