| 1543 |
|
Nicolaus Copernicus publishes proof of a sun-centered solar system. He dies just after publication. |
| 1607 |
|
Captain Christopher Newport and 105 followers found the colony of Jamestown at the mouth of the James River on the coast of Virginia. |
| 1610 |
|
Sir Thomas Gates institutes "laws divine moral and marshal, " a harsh civil code for Jamestown. |
| 1624 |
|
After years of unprofitable operation, Virginia's charter is revoked and it becomes a royal colony. |
| 1689 |
|
English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration, protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are specifically excluded from exemption. |
| 1738 |
|
The Methodist Church is established. |
| 1764 |
|
Boston lawyer James Otis denounces "taxation without representation," calling for the colonies to unite in opposition to Britain's new tax measures. |
| 1798 |
|
Believing that a French invasion of Ireland is imminent, Irish nationalists rise up against the British occupation. |
| 1844 |
|
Samuel Morse taps out the first telegraph message. |
| 1846 |
|
General Zachary Taylor captures Monterey. |
| 1861 |
|
General Benjamin Butler declares slaves to be the contraband of war. |
| 1863 |
|
Bushwackers led by Captain William Marchbanks attack a Federal militia party in Nevada, Missouri. |
| 1878 |
|
The first American bicycle race is held in Boston. |
| 1930 |
|
Amy Johnson becomes the first woman to fly from England to Australia. |
| 1941 |
|
The British battleship Hood is sunk by the German battleship Bismarck. There are only three survivors. |
| 1951 |
|
Willie Mays begins playing for the New York Giants. |
| 1961 |
|
Civil rights activists are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi. |
|
Born on May 24 |
| 1544 |
|
William Gilbert, English physician and scientist. |
| 1743 |
|
Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary. |
| 1819 |
|
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1836-1901). |
| 1878 |
|
Lillian Moller Gilbreth, pioneer in time-motion studies. |
| 1895 |
|
Samuel I. Newhouse, American publisher. |
| 1903 |
|
Arthur Vineberg, Canadian heart surgeon. |
| 1905 |
|
Mikhail Sholokhov, Russian novelist (And Quiet Flows the Don). |
| 1928 |
|
William Trevor, Irish short story writer and novelist (The Old Boys, The Boarding House). |
| 1941 |
|
Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman), singer and songwriter. |
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