12 History Lessons + 5 Births & 6 Deaths for May 10, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1775 – Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia and names George Washington as commander of the Continental Army.
- 1869 – The First Transcontinental Railroad is completed with the “Golden Spike” ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah.
- 1872 – Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman nominated for President of the United States.
- 1924 – J. Edgar Hoover is appointed as head of the FBI, a position he holds until his death in 1972.
- 1933 – Nazi Germany stages massive public book burnings of works deemed “un-German.”
- 1940 – Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during WWII.
- 1960 – The nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1962 – Marvel Comics publishes its first issue of The Incredible Hulk.
- 1975 – Sony introduces the Betamax videocassette recorder in Japan.
- 1994 – Nelson Mandela is sworn in as South Africa’s first Black president.
- 2013 – One World Trade Center becomes the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
- 2022 – Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wins the Philippines’ presidential election.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1960 – Bono, Irish singer and U2 frontman (65)
- 1965 – Linda Evangelista, Canadian supermodel (60)
- 1975 – Hélio Castroneves, Brazilian IndyCar racer (50)
- 1985 – Odette Annable, American actress (House, Supergirl) (40)
- 1995 – Missy Franklin, American Olympic swimmer (30)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1774 – Louis XV of France, monarch who ruled for nearly 60 years (Age 64)
- 1818 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and patriot (Age 83)
- 1863 – Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Confederate general, dies of pneumonia after being shot (Age 39)
- 1981 – Nelson Algren, American novelist (The Man with the Golden Arm) (Age 72)
- 1999 – Shel Silverstein, American poet, cartoonist, and author (Where the Sidewalk Ends) (Age 68)
- 2005 – David Hackworth, highly decorated U.S. Army colonel and military journalist (Age 74)
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