12 History Lessons + 5 Births & 5 Deaths for May 1, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1707 – The Acts of Union unite England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1753 – The first official Canadian postal service opens between Montreal and Quebec.
- 1840 – The Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom.
- 1844 – The Hong Kong Police Force, the world’s second modern police force, is established.
- 1884 – Construction begins on the first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago.
- 1886 – A nationwide labor demonstration leads to the Haymarket affair in Chicago.
- 1898 – The Battle of Manila Bay takes place during the Spanish-American War; U.S. forces defeat the Spanish fleet.
- 1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
- 1945 – Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels and his wife commit suicide in Berlin.
- 1960 – The Soviet Union shoots down an American U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers.
- 2004 – The European Union expands by ten new countries in its largest enlargement to date.
- 2011 – U.S. President Barack Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1946 – Joanna Lumley, British actress (Absolutely Fabulous) and activist (79)
- 1956 – Lars von Trier, Danish film director (Breaking the Waves, Melancholia) (69)
- 1969 – Wes Anderson, American film director (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Rushmore) (56)
- 1982 – Jamie Dornan, actor (Fifty Shades of Grey, The Fall) (43)
- 1994 – Charli XCX, British singer-songwriter (Boom Clap, 1999) (31)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1873 – David Livingstone, Scottish explorer and missionary (60)
- 1945 – Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s Minister of Propaganda (47)
- 1965 – Spike Jones, American musician and satirist (53)
- 1994 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian Formula One racing driver and three-time world champion (34)
- 2021 – Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning actress (Moonstruck) (89)
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