May 21, 1832: First Democratic Party Convention Opens
President Andrew Jackson was nominated for a second term at his party’s first national political convention in Baltimore.
May 20, 1874: Levi Strauss Starts Marketing Blue Jeans With Copper Rivets
Few things symbolize American grit and know-how more than blue jeans, which started going viral when Levi Strauss added their signature copper rivets to the humble denim garment.
May 19, 1863: Union Armies Lay Siege To Vicksburg, Mississippi
Union armies led by General U S Grant made their first sorties in a pivotal Civil War battle that turned the tide against the Confederacy. A “Surrender Monument” resembling an upended cannon was later erected on the site.
May 18, 1927: Graumann’s Chinese Theatre Opens In Los Angeles
Cecil B DeMille’s “The King of Kings” was the debut attraction at Grauman’s when it opened in 1927.
May 18, 1980: Mount St. Helens Erupts In Washington State
his Northern Pacific Railway poster from the 1920s portrays an idyllic Mount St Helens. Half a century later, its peak was blown to smithereens in a violent eruption of superheated gas and debris that destroyed everything within a radius of eight miles.
May 17, 1875: First Running Of The Kentucky Derby
The iconic Churchill Downs horse race inspired collectible cards included in cigarette packs that served as cross-promotions for tobacco, another signature Kentucky product.
May 16, 1914: American Horseshoe Pitchers Association Founded In Kansas City
By 1920, more Americans were living in cities and towns than in rural areas, but the sport of horseshoe pitching would remain popular for decades longer.
May 15, 1928: Mickey Mouse Makes First Appearance In Silent Films
Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight in May of 1927 galvanized the nation, and the world of animation was no exception. One of Mickey Mouse’s first screen appearances came in the 1928 silent film “Plane Crazy.”
May 14, 1804: Lewis And Clark Set Out From St. Louis For The Pacific Coast
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to survey the newly acquired land, which stretched from the Mississippi River westward to the Rocky Mountains.
Advertisement: American Eagle Tobacco Company, Detroit, Michigan
Apparently that’s Lily Langtry dressed as a geisha, in the Japonisme style graphics that was popular around the turn of the 20th century.
May 13, 1918: First US Airmail Stamps Issued
Neither snow nor rain nor cloud cover… The U.S. Post Office issued 24-cent stamps in anticipation of the first scheduled airmail service between New York City and Washington, DC, with a stop in Philadelphia. Flights began a few days later, with Curtiss JN-4H biplanes.
WPA Poster: The Sun Rises In The West Written And Produced By Southwest Theatre Unit
We are currently facing circumstances that approach the Great Depression. In May 1935, just a few days and 85 years ago, the government enacted the Works Progress Administration.
May 12, 1932: Kidnapped Lindbergh Baby Found Dead
The remains of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., infant son of the famed aviator, were found alongside a road in New Jersey some two months after he was kidnapped from his home four miles away.
May 11, 1888: Irving Berlin Is Born In Russia
One of the most renowned contributors to the American songbook, Irving Berlin was born in Russia and arrived in Ellis Island when he was five years old. "God Bless America" and' "White Christmas" are considered his masterpieces.
May 10, 1869: Transcontinental Railway Officially Completed #otd #tdih
With the driving of a golden spike at Promontory Point, Utah, the eastern and western segments of the nation’s first Transcontinental Railway were merged, allowing passengers and freight to move from the Atlantic to the Pacific for the first time.
May 9, 1916: First Mother’s Day Proclamation By President Woodrow Wilson #otd #tdih
Inspired by Anna Reeves Jarvis, a West Virginia Sunday School teacher, the national commemoration of Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May was formalized by President Wilson.
May 8, 1973: Occupation Ends At Wounded Knee
The 1973 protest galvanized many Americans, including celebrities like Marlon Brando, who declined his Godfather Oscar in solidarity.